DAMODARAM SANJIVAYYA NATIONAL LAW

UNIVERSITY

VISAKHAPATNAM

The Life of Veer Savarkar

 Introduction

Savarkar's literary works in Marathi include "Kamala", "Mazi Janmathep" (My Life

Sentence), and most famously 1857 – The First War of Independence, in which Savarkar
popularised the term "First War of Independence" for what the British referred to as the
"Sepoy Mutiny". Another book was Kale Pani (Black Water which means "life sentence" on
the island prison on the Andaman islands), which reflected the treatment of Indian
Independence activists by the British. To counter the then British propagated view that India's
history was a saga of continuous defeat, he wrote an inspirational historical work, Saha
Soneri Pane (Six Golden Pages), recounting some of the "Golden periods" of Indian history.
At the same time, religious divisions in India were beginning to be exacerbated. He described
what he saw as the atrocities of British and Muslims on Hindu residents in Kerala in the
book, Mopalyanche Band (Muslims' Strike) and also Gandhi Gondhal (Gandhi's Confusion),
a political critique of Gandhi's politics. Savarkar, by now, had become a committed and
persuasive critic of the Gandhian vision of India's future.

He is also the author of the poems Sagara pran talmalala (O Great Sea, My Heart Aches for
the Motherland), and Jayostute (written in praise of freedom).

He chaired the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan literary conference in 1938.

Theme- autobiography

Genre-autobiography

Purpose- The purpose of this book so that people can know about freedom fighter Vinayak
Damodar Savarkar who wrote the first Swatantraya samar.
 Overview

“Life of Barrister Savarkar” by Chitragupta was published a year later in December 1926.
Though many a detail is wanting, it is the first biography of Veer Savarkar in English. It
covers the period of Savarkar‟s life up to 30th January, 1911, when he was sentenced to
second Transportation for life. After hearing the sentence, Savarkar rose and declared: “I am
prepared to face ungrudgingly the extreme penalty of your laws in the belief that our
Motherland can march on an assured if not a speedy triumph”. The „Life‟ deals with the
formative years of the work of the Revolutionary on the European soil. Prof. S.G. Malshe
owes our gratitude for making available a rare copy of the Life‟, which is now moreover
extinct, to Shri Balarao Savarkar for bringing out this edition. Veer Savarkar‟s „Londonchin
Batamipatre‟ (News letters from London) and „Shatruchya Shibirat‟ (in the Enemy Camps)
contribute the most reliable and valuable sources material for the period. „Daryapar‟ (Beyond
the seas) and V.V.S. Aiyer „provide us with new material of great importance.

This book is autobiography so in this the whole life of V.D. Savarkar is covered. His
childhood is explained very well, his early life, his struggle for freedom against British
empire. This book also tell us how he studied with freedom movement how he was working
in London. And this book also tell us about his life in cellular jail.
Shrijut Damodarpant Savarkar, the father of the distinguished patriot whose life we mean to
sketch here was a cultured gentleman, belonging to the chitpavan section of the Maratha
Brahmins. For it was amongst these chitpavans that Vinayakrao Savarkar was born in 1883
A.D. Damodarpant had three sons; Ganesh was the eldest, Vinayak was his second son and
Narayana was the youngest of the three. Vinayak, ever since his childhood, was given to lofty
aspirations and marked out by all those who came in contact with him as an exceptionally
gifted child. Vinayak, ever since his childhood, was given to lofty aspirations and marked out
by all those who came in contact with him as an exceptionally gifted child. He owed his
patriotic and poetical inclinations to his father who used to recite to him epic stories from
Mahabharat and Ramayan and the old Bhakars and ballads that sing of the exploits of Pratap
and Shivaji and Bhau. Vinayak had observed with a general‟s regret how some of his young
comrades had slipped out by the back-door at the time of the general rally and how some
youngsters fancied they heard their mothers call, just when the attacking party advanced.
When the campaign was over Vinayak remonstrated with his comrades and exhorted them to
avoid any such shirking in future. He invented a play in which they could all be trained to
discipline, military promptness and deligence. It was a kind of mock fight tactics in which
one party of the lads personated English men or Muslim and other the Hindu forces.

In 1901 Vinayak passed his entrance examination In spite of his political preoccupations he
never neglected his studies nor allowed his comrades to do that. So throughout his
educational career he never failed. A large party arranged by the society and attended by
several leading men of the city gave him a hearty send off on the eve of his leaving Nashik
for Poona. When he meant to enter the Ferguson College, Vinayak significantly observed
„we had up till now to confine our activities to the Nashik District alone.

