Savarkar: Ja Jhunja! Fight for our very own Motherland!

 Hi, Everyone! On dawn of August 15, 1947, India became free. Savarkar’s dream of a free—though not united—Hindustan was fulfilled.

Almost fifty years before that in 1898, at fifteen years of age he had taken an oath before the Ashtabhuja Goddess to organize a revolution for the freedom of his beloved motherland. He had left no stone unturned in his goal to get freedom for India and bring honor back to his motherland. One of his ways to achieve this was to set about awakening the Indians to the plight of Hindustan and stirring patriotism in their hearts. And one of his weapons for this was his soul-stirring poetry.

It is impossible to remain unmoved by the passion, patriotism, pain, and urgency in his poems. I am posting one of my favorite poems of his with my translation:

Ja Jhunje! (Fight!)

निजजाति-छळानें हृदय कां न तळमळतें ? तुम्हि तरुण शिरांतुनि रक्त  नवें सळसळतें ?  हे नवें रक्त तों विजेहुनी पेटावें  मृत्यूसि तुम्हीं गाठून बळें भेटावें मग मुकुट आपला कोणीं I फोडिला हिंदूंचा झेंडा कोणीं I तोडिला    आशेचा अंकुर कोणीं I मोडिला    हें चिंतुनि चिंतुनि क्रुद्ध आंसावें जळतीं दिनरात्रीं  डोळ्यांतुनि कां न रे गळती ? ह्या भारतभूस्तव  समररंगणीं गेले    ह्या चिंतेनें बहु वीर लढुनिया मेले    कुणि घोर यातनांचिया चितेवरि जळले कुणीं फांस गळ्यासी लागतांहि ना ढळले त्या त्यांच्या अपुर्या इच्छा I या क्षणीं तुम्हांसि बाहती हांका I फोडुनी    का ऐकूं  येती कोणा  I यांतुनी जरि येति तरी रे ऊठ कोण जो तो तूं घे करीं शिरा जा झुंज पुरव तो हेतू

Anguished are ye not by our people’s pitiful plight? Fie! Pound not in you hot, young, blood, O Youth, Blood more fiery than lightning? Fie! Approach Death, meet it head on! Forsooth! Who dared our crown shatter? Who dared the Hindu flag tatter? Who dared our burgeoning hopes batter? Dwell!  Where are the hot, raging tears Spilling from your eyes night and day! Fie! Ah! Sons of Bharat into the battlefield plowed Their anguished hearts were there razed Some marched boldly to the gallows uncowed! Or in pyres of untold tortures were set ablaze Hark, their  thundering unfulfilled ardor, Every second it calls out to you harder! Is there anyone who can hear its clamor? All ye who do! Awake! Awake! Fight! Fulfill our cause! Your life stake!

- Anurupa