Hi, Everyone! There are so many commendable qualities in Savarkar that I could write pages and pages on them. But today, the particular aspect I want to mention is the fact that no matter what, he never, ever even for a moment betrayed his country or his people in thought or deed—that is what my research has revealed to me.
Savarkar
was very much ahead of his times, and very often that lead to misunderstanding
him, even by those devoted to him. His every word and action was scrutinized,
judged, and many times looked at through the spectacles of the Congress
perspective. He was also, it seems, held to a much higher standard than other
leaders of the Freedom Movement. While so many of the latter have been forgiven
for any indiscretions or not-so-savory actions (big or small,) Savarkar is held
accountable for everything he ever said or did. Never is any excuse made for
him, nor is he given the benefit of doubt—funny thing is, he does not need
either.
From
lack of understanding unnecessary aspersions have been cast upon him. One such
case is Savarkar and his advice to the Maharaja of Kashmir and Maharaja of
Travancore, just before independence was given to India in 1947.
I
first heard of this some months before I started to write and research Part II
of my novel Burning for Freedom. It
was told to me by someone (who shall remain nameless) in hushed tones, as if
repeating a deep, dark secret. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said, “But Savarkar advised
the Maharaja of Travancore to remain independent.” He seemed to think it was
treacherous of Savarkar to do so, and that it must be kept hidden from the
general public. A couple of thoughts rushed into my mind right away at this.
What
cheek, I thought, that someone (of whose capacity for logical and analytical
thinking I very much had my doubts) should think so of one who has given so
much of himself for the freedom of his country. It seemed to me that to speak
thus of what Savarkar did gave it the aura of it being something unsavory,
rather than the action itself.
The
other thought was that I certainly had to look into it, and no matter what my
conclusion, whether it was something that cast a blemish on Savarkar or not, I
was going to reveal it in my novel.
My
novel was not just about eulogizing Savarkar, it was for showing Savarkar as he
was, for showing what happened in history then. If I was being extremely frank
and unbiased in exposing Gandhi, then I had to be equally frank and unbiased in
revealing Savarkar. My credibility as a writer and researcher depended on it,
and this was so very important to me.
One
may agree or not agree with Savarkar in what he advised the Maharaja of Travancore.
What is important is to know the circumstance and the context of the
occurrence, to know how Savarkar saw the situation, what he felt, and how he
reacted.
The
background of this incident is this: Thanks to an indiscreet press conference
of Nehru, described by his biographer Leonard Mosley as “a direct act of
sabotage,” Jinnah who had agreed to a United India now had put the Pakistan
demand back on the table. A ruthless Direct Action was unleashed upon the
Hindus to achieve this and the neither the Government nor the Congress leaders
were protecting them from the violent and ruthless wrath of the Muslim League. By
June 1947, the violence had reached horrendous heights. Pakistan was granted to
the Muslim League, but there was no decrease in the violence. Now the Muslim
League was clamoring for the whole of Punjab and Bengal. To top that,
Mountbatten was pushing the Maharaja of Kashmir to accede to Pakistan and the
Nizam of Hyderabad had every intention of remaining independent (one must keep
in mind he occupied a very large territory in middle of India) if he couldn’t
accede to India.
Savarkar
with his unerring political acumen was certain that Pakistan was going to
attack India immediately after independence (that is exactly what Pakistan did)
and gouge out whatever pieces of India it could and lay claim to them. With a
Government that had shown itself to be helpless and incompetent, with Nehru and
Gandhi still pushing non-violence upon the Hindus, and with Gandhi advocating
the dismantling of the army of India, India was so very vulnerable—most
certainly that’s how Savarkar saw it.
How
desperate and helpless must Savarkar have felt! It is at this time that
Maharaja of Kashmir and Chief Minister of Travancore wrote to him seeking an
opinion for their wish to remain independent. He advised them to do so and
encouraged them to build a strong army which could save India if his worst
fears came true. It was most certainly not an act of betrayal of India.
Below,
I am giving the excerpt from my novel Burning
for Freedom—a small conversation I created to highlight this.
“Gullible, naïve Hindus!” muttered
Savarkar. “Gajanan, where are the letters I received from Maharaja Hari Singh[1]
and Ramaswami Aiyar?”[2]
“Here they are, Tatyarao,” said
Gajanan, digging them out from a pile of letters by his side and handing them
to Savarkar. “They are determined to remain independent. They want to know your
opinion.”
“Here are my drafted replies,
Gajanan,” said Savarkar. “I have told them they have my full support in this
decision—and they must immediately start building up an extremely strong army.”
Gajanan gaped.
Keshu blurted out, “But,
Tatyarao … is that wise?”
Savarkar was silent for a long
moment. Then he looked up. Tears were glinting in his eyes.
“Picture this scene, Keshu, Gajanan.
Do you really think that the Muslims who are so aggressively mowing down the
Hindus now are going to just stop
after independence? No! Pakistan will surely attack Hindustan and try to take
over as much of our country as they can. If they reach Delhi, we are lost! And
don’t forget, the Nizam’s land is a sizeable chunk smack in the middle of our
Hindustan. He is panting for an Islamic State in Hyderabad and looking for a
way to accede to Pakistan”—the tears rolled down his cheeks—“what faith can we
place in our Government? They have proved themselves to be biased, incompetent,
and heartless! Do you have faith that they will defend our country? Can we take
that chance?”
“But, Tatyarao, an independent
Kashmir and Travancore compromises the integrity of Hindustan, doesn’t it?”
cried Keshu.
“Times are desperate, Keshu—desperate! It calls for desperate
measures. Mountbatten is pushing the Maharaja of Kashmir to join Pakistan; that
cannot be permitted! Our roots are in the Himalayas of Kashmir; they are our
natural protection from enemies. If we have Kashmir as a strong independent
Hindu state in the north—just like Nepal—and Travancore in the south, we will
have armies to count on when Pakistan attacks. Otherwise, if Gandhi does
actually dismantle our army, as he is advocating, Hindustan will be a sitting
duck!” He fell silent.
“Tatyarao, surely, surely the
Government of India won’t be so idiotic!” cried Gajanan.
“A Pakistan taking over Hindustan
is … is …”
“Yes, Keshu,” said Savarkar, “a
horrendous thought to even put in words but not
an impossibility!”
A few days later, Ramaswami Aiyar
was attacked by a Christian; fortunately he survived. He resigned from his
post, and Maharaja Chithira Thirunal Bala of Travancore acceded to India. The
Maharaja of Kashmir managed to hold out and remain independent.
Anurupa
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