Ominous are the shadows which coming events at times cast forth: some of these Indian
youths were in later life actually called upon to face all these terrible tests and it must
honestly be admitted that even in the hour of trial some of them flinched not but bore witness
to their faith, even as they had avowed to do in letter, and spirit.
These activities of Vinayak naturally alarmed the college authorities. Many of them had
formed a very high opinion of his abilities but honestly felt that they were likely to ruin the
youth than help him on to a useful career if was allowed to indulge in him revolutionary
activities unchecked. Some of them tried to win him over to the Moderate School of politics
while others openly expressed their misgivings that the youth was likely to out one of the
most dangerous demagogues in India.

Now came the Swadesi - boycott movement of 1905-06. The Savarkar Camp threw itself
headlong into it. They carried a lecturing campaign in the city of Poona, Nashik and several
others places. When the usual summer vacation came Vinayak used at times to address three
to four different platforms on a single day and such was his oratorical power that mass
meetings of thousands of people sat spellbound to listen to him. He received invitations from
several eminent persons from far near in Maharashtra. In order to impress his countrymen
with the necessity of conceiving a deadly dislike for the foreign goods he thought of making a
big bonfire if all foreign clothes which offered a never ending excuse for people to shirk and
shuffle and defer to buy new ones. The idea seemed so extreme that even Lok. Tilak
expressed misgivings as to its practicability. But the Savarkar Camp took it upon themselves
to create the necessary enthusiasm in the citizens and addressing a couple of meetings in
Poona decided to carry out the scheme. He opened the last meeting with a thrilling address
and at the end called upon the people and especially the students to throw off the foreign
clothes they still wore, and burn them down along with the lingering love that they all still
felt in secret for their smoothness and finery an polish; burn them down as a necessary
propitiatory rite for ever having bought them and in the light of that huge conflagration repent
and take up the Swadeshi vow.” The appeal was irresistible. Hundreds threw down in the
heap, caps, costs, aprons and shirt—whatever vilayati as such they wore.

Even while on board the ship Mr. Savarkar lay not idle though for a man of his tender heart
and loving and lovable nature homesickness was bound to weigh heavily on his mind yet in
spite of the dear memory of devoted friends and favourites and relations that made him pine
and often moved him to tears he immediately opened his patriotic campaign amongst the few
Indian students who sailed by the same steamer. A characteristic reminiscence was relate to
us by one of them now a distinguished Barrister in Northern India, which will illustrate the
inner working of Savarkar‟s mind this gentleman was then, like Mr. Savarkar himself, a raw
youth of some 21 years of age and the only son of his mother. He came off a rich and
respectable family. Naturally he was so overpowered by the trying experience of being left
alone amidst strangers and the insolent foreigners who generally from the majority of the
passengers that return to England by those statements after their stay in the “Dependency”,
and physically so weakened by the terrible sea sickness to which he like many an Indian
unused for generation to sea voyages fell a victim, that he once actually thought of returning
home as soon as the steamer touched the first port of her voyage.

The excessive strain that was taxing the physical capacity of Mr. Savarkar at last broke down
his health. He was attacked by high fever which developed into acute bronchitis. His
developed friends and followers nursed him more tenderly than a mother would do and
ultimately on medical advice removed him to sanatorium under the charge of an efficient
Indian Doctor in Wells. There even while he was confined to bed he lay not idle. He began
his work on the History of Sikhs and wrote articles for the Talwar and other revolutionist
papers.

Within a fortnight of his going to Wells, one evening he retired to his bed rather early as the
doctor would not allow him to continue to undergo the strain of long conversation. Just then
he picked up a evening papers to have a stray look at the latest news. There to his surprise he
found this telegraphic message: - Ananta Kanhere, a chitpavan Brahman youth shot the
Collector of Nashik to avenge the sentence of transportation passed on Ganesh Damodar
Savarkar.”

His fellow captives included many political prisoners, who were forced to perform hard
labour for many years. Reunited with his brother Ganesh, the Savarkars nevertheless
struggled in the harsh environment: Forced to arise at 5 am, tasks including cutting trees and
chopping wood, and working at the oil mill under regimental strictness, with talking amidst
prisoners strictly prohibited during mealtime. Prisoners were subject to frequent mistreatment
and torture. Contact with the outside world and home was restricted to the writing and
mailing of one letter a year. In these years, Savarkar withdrew within himself and performed
his routine tasks mechanically. Obtaining permission to start a rudimentary jail library,
Savarkar would also teach some fellow convicts to read and write. During his incarceration,
Savarkar's views began turning increasingly towards Hindu cultural and political nationalism,
and the next phase of his life remained dedicated to this cause.
 Conclusion

Finaly after reading this book I came to know about the struggle of freedom fighters and what
they suffer during the that black regime of britishers. This book inspired me to work for
others as like country.

The book starts with the birth of child who live his life only for others and struggled through
rhe whole life for his religion. He has leadership qualities, ideas for freedom movement.
Since childhood he was patriotic.

Critical comment

Amazing struggle story, realy a true legend.