The Savarkar We Didn't Know
10 points on India's most controversial freedom fighter
Hello,
Today’s piece is about Vinayank Damodar Savarkar, probably one of India’s most misunderstood and controversial freedom fighters and political figures of all time.
Even 6 decades after this death, there is never an occasion when his name doesn’t spark a controversy. People love sticking to one extreme or the other- ranging from celebratory hagiographies to derogatory demonizations.
Having read a 2-part biography covering over 1000 pages to describe this man’s origin, ideas, struggles, and contradictions, I intend to share a picture of the person that rarely gets discussed.
Personally, having written about the criticality of having a small identity, I wish to make it clear that this piece is not about creating any impression on the reader or furthering any sort of political agenda. Just as in so many other pieces on Learning Machine, this is an effort to succinctly articulate some learnings I’ve had while reading some very interesting material.
This isn’t a chronological recollection of his life, but a collection of interesting historical events and observations that the reader may have never come across.
Enough with the disclaimers and delays. Here are those 10 juicy points you opened this email for:
Child Prodigy: VS had a tough childhood. Dire financial circumstances, being orphaned in early childhood, and constant anguish due to the plague (thanks to British mismanagement) made life miserable. Despite the hardships, he somehow managed to get an education (his elder brother was heavily indebted) and turned out to be a prodigy, engaging in writing, philosophy, poetry, and history at a very tender age. That he tackled philosophers like Bentham, Spencer, and Mill spoke volumes about his towering intellect.
Learning from history: Savarkar was deeply inspired by the giants of history, like Chhatrapati Shivaji, Jhansi Ki Rani, Lokmanya Tilak, and Guru Gobind Singh. He was also influenced by Wasudev Phadke, a disgruntled government servant instrumental in the 1857 movement, and the Chapekar brothers: the two young revolutionaries who had carried out a daring assassination of a British official for their harsh policies during the plague. But VS was also a student of world history, taking deep inspiration from the writings and struggles of Giuseppe Mazzini, an Italian revolutionary, whose books were translated into Marathi so they could ignite the fire of revolution in many young minds.
Book ban: Savarkar wrote a history of 1857 and is responsible for calling it the ‘First War of Independence’. This book got banned even before publication! The Raj was foreseeing massive subversion in his writing and decided to take this proactive step. But the Streisand effect most likely kicked in and the book had a wide reach. Bhagat Singh read the book and was deeply inspired. Bose might have distributed copies in Japan, and it is believed that the militarization drive initiated by Savarkar and BS Moonje ultimately led to the recruitment of troops for Bose’s INA, which waged war and attempted to overthrow British rule in 1942, sending shockwaves across the country.
The Raj’s biggest enemy: In 1904, VS started Abhinav Bharat, an underground network of revolutionaries. He then went to London on a scholarship to gather support for the Indian cause. His stay there was full of intrigues, which involved smuggling back translated bomb manuals that caused numerous blasts across the country, and inciting Madan Lal Dhingra to shoot a high-ranking British official to death: an act that’d end up shocking the public. Another officer was assassinated in Nashik, and the government was building a case to bring down Savarkar, whom they believed to be, in their own words, “the most dangerous man in India”.
A daring escape in France: Because of his threat, the govt built up a case against VS (even if it may not have had much ground) and ordered his extradition to India. On the way back, he attempted a daring escape at Marseilles by jumping into the sea from a toilet’s window, swimming to the shore, and pleading with a French officer to arrest him so he’d become a French prisoner and seek asylum as a political refugee. Unfortunately, the French guard didn’t understand him and handed him over to the British guards. This sensational case led to international intrigue and strained the British-French relationship, and the case for his custody had to be arbitrated at the International Court in Hague. However, after a sham trial, the revolutionary found himself on his way to hell, aka the Cellular Jail in Andaman.
Hell at Andaman: VS and other Indian revolutionaries experienced absolute hell during their tortured years at Kalapani in the Andaman islands. The torture was so bad that some committed suicide, some fasted for months so they’d die, and some went insane. Some even infected themselves with berries so they’d get fever and not have to suffer the hellish mill work forcibly imposed on prisoners. In such conditions, VS spent 14 miserable years of his existence. Despite the hellhole conditions and thoughts of suicide, he soldiered on and acted like a leader in this dire atmosphere, championing ideas like book reading, spiritual activities, and inter-caste dining for the inmates. Being a prolific writer, he even composed long poems that he’d write on the prison walls with his nails and then commit to his memory. These were published after he was released and only show his indomitable spirit in the face of a sickening, 1.5-decade-long nightmare.
Social transformation at Ratnagiri: VS was finally released in 1921 under the condition that he would be placed under house arrest in Ratnagiri. During this period, he began reform work by attacking rigid societal norms and breaking them where they mattered the most: eradicating practices like untouchability, promoting inter-caste dining and marriages, and providing the lower castes access to education. His efforts, considering the day and age, were shocking and he often faced stiff resistance. But he wasn’t taking no for an answer, and year after year, he tore the shackles of fossilized traditions, building temples where anyone could worship, erasing the norms of separate education for kids of different castes and gradually integrating them into society. His fight against caste discrimination started even before Ambedkar, who praised the reform work carried out at Ratnagiri.
Forward-thinking: Far from being a blind proponent of Hindu ideas, VS was way ahead of his times and took great pains to update society’s thinking to stay in touch with the times. Ratnagiri’s radical transformation was a case study of what one could achieve, even though the liberalism of the ideas being propagated was too much even for Bombay in those days! In his writings, he railed against traditions that were holding the Hindus back- ideas like sailing abroad causes one to lose their caste (which may have prevented seafaring and exploration) and the excessive concern for cows, which enemies took advantage of (invaders would often defend armies by placing cows in front of themselves so the Hindu couldn’t attack).
Hindutva: Many believe that VS believed in Hindu supremacy and wanted India to acknowledge only the Hindus. But this doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, Savarkar was a staunch proponent of defending the interests of the Hindus. He wanted India to be a place where nobody would have to live like 2nd class citizens. His idea of Hindutva was about equal representation without any preferential treatment, and he advocated for religious pluralism and defending minority interests. When Congressmen called his organization a mirror image of the Muslim League, he countered by saying that he didn’t want to usurp anybody’s rights but solely protect those of the people who belonged to this land- and if that was “communal” then so be it. His stand can be summed up with this statement: “If you come, with you. If you don’t, without you. If you oppose, despite you the Hindus will struggle for freedom”.
Gandhi trial: VS’ conviction in the Gandhi murder trial turned out to be a sham- a scheme that seems to have originated from the highest echelons of the ruling party. In the Red Fort trial, it was proved that Savarkar had no role in the assassination and even the meager evidence that had been produced earlier was obtained via police brutality. However, the case severely maligned his image and has left a scar on his legacy.
I hope you enjoyed today’s piece. If you want to dive deeper, I’d strongly recommend Vikram Sampath’s books. I’m glad historians like him who know how to write well and bring their subject alive have started to spring up in the country.
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as usual, a brilliant, non-superfluous read worth way more than the time that goes into reading it.