Savarkar Read online

  VIKRAM SAMPATH

  Savarkar

  Echoes from a forgotten past

  1883-1924

  PENGUIN BOOKS

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. The Early Years

  2. Painful Transitions

  3. The Birth of a Revolutionary

  4. Inside the Enemy Camp

  5. And the Storm Breaks

  6. Endgame London

  7. L’Affaire Savarkar

  8. Sazaa-e-Kalapani

  9. The Jail Chronicles

  10. Political Potboiler

  11. Who Is a Hindu?

  12. The Interpretation of Thoughts

  APPENDICES

  Appendix I: Full Text of ‘O! Martyrs’

  Appendix II: Full Text of ‘Will and Testament’, 1910

  Appendix III: Petitions by V.D. Savarkar

  Appendix IV: Is Hindusthan Disarmed?

  Illustrations

  Bibliography

  Notes

  Acknowledgements

  Follow Penguin

  Copyright

  Advance Praise for the Book

  ‘Generally, there is consensus in a country about its great men and women, allowing some people to make a few critical comments on him or her. It is rather an exception that opinion in a country gets to be so divided so as to cause a complete polarization, with some at one pole admiring a person as a messiah, a trailblazer; and others, on the other, denouncing him as an ogre, an embodiment of evil. And which pole dominates depends on the supervening sociopolitical and cultural atmosphere of the country. When nether pole dominates, it takes a lot of courage on the part of an author to buck the trend and seek the truth.

  ‘Vinayak Damodar “Veer” Savarkar (1883–1966) was such an exceptional person. And Vikram Sampath has proved to be such a courageous author. In fact, when I undertook to write a biography of Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerji, incidentally a close associate of Savarkar, I came across similar feelings; I went ahead notwithstanding, claiming no credit for any courage, certainly not of the kind that Vikram has shown.

  ‘For Savarkar was a much more maligned person than Dr Mookerji. While the onslaught on the latter was more by way of omission than commission, Savarkar had been directly and personally accused of complicity in Gandhiji’s assassination; he had also been falsely accused of begging for mercy to be released from the hellhole otherwise known as the Cellular Jail in the Andamans, of whipping up hatred against Muslims and Christians, and so forth . . . Therefore, writing a biography of Savarkar would take more courage and the most painstaking research possible to rubbish the accusations thrown at him. This Vikram has been able to do admirably, plumbing the depths of material on him not only in English but also in Savarkar’s native Marathi.

  ‘Vikram’s command of the English language, his writing skills and his penchant for description, especially of the inhuman torture that the prisoners had to undergo at the hands of the unspeakable Scottish jailor Barrie make the text both heart-wrenching as also very readable. The book covers his life up to about 1924 and leaves the reader waiting impatiently for the remaining part of his life—possibly the most productive phase—when he crystallized his concept of Hindutva, put it into practice and got Dr Mookerji to second for him at a time when his health had begun to fail. Although the two parted company later, it was Savarkar’s philosophy that got his second to take it onwards and found a new party, the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which later metamorphosed into the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has just come to power at India’s centre with a decisive majority’

  —Tathagata Roy , governor, Meghalaya, Raj Bhavan, Shillong

  ‘Because of his opposition to the Congress and the belief that he was complicit in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, historians of independent India have tended to ignore the life of V.D. Savarkar. This is the first of a two-volume biography based on formidable research in hitherto unconsulted documents in Marathi and in archives across the world. It explores, as never before, the formation of the young revolutionary who was to create the doctrine of Hindutva. This is a key work for understanding the development of ideas dominant in Indian politics today’

  —Prof. Francis Robinson , Royal Holloway, University of London

  ‘The first serious biography of Savarkar in English, this book allows us to understand a man whose ideas have come to define contemporary India. A long overdue study, and one full of new material, it heralds a welcome departure in the scholarship on Indian political thought’

