V.D. Savarkar - Biography, Thoughts and Contribution

1925

Hindu Rashtra Darshan

Veer Savarkar

Prabhat Prakashan

A Hindu, to sum up the conclusions arrived at, is he who looks upon the land that extends from Sindhu to Sindhu, from the Indus to the seas, as the land of his forefathers, his pitrabhu, who inherited the blood of that race whose first discernible source is traced to the Vedic Saptasindhus, which, on its onward march, assimilated much that was incorporated and ennobling. The Hindus, who inherited and claimed as their own the culture of that race, as expressed chiefly in their common classic language, Sanskrit, and represented by a common history, a common literature, art and architecture, law and jurisprudence, rites and rituals, ceremonies and sacraments, fairs and festivals, and who, above all, address this land, this Sindhustan, as their punyabhu, as the holy land, the land of their saints and seers, of godmen and gurus, the land of piety and pilgrimage. These are the essentials of Hindutva – a common rashtra, a common jaati, and a common sanskriti. All these essentials could best be summed up by stating in brief that they are Hindu to whom Sindhustan is not only a pitrabhu but also a punyabhu.

—Excerpts from this book 

1950

Biography by Dhananjay Keer

Swatantrya Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was born on Monday, the 28th May 1883, at 10 p.m. at Bhagur, a village near Nasik.

While a junior high-school student, his article on ‘ The Glory of Hindusthan’ appeared in two parts as an editorial in the local paper, Nasik Vaihhav.

After many varied discussions Vinayak won Paranjpe’s followers over to his side, administered to themthe vow, and formed a Patriots’ Group of three members. This Group, established in 1899, soon assumed the shape of a Friends’ Union called ‘ Mitra Mela ’ at the beginning of 1900. Chosen youths of merit and mettle were secretly initiated into this fold.  The Mitra Mela sprouted into the world-famous Abhinava Bharat in 1904, its network was spread over Western and Central India and subsequently its branches in the form of the Ghadr Party resounded in England, France, Germany, America, Hong-Kong, Singapore and Burma with their heroic deeds and risings like the Komagata Maru episode. The aimand ideal of the Mitra Mela was absolute political Independence of India, and it emphatically asserted that such an independence could be won, if need be, by an armed revolt. Its watchward was instruction and insurrection.

At Ferguson College,  a Savarkar group was formed. This band of purposeful youths captured almost all departments of the college institutions from the Dining Club to the Library. It was a patriots’ group, studious, thoughtful, sober, aspiring and yet greatly obliging. The group started a hand-written weekly named the Aryan Weekly, in which Savarkar often wrote illuminating articles on patriotism, literature, history and science with ease and elegance. Some of the thought-provoking articles from this weekly found their way even into local weeklies and newspapers of Poona. One of those brilliant articles of Savarkar was “ Saptapadi ” in which he had dealt with the seven stages of evolution that have to be gone through by a subject nation.

While at college he had convened in 1904 a meeting of some two hundred selected members of the Mitra Mela. In an atmosphere fueled with grandeur and religiosity, the name of the Revolutionary Party was changed from the Mitra Mela to the Abhinava Bharat. Now the party  girded up its loins to extend its political and revolutionary activities and influence, spread its net all over India, and assume the responsibility of a revolution on an all-Bharat scale.

About this time news came to India that Pandit Shyamji Krishna Varnia, then resident of London, offered scholarships for Indian students desiring to study in Europe. Giving a brief sketch of his career Savarkar proceeds in his application : “ Independence and Liberty I look upon as the very pulse and breath of nation. From my boyhood, dear sir, upto this moment of my youth, the loss of Independence of my country- and the possibility of regaining it form the only theme of which I dreamt by night and on which I mused by day.”

Pandit Shyamji Krishna Verma signed  an agreement before Tilak and awared Savarkar  a sum of Rs. 400 through him as the first instalment of the Shivaji Scholarship. His comrades and devotees gave him in Bombay a hearty sendoff on June 9, 1906, and the steamer Persia, left Bombay on her great voyage with the prince of Indian Revolutionaries on her deck for the consummation of his great vision, great aim and great deeds.

Savarkar reached London in the first week of July 1906, and took his lodgings at the India House founded by Pandit Shyamji Krishna Varma. In due course Savarkar was admitted to Gray’s Inn, one of the four Iims of Court in London, Pandit Shyamji, had established a Home Rule Society and the India House during the first quarter of 1905. 

In 1907 he entrusted the management of the India House entirely to Savarkar and left for Paris.

