Gandhi memorial museum puts out special magazine issue on Savarkar

Subject :History

Section :Personality

The June issue of Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti’s (GSDS) Hindi language magazine, Antim Jan, features Savarkar on the cover

Who was Veer Savarkar?

Birth: Born on 28^th May, 1883 in Bhagur, a village near Nashik in Maharashtra.

Related Organisations and Work:

Founded a secret society called Abhinav Bharat Society.
Went to the United Kingdom and was involved with organizations such as India House and the Free India Society.
Involved in the formation of Hindu Mahasabha.
He was the president of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943.
Savarkar wrote a book titled ‘The History of the War of Indian Independence’ in which he wrote about the guerilla warfare tricks used in 1857 Sepoy Mutiny.
He also wrote the book ‘Hindutva: who is hindu?’.

Trial and Sentences:

Arrested in 1909 on charges of plotting an armed revolt against the Morley-Minto reform (Indian Councils Act 1909).
Arrested in 1910 for his connections with the revolutionary group India House.
One of the charges on Savarkar was abetment to murder of Nashik Collector Jackson and the second was waging a conspiracy under Indian Penal Code 121-A against the King emperor.
Following the two trials, Savarkar was convicted and sentenced to 50-years imprisonment also known as Kala Pani and transported in 1911 to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Savarkar’s political life and role as social reformer

During his incarceration in Ratnagiri jail in 1922, he wrote his “Essentials of Hindutva” that formulated his theory of Hindutva.
He advocated for the use of Hindi as a national language. He also fought against untouchability and caste-based discrimination.
He later joined Tilak’s Swaraj Party and gave instigating patriotic speeches against the British Government. As a result, the British Government withdrew his B.A. degree.
According to Savarkar, the rigid caste system “deserves to be thrown into the dustbins of history”.
Savarkar wanted to break away from caste-based vocational rigidity and encourage persons to pursue any vocation of their choice based on aptitude and ability.
Savarkar as president of the Hindu Mahasabha decided to support the British war effort in India seeking military training for the Hindus during the Second World War
Under Savarkar, the Hindu Mahasabha openly opposed the call for the Quit India Movement and boycotted it officially.
Hindu Mahasabha also opposed Gandhi’s initiative to hold talks with Jinnah in 1944.
When he gave ‘the two nations in one country’ theory, he propounded that the Hindus and Muslims, though different can bury their differences and unite for India.
That’s the reason he had opposed INC’s acceptance of the partition of India.

Some of his other literary works include:

Abhinav Bharat Society (Young India Society)

It was a secret society founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar in
Initially founded at Nasik as Mitra Mela, the society was associated with several revolutionaries and political activists with branches in various parts of India and London.

India House

Free India Society

It was a political organization of Indian students in England, committed to obtaining the independence of India from British rule.
Initially an intellectual group, it became a revolutionary outfit under its founding leader, Madam BhikajiCama.

Hindu Mahasabha

It was a political party formed in 1933.
It was founded by Veer Damodar Savarkar, Lala Lajpat Rai, Madan Mohan Malviya.
The organisation was formed to protect the rights of the Hindu community, after the formation of the All India Muslim League in 1906 and the British India government’s creation of separate Muslim electorate under the Morley-Minto reforms of 1909.