  —Prof. Faisal Devji , professor of Indian history, University of Oxford

  ‘Based on extensive research, Vikram Sampath provides a gripping narrative of the first half of the life of an anti-colonial revolutionary turned ideologue of Hindutva. Sampath’s biography delves into Savarkar’s formative influences in Maharashtra, his camaraderie with radicals in England and France, and his suffering as a prisoner in Andaman. We get a rich portrait of Savarkar as a poet and writer as well as political activist and theorist’

  —Prof. Sugata Bose , Gardiner professor of history, Harvard University

  ‘Vikram Sampath’s book is not limited to providing mere biographical details of the life of Savarkar, but offers historical context through detailed descriptions of historical events of that era. Thus, it makes a dual contribution to Indian history. The author staggers Savarkar’s biography with details of the sinister British rule in India, which gave rise to powerful nationalist leaders of multiple stripes during the early phase of the Indian independence movement.

  ‘The book fulfils a long overdue prerequisite for an authentic historical biography of a brave son of India. It examines the life of Savarkar closely, while also providing lesser-known details, which help dispel the many mythical accounts of Savarkar’s life. As a corollary, this book also supplements our existing patchwork of knowledge on the history of Indian independence.

  ‘Sampath’s is both a biographical work as well as a historical book on one of the most misunderstood nationalists of India. This book brings forward, for the first time, an authoritative examination of material (letters, speeches, official communication, newspaper reports) and numerous never-before-studied documents.

  ‘The book begins with the birth of Savarkar, narrating events of his childhood and young adult life in the first few chapters interspersed with thought-provoking details of the political circumstances of India. Through the depiction of successive struggles of young Savarkar in plague-affected western India between 1899 and 1900, the author demonstrates the struggles of average Indians under British rule. With Savarkar’s move to Nashik from 1900 onwards, his nationalist activities gained momentum as he founded Mitra Mela (also its affiliate Rashtrabhakta Samuha). Savarkar’s activities and entanglements with the national movement here pitted him against British authorities, and at times brought him in opposition to established national leaders including Tilak. Crucial is Savarkar’s decision to champion the celebration of Shivaji Utsav during this early phase. Savarkar’s brilliant speeches inspired numerous young nationalist leaders, while the British government used these speeches to prosecute him on charges of sedition many year later. Of utmost interest are the chapters discussing the life of Savarkar in London (including his short stint in Paris) followed by his imprisonment in the Andamans and later in India. Sampath’s rich prose brings history to life with amazing clarity.

  ‘The book makes a most valuable and original contribution to historical scholarship on the Indian independence movement. It also makes important “modifications” to the hitherto established views on the independence movement, giving a new and critical analysis of the events. His study infuses India’s independence movement with the necessary complexity, which has remained too simplistic for far too long due to missing information. Sampath offer
s a consciously alternative narrative of India’s independence that is representative of her numerous trials and tribulations.

  ‘The book captures the formative period of India’s independence movement, which was the true crucible of India. Emerging under alien rule, India endured the most arduous journey, which was only partially recollected in the simplistic narrative preserved in India’s history books. Sampath successfully addresses this lacuna by bringing forward the dimensions that have missed a critical evaluation. He offers an alternative narrative to the prevailing colonial and Western recollections of the independence movement, thus providing a new and original lens to examine Indian history.

  ‘Savarkar is necessary reading for every student of Indian history. I also strongly suggest that everyone interested in learning about India reads this’

  —Lavanya Vemsani , professor, Shawnee State University; president, Ohio Academy of History; editor-in-chief, American Journal of Indic Studies

  ‘Veer Savarkar remains one of the most intriguing figures in contemporary Indian history. He invites Manichean sentiments from his supporters and his detractors. Vikram Sampath’s brilliant biography demystifies the man, the thinker and the leader. Far from being a hagiography, the book is essential reading for all those interested in contemporary India and the rise of Hindutva’

  —Prof. Amitabh Mattoo , professor, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; honorary professor of international relations, University of Melbourne; chair, governing body, Miranda House College, University of Delhi; governing board, Australia India Institute, Delhi