In Port Blair jail, Savarkar persuaded the prisoners to write their letters in the provincial languages or conveniently in Hindi and to write their complaints, answers, or applications in Hindi so that the necessity and urgency of Nagari-knowing Munshis should be felt increasingly. The effect was tremendous. Formerly ninety per cent of the letters from and to the Andamans were in Urdu, a few years after the arrival of Savarkar the tables were turned and the ratio was in the reverse order. Some distinguished prisoners from the Punjab, who had composed their poetry in Urdu, got themselves accustomed to the Nagari Hindi and re-wrote their poems in Hindi

https://archive.org/stream/dli.bengal.10689.13532/10689.13532_djvu.txt

Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past, 1883–1924

Vikram Sampath

Penguin Random House India Private Limited, 16-Aug-2019 - Literary Collections - 624 pages

As the intellectual fountainhead of the ideology of Hindutva, which is in political ascendancy in India today, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is undoubtedly one of the most contentious political thinkers and leaders of the twentieth century. Accounts of his eventful and stormy life have oscillated from eulogizing hagiographies to disparaging demonization. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between and has unfortunately never been brought to light. Savarkar and his ideology stood as one of the strongest and most virulent opponents of Gandhi, his pacifist philosophy and the Indian National Congress.

An alleged atheist and a staunch rationalist who opposed orthodox Hindu beliefs, encouraged inter-caste marriage and dining, and dismissed cow worship as mere superstition, Savarkar was, arguably, the most vocal political voice for the Hindu community through the entire course of India's freedom struggle. From the heady days of revolution and generating international support for the cause of India's freedom as a law student in London, Savarkar found himself arrested, unfairly tried for sedition, transported and incarcerated at the Cellular Jail, in the Andamans, for over a decade, where he underwent unimaginable torture.

From being an optimistic advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity in his treatise on the 1857 War of Independence, what was it that transformed him in the Cellular Jail to a proponent of 'Hindutva', which viewed Muslims with suspicion?

Drawing from a vast range of original archival documents across India and abroad, this biography in two parts-the first focusing on the years leading up to his incarceration and eventual release from the Kalapani-puts Savarkar, his life and philosophy in a new perspective and looks at the man with all his achievements and failings.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=E46nDwAAQBAJ

Savarkar (Part 2): A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966

Vikram Sampath

Penguin Random House India Private Limited, 26-Jul-2021 - Biography & Autobiography - 600 pages

Was Savarkar really a co-conspirator in the Gandhi murder? Was there a pogrom against a particular community after Gandhi's assassination? Decades after his death, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar continues to uniquely influence India's political scenario. An optimistic advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity in his treatise on the 1857 War of Independence, what was it that transformed him into a proponent of 'Hindutva'? A former president of the All-India Hindu Mahasabha, Savarkar was a severe critic of the Congress's appeasement politics. After Gandhi's murder, Savarkar was charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination. While he was acquitted by the court, Savarkar is still alleged to have played a role in Gandhi's assassination, a topic that is often discussed and debated. In this concluding volume of the Savarkar series, exploring a vast range of original archival documents from across India and outside it, in English and several Indian languages, historian Vikram Sampath brings to light the life and works of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, one of the most contentious political thinkers and leaders of the twentieth century.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=s4E0EAAAQBAJ

Veer Savarkar Father of Hindu Nationalism

Jaywant Joglekar

Lulu.com, 01-Oct-2006 - History - 200 pages

Great leaders of the past century dominated Indian political scene for a decade or two. But Savarkar's name shines brightly from 1900 to 1966. Ganghiji said, 'No independence without Hindu-Muslim unity.' But Pakistan was created. When the late Prime Minister Nehru chided the Hindu nationalists for advocating Hindu Raj, Savarkar said, 'The choice, therefore, is not between two sets of personalities but between two ideologies, not Indian Raj or Hindu Raj but Muslim Raj or Hindu Raj, Akhand Hindustan or Akhand Pakistan.' He knew Savarkar personally and wrote his biography in Marathi. The English version 'Veer Savarkar, Father of Hindu Nationalism' has been done now. Savarkar's biography enables the reader to understand the politics of the last century.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=1J3uk3x_k6sC

The Life and Times of Veer Savarkar

A.K. Gandhi

Prabhat Prakashan, 15-Sep-2020 - Biography & Autobiography - 144 pages

Vinayak Damodar Sarvarkar popularly known as Veer Sarvarkar has a unique place in the annals of history. Controversy surrounds his name. Some consider him to be one of the greatest revolutionaries in the freedom struggle of India while others think of him to be a communalist. However; there is no doubt that he was a freedom fighter; who not only fought for his country but also evoked feelings of patriotism in fellow citizens through his writings.

