A Morning Steeped in History: Visualising Greatness in the Legacy of Veer Savarkar
Our Manager read his brief biography and as we listened to it the sheer enormity of Veer Savarkar's being, his successes, his tribulations, his intellectual fire opened out before my eyes and I could see his grandeur and greatness.
Veer Savarkar's life was essentially based on his relentless loyalty to Bharat, our motherland. This was not a passive attitude rather, it was the motivation behind his creation of foundational works like "The Indian War of Independence, 1857." Based on his thorough investigation, the 1857 rebellion was not a simple "sepoy mutiny," as the British dismissed it. Rather it was India's first war of Independence, a significant liberation movement, therefore inspiring a fresh sense of pride and a strong awareness of our historic past.
His ability to unite people with a nationalist spirit has been phenomenal. Founding the Abhinav Bharat Society in early days in London, he established a venue for radical ideas and action. He saw the might of a united people, a country waking to its natural strength and direction. His aim was for a nation aware of its cultural and civilisational identity, a Rashtra.
One cannot recall Veer Savarkar without acknowledging his great bravery during the two terrifying periods of captivity. Designed to crush the spirit of the most powerful, the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was known as the terrible 'Kala Pani.' Still, it was inside those enormous walls where Savarkar's fortitude was most brilliant. Denied pen and paper in prison, he penned his nationalism on the prison walls using thorns and pebbles. There he created some of his most poignant pieces. His epic poem, "Kamala," is evidence of his unshakeable determination and literary genius blooming even in the worst of gloom. The very lines of his heartbreaking plea in Marathi, "ने मजसी ने परत मातृभूमीला, सागरा प्राण तळमळला" (Ne majasi ne parat matrubhoomila, saagara praan talmalala - Oh ocean, take me back to my motherland, for my soul yearns for her!), sung with a deep longing by countless Maharashtrians, presents that profound ache of separation and his undying love for Bharat. Born from the depths of his agony, this song still arouses strong feelings of patriotism. Savarkar's literary ability was a great weapon, beyond his activism and superhuman endurance.
His intellectual output was rather diverse. In "Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?" he presented a politico-cultural perspective describing Hindutva as anchored in a shared territory, ethnicity, culture, and civilisation. Though powerful, this piece reflects the intricacy of his thoughts and has been hotly debated. Always meant to awaken national consciousness, his poems, articles, and plays were incisive, perceptive, and inspirationally provocative. When I look back at his life and his strong bond to our country, like him, I have no doubt in believing that Bharat is the land of Hindus in a geographical, civilisational and cultural sense. Hinduism seems to me as a great, ancient banyan tree, Vatavriksha. Its great antiquity and power are shown by its spreading branches and deep roots; nonetheless, its special quality is its capacity to foster and give life to its always developing roots. Over millennia, it has welcomed and given other religions and ideas, rich footing to grow beneath its large, tolerant canopy. Every one of them has enhanced the richness of the ground without reducing the parent tree. Maybe as I pondered today, our definition of tolerance has really been a virtue widely misinterpreted. True, strong tolerance is neither about weakening one's own individuality or the others nor about compromising the basic beliefs in the sake of a surface agreement.
From the same basic core of our common history, it is about the confident, compassionate power of the banyan tree, safe in its own roots, yet spacious enough to allow other lives to flourish alongside it. Reviewing Veer Savarkar's history with an eye towards the echoes of his strong words and the moving notes of "Ne Majesi Ne," was more than just a historical remembrance. It was a trip inside the soul of a man living and breathing for Bharat.
These rituals of memory or Jayantis and Punyatithis are essential; they enable us to relate to the giants who shaped the course of our country, grasp the depth of their sacrifice, the power of their intellect, and the constant flame of their patriotism. Veer Savarkar's brilliance felt today not like a far-off historical truth but rather a live, tangible presence.
R. Vimala, IAS,
Compassionate Civil Servant &
PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay
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