  ‘Veer Savarkar comes to life for the English-speaking reader in Vikram Sampath’s extraordinarily well-researched and immensely readable new biography. A must-read for anyone who wishes to understand one of the most important, least studied and much maligned leaders of India’s struggle for freedom against British colonialism. In Sampath’s engaging and sympathetic account, Savarkar emerges as a complex, gifted and enigmatic visionary, the determined opponent of Empire who was also an ideologue and inspiration of Hindu political and cultural nationalism’

  —Prof. Makarand Paranjpe , director, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla

  ‘This is the most significant work on Savarkar since Dhananjay Keer’s biography seven decades ago. Vikram Sampath has earlier won acclaim for his history of Mysore’s Wodeyar dynasty. His biographies of Gauhar Jaan, India’s first classical musician to record on the gramophone, and late S. Balachander, the veena maestro, have established him as the country’s foremost biographer.

  ‘Sampath now interrogates one of modern India’s most controversial political figures. Drawing on an impressive array of archival material in India and the United Kingdom, as well as a vast corpus of writings in the regional languages, he exhibits a mastery over his subject that will be difficult to surpass.

  ‘Sampath’s canvas is vast. From the cultural resurgence in early twentieth-century Maharashtra, to the liberal petitioners and extreme nationalists, the emerging trend of violent armed struggle, Sampath presents a panoramic view of a tumultuous period of Indian history. Amidst this he situates Savarkar, his childhood, personal tragedies, his London visit, the powerful articulation of swaraj and swadharma, and the landmark work, The War of Independence of 1857 .

  ‘Thereafter, events followed in quick succession: the Nasik Trial, arrest in London, dramatic escape and capture at Marseilles, deportation to India, award of two life transportations to the Andamans, the horrific jail conditions and the distressed response. It’s a gripping tale, skilfully told. In Vikram Sampath, Savarkar has at last found his Boswell. Readers will eagerly await the second volume’

  —Prof. Meenakshi Jain , senior fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research

  ‘A rare biography that offers details of a fascinating saga, the life story of one of the most charismatic characters in modern history, which captures the overall ambience of the tumultuous times, when our society was fighting centuries of cultural–religious–political humiliation and marginalization. Vikram Sampath fills up admirably many critical gaps in our flawed historiography, particularly the revolutionary strand, systematically smothered in sarkari narrative, seeking to set the record straight. No easy task!

  ‘Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was no ordinary human being—an original thinker, a rationalist; demolishing with aplomb the received wisdom on the issues he had to deal with. Every calumny hurled against Savarkar is explained in painstaking details with hitherto unknown evidence, deployed with finesse and sound logic. Who would know about such nuggets of history—the commitment to India’s freedom—of Dadabhai Naoroji’s granddaughter, Perin, belonging to a genuine minority community, never demanding exclusive privileges; and of Niranjan, the son of Bipin Chandra Pal. Vikram brings out the surprising fact as to how Madan Lal Dhingra was seen sympathetically by some senior British politicians as against the hostility of some Indian leaders! Every revolutionary missing from our history books—Shyamji Krishna Verma, Virendranath Chattopadhyay and many such real heroes—come alive in this exhaustive study.

  ‘Beginning with the genealogical tree of Chitpawan Bramhans, the revolutionary fervour in the Bombay Presidency, the centrality of Poona, the role of the Mitra Melas, Abhinav Bharat, revolutionary secret societies in Nashik with their road-map delineated in detail, in the backdrop of the larger all-India picture, his marriage as a school student, his interest in world history, the stint at Fergusson College, details of family life are all there. From India House, London, to the Cellular Jail, and the subsequent story are analysed in great detail.

  ‘Those who have maligned Savarkar systematically without any credible evidence stand exposed by the weight and logic of Sampath’s work and come out as men of wavering principles, if not hypocrites, consistent in their policy of compromise with both Muslim separatism and British hegemony. Vikram takes us through the suppressed pages in our history.

