Hindu Samhati salutes Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

Bande Mahapurushashashya Charanarabindam

Controversies are expected in any field of human life be it political or academic; but the continual castigation against a single individual or the mythos (propounded or procreated and nurtured by him) for decades by the indigenous governance authenticates its might only.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (28 May 1883 - 26 Feb 1966), in spite of being a valiant freedom fighter, social reformer, author, historian, political leader and philosopher, has always been chastised by the Indian government and his notion of Hindutva has turned into a hapless victim of mischievousness and half truths only. An assortment of political commentators, philosophers, historians has penned of Hindutva. Sadly, Savarkar has been termed as scholar but an intransigent chauvinist by his detractors. Fellow travelers have venerated him and his lifelong struggle time and again, it is needles to say.

Savarkar’s birth anniversary on 28 May, therefore, brings forth an excellent opportunity to assess his contributions on the modern Indian scenario dispassionately. It must also be mentioned (at the same instant) five philosophical attributes of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar include Rationalism and Positivism, Utilitarianism, Pragmatism and Realism and last of all, Humanism and Universalism.

Certainly any such person must depict seeds of his brilliance in early days of own life and Savarkar was also no exception. He was instrumental in forming Mitra Mela, youth group in those days, known for promoting radical and nationalist views. Nevertheless, his admission in Fergusson College, Pune was a great juncture. Indian freedom struggle, then, was in its formative years and under the auspices of radicals. Speeches, austere lifestyles of leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal and their valiant struggles for national freedom made a great impact on his psyche. Partition of Bengal in 1905 and struggles against it, Swadeshi movement changed his life altogether.

In 1905, to further the cause of Swadeshi campaign, Abhinav Bharat was founded by Savarkar along with a band of his friends, followers and students. Even if he was expelled from the college, none could dampen his revolutionary zeal. Philosophy of Swaraj, advocated by Tilak, impressed him a great deal.

Gradually Savarkar realized that such notions must be spread among the Indian students studying abroad also and with this end in view he joined Gray’s Inn law college in London and got accommodation in India House. Free India Society was soon founded by Savarkar to help organize fellow Indian students with the aim of fighting for total independence through a revolution. He declared unequivocally “We must stop complaining about this British officer or that officer, this law or that law. There would be no end to that. Our movement must not be limited to being against any particular law, but it must be for acquiring the authority to make laws itself. In other words, we want absolute independence.”

Two major things happened during this time. His book “ The History of the War of Indian Independence" and wholehearted efforts to save Madan Lal Dhingra, arrested for assassinating Sir Curzon Wylie, British Member of Parliament, in 1909 in a public meeting, made him famous and source of blazing inspiration for the Indian youth, both in England and India.

In subsequent years, following the horrific experiences in Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, there was a shift in his way of thinking. He became more interested in Hindu culture, its political nationalism and evolution of Hindu political ethos through ages. All these led him publish “Essentials of Hindutva” in 1923 and dedicate himself to the cause of Hindus till his last breadth. Throughout his life he was criticized for his vehement support or espousing gospels of Hindus on the whole (termed by many as a bigoted notion leading to Hindu separatism only against Indian nationalism) but he remained nonchalant. On the word of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a Hindu happens to be a devoted resident of Bharatvarsha, venturing beyond a religious identity. His seminal slogans ‘Hinduize politics’ and ‘Militarize Hindudom’ has inspired Hindus a lot from time to time.

Savarkar felt a shock at the adoption of Lahore Resolution of Muslim League in 1940 demanding a separate Muslim state on the basis of Two-Nation theory and lost no time to term it as a vicious plan leading to racial extermination of Hindus ultimately. Had the Indian National Congress under Mahatma Gandhi comprehended the reality, fate of India would have surely been different. This has been explicitly described by Bhimarao Ramji Ambedkar in his internationally renowned book “Pakistan or The Partition of India”.

The book states – “Mr. Savarkar... insists that, although there are two nations in India, India shall not be divided into two parts, one for Muslims and the other for the Hindus; that the two nations shall dwell in one country and shall live under the mantle of one single constitution;... In the struggle for political power between the two nations the rule of the game which Mr. Savarkar prescribes is to be one man vote, be the man Hindu or Muslim. In his scheme a Muslim is to have no advantage which a Hindu does not have. Minority is to be no justification for privilege and majority is to be no ground for penalty. The State will guarantee the Muslims any defined measure of political power in the form of Muslim religion and Muslim culture. But the State will not guarantee secured seats in the Legislature or in the Administration and, if such guarantee is insisted upon by the Muslims, such guaranteed quota is not to exceed their proportion to the general population.”

But the Indian governance has always been the rowdiest listener to these words of wisdom and its vengeance got most discernible when Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was implicated (as part of a sinister design) in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. But due to lack of evidence he was bailed out ultimately.

Savarkar died on February 26, 1966 through renouncing food, medicine and water – something unbelievable for any Gandhian Congress leader till date. There had never been any dearth of malice against him but he fought like a valiant warrior with his strongest conviction in Hindutva.

Hindu Samhati salutes Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his birthday.