His biography is an eye-opener for it depicts the trials and tribulations of a person; who was sentenced to 50 years of hard imprisonment in the Cellular Jail of Andaman and Nicobar Islands; also called the ‘Kala Pani’. From his prison cell; he sent his poems to the mainland; memorized by the prisoners who were released.

An inspiring biography of a true nationalist.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=ULeaDAAAQBAJ

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar: The Much-maligned and Misunderstood Revolutionary and Freedom Fighter

Y. G. Bhave

Northern Book Centre, 2009 - Nationalists - 106 pages

Some men are born great. Some are made great. Some are denied greatness in their life time.

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the doyen of Indian Revolutionaries and a front-rank freedom fighter belongs to the third category.Whether as a social revolutionary, or political revolutionary or politician Savarkar was always firm by his convictions. Despite suffering ignominy at the hands of his own undeserving brethren Savarkar kept the flame of true nationalism burning. The book not only gives us details about the various achievements of Savarkar in various fields of social, revolutionary and political life but also in the field of poetry and literature. This book fully dispels all doubts, apprehensions, misconceptions and misunderstanding about this Great Son of Mother India who sacrificed his present to mould the future of his country. Power politics makes mischevous attempts to malign this peerless patriot. But truth has already started dawning and all the clouds eclipsing the multi-dimentional personality of Veer Savarkar have started dispersing and the bright sun of his name and fame will soon illuminate the political sky of India that is Bharat.Read this book to appreciate Savarkar's real worth.

Veer Savarkar: Thought and Action of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

Jyoti Trehan

Deep and Deep Publications, 1991 - Nationalism - 148 pages

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=JD1ZMJZZNr4C

Biography of Veer Savarkar: Inspirational Biographies for Children: Inspirational Biographies for Children

Kavita Garg

Prabhat Prakashan, 01-Feb-2021 - Biography & Autobiography

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a brave and staunch patriot. He was born on 28th of May, 1883, in a village called Bhagoor near Nasik in Maharashtra. His parents were from a middle-class background. His mother, Radhabai was a religious lady. She was extremely kind and honest. His father, Pt. Damodar Pant was known far and wide for his knowledge.ÊAs a child, Savarkar used to be called ÔTatyaÕ by the family members. Mother Radhabai used to call her son ÔVinayakÕ with great affection. Vinayak, the little boy, was brought up with great love and care. Due to the religious environment at home, the child used to get a lot of opportunities to regularly listen to the chapters from the Ramayana and the Gita. This had a deep impact on his life.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=lBAVEAAAQBAJ

VEER SAVARKAR: THE MAN WHO COULD HAVE PREVENTED PARTITION

by Chirayu Pandit, Uday Mahurkar

CATEGORY Biographies & Memoirs

FORMAT Hardcover

IMPRINT Rupa

PRICE 595

2021

https://rupapublications.co.in/books/veer-savarkar-the-man-who-could-have-prevented-partition/

Motivating Thoughts of Veer Savarkar

Taniya Sachdeva

Prabhat Prakashan, 01-Jan-2020 - Self-Help

Though the writings of Savarkar and the commentaries on these writings exist in bulk; it was important to produce a book that introduces and offers the important ideas of Savarkar to this generation of readers and scholars in a concise and categorised form. This book is an attempt in this direction of educating the readers about the ideas and philosophies of a great twentieth century thinker which would also pave the way for developing a better understanding of the varying strands of contemporary political thoughts and also in terms of understanding the critical relationship that is shared between identity and collective political struggles.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=cf3fDAAAQBAJ

15 NOV 2019  by PIB Delhi

Veer Savarkar was a multidimensional personality - a freedom fighter, social reformer, writer, political thinker – Vice president

https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1591803

Veer Savarkar’s crusade against caste discrimination remains under-appreciated

There are several aspects of this great revolutionary, reformer and visionary which demand greater attention. Being an ideologue of Hindu philosophy is just one aspect of his life.

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/vinayak-damodar-savarkar-the-reformer-5753369/

Uday Mahurkar on Savarkar

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/savarkar-a-follower-of-shivaji-cant-be-understood-by-gandhian-tools-says-author-uday-mahurkar/articleshow/87505585.cms

Written by Vinay Nalwa |

Updated: May 29, 2019 

Savarkar wanted to smash caste system, cooked prawns and didn’t worship the cow

Vikram Sampath  10 December, 2018

https://theprint.in/opinion/savarkar-wanted-to-smash-caste-system-cooked-prawns-and-didnt-worship-the-cow/161016/

http://savarkar.org/en/encyc/2017/5/22/Eradication-of-untouchability.html

https://www.livemint.com/Sundayapp/10jRCglrp6H3ZHp0PiXIwL/Savarkar-unplugged-From-film-and-science-to-caste-and-Hindu.html

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