  ‘The British may or may not regret the mass murder of Indians at Jallianwala Bagh, but looking at Savarkar’s experience of the Cellular Jail in the Andamans, about which he himself wrote, and which has been denied the importance it deserves, we have one more item on our national agenda to ask the British to apologize for—their barbaric treatment of freedom fighters.

  ‘Fidelity to facts and reliance on primary source materials, most of it archival, held in UK and India, make this a very credible and inspirational story. An academically sound historical narrative needs to be even-handed in its treatment of the subject matter and Vikram fulfils this criterion’

  —Prof. Saradindu Mukherji , historian and member, Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR)

  ‘This book is a true gift. The pages are imbued with valuable information, wisdom and thought born of deep research and great reflections. If you want to live an important angle of Indian history, please begin here’

  —Imam Mohamad Tawhidi , bestselling author, scholar and Islamic reformer

  ‘Vikram’s book fills a big gap in our understanding of one of the most influential thinkers of early twentieth-century India, Veer Savarkar, who is much debated but is also often misrepresented by followers and detractors alike. In this superb volume on the “revolutionary phase” of Savarkar’s life, Vikram has not merely recreated the man but also his times. Read it, not just to understand Savarkar, but also to understand the emergence of modern India’

  —Sanjeev Sanyal , bestselling author and principal economic advisor, Ministry of Finance, Government of India

  ‘Veer Savarkar is undoubtedly one of India’s most influential freedom fighters. He stands apart by the personal example he set as a patriot, intellectual, writer and scholar par excellence.

  ‘Savarkar was prominent in hoisting the flag of defiance on British soil against Britain’s oppressive colonial rule in India. He was angry with the glorification of the mass murder of Indians in the 1857 war in the British media. While studying in London, Savarkar headed a band of Indian students to orga
nize and protest Britain’s colonization. He infused the passion for fighting for freedom in an entire generation of young Indians, both in Britain and India.

  ‘Savarkar’s life was truly extraordinary. He was classified as a serious threat to the British Empire and had to escape from Britain in a manner that defies imagination. While being transported to India, he was caught while trying to escape, leading to a famous international case. After returning to India, Savarkar continued to work zealously for India’s freedom.

  ‘Savarkar was incarcerated at the Cellular Jail for over eleven years. I hardly knew about Savarkar till I visited Port Blair and the Cellular Jail a few years ago. I was shocked at the bleak environment and tools of torture Britain employed to break its inmates. The prisoners were yoked to oil mills to grind seeds into oil, tortured and continuously beaten, deprived of adequate food and medical care, human beings made to work like animals under the violent whip of the British master.

  ‘At Kalapani, Savarkar was confined to solitary imprisonment to shatter his will and set an example to the rest of the inmates. He suffered bodily and mentally. He was often denied rights that were due to political prisoners like him. None of the other freedom fighters of India widely recognized today—Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Azad, Jinnah—were imprisoned and tortured to this extent. From his solitary cell window, Savarkar would see Indian revolutionaries hanged by the British, never sure when he would be put to death. Despite the extensive torture and degrading health, his spirit endured.

  ‘Savarkar was released from prison when the Government of India Act was being drafted. He gave an undertaking that he would not participate in political activities and settled down in Ratnagiri to write a definitive thesis on the Indian nation and enthuse people to carry on the fight for freedom. Through his popular thesis on Hindutva, Savarkar was the foremost proponent of the Hindu social reform movement.

  ‘The tragedy of Savarkar is that after his death in 1966, the leftist account of our history and freedom movement superseded the factual narrative. Despite Indira Gandhi’s reverence for Savarkar’s efforts, saying, “Savarkar’s defiance of the British government has its own place in the freedom struggle,” he was posthumously abused, denigrated and defiled. His views were relegated for ideological reasons. Any mention of his ideas was automatically labelled as communal and unacceptable. Even in recent times, as is evident in Mani Shankar Aiyar’s displacement of a memorial plaque in Savarkar’s name, efforts to cast him as anti-Indian continue. It is only after I visited the Cellular Jail that I started reading about Savarkar. Only after personal examination can the offensive nature of the ideological manipulation of his legacy be fully understood.