Savarkar: The
Whole Truth
By Ram Puniyani
23 February, 2005
Countercurrents.org
(Book Reviewed-Savarkar:
Myths and Facts by Shamsul Islam, Published by Media House, 375-A, Pocket
2Mayur Vihar Phase-I Delhi 110091,[email protected], Pages-124,
Price Rs. 120)
During
National Democratic Alliance rule, its leader BJP tried to project that
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a revolutionary of extraordinary caliber
and that his contribution has been ignored by the Congress so it has
to be highlighted with vigor. It named the Port Blair airport in his
name and it also put his portrait in the hall of Parliament. The word
of mouth propaganda has been eulogizing him as the real Father of the
Nation. Just before the Maharashtra Assembly elections a controversy
erupted around him. With the change of regime at the Center, the new
Petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyer replaced his plaque at Andaman's
with that of Mahatma Gandhi. This again became a matter of controversy,
the BJP-Sena alliance tried to capitalize on this for the elections.
In Maharashtra in particular, Savarkar has been projected as the brave
(Veer) revolutionary and efforts have been made to show that he was
the guiding figure for all the great Freedom fighters apart from being
a progressive person of sorts. Even Congress, whose minister, Aiyer
had taken the bold step of catching the bull by horns, shivered and
said that Aiyer's views are his personal.
The Maharashtra
Congress going by the electoral compulsions said that Savarkar was a
freedom fighter and is a respectable person for it. One also recalls
the committee which cleared that Savarkar's portrait be unveiled in
the hall of parliament, had some Communists leaders in it who did not
protest against this proposal. Incidentally his close associate Nathuram
Godse who murdered Gandhi, is currently being celebrated as a great
nationalist by various Hindutva forces and a play praising him, "Me
Nathuram Boltoy", (This is Nathuram speaking) has been a big hit
in parts of Maharashtra and also is a favorite with the section of NRI's
who have been flooding the RSS coffers with dollars to promote its divisive
agenda.
Many a social workers
who have been evaluating Savarkar's role in an objective manner had
to suffer the wrath of Savarkar's followers, including the intimidating
things like their effigies being burnt. Aiyer's effigy was burnt as
a warning. Many a myths have been manufactured around Savarkar. Though
some scholars have done a remarkable job by publishing the facsimiles
of letters written by Savarkar, while seeking his release from the prison,
the complete evaluation of Savarkar, with impeccable evidence like the
copies of his letters and extracts from his writings, has not been put
forward in a popular way so far. Shamsul Islam, a Professor of political
science from Delhi has filled this gap very aptly. This invaluable contribution
to ongoing debate presents the true character of Savarkar in a holistic
manner. Author has relied more on the writing of Savarkar to bring out
the truth behind this 'pseudo legend'.
It deals with various
myths about him and shows that there was a major transformation in his
life after being imprisoned in Andmans. He was an Anti-British revolutionary,
till his imprisonment, who had talked about Hindu Muslim unity and had
praised Bahadur Shah Zafar for leading Hindu Muslim kings in the anti
British war of 1857; shortly after being imprisoned, he started seeking
mercy from the British authorities with knees bent, in the most humiliating
terms, like a total surrender.
There are various
myths which have by now become a matter of folklore in general and more
so in Maharashtra, the place where the politics of Hindutva took an
aggressive stance after the publication of his book 'Hindutva or who
is a Hindu' by Savarkar and later by the formation of RSS, which took
this book's formulation about Hindutva as the base of its divisive politics.
The myth that he spent most of his life in cellular jail has no basis
at all as factually he was there for around ten years after which he
was transferred to Ratnagiri jail, from where he was released in 1924.
It is noteworthy that while he is being praised for his bravery and
suffering, many revolutionaries underwent suffered longer but unlike
him did not buckle under the pressure of suffering. They are going unsung
while Savarkar is adorning the hall of parliament. Savarkarites have
manufactured the answer to it that he wanted to participate in the freedom
struggle so he apologized to the British as a matter of 'clever' tactic.
Islam shows through Savarkar's writings that he did not participate
in the freedom struggle after getting released and was critical of the
national movement all through, to the extent of helping the British
war efforts.
It is here that
the myth that he advised Subhash Chandra Bose to go to Japan to seek
Japanese assistance to get freedom from British. This claim gets exposed
when we realize that it is during this time that Bose is forming Azad
Hind Fauz and fighting the British, while Savarkar is assisting the
British in their war effort. Now a time has come for them to manufacture
a new argument to 'praise' his greatness in simultaneously doing two
contradictory things, if at all he was the advisor of Subhash Bose.
He was a firm ally of British when they were repressing the National
movement by brutal methods. The argument that he stood firmly against
the Muslim league politics is again far from true. As matter of fact
Hindu Mahasabha collaborated with Muslim League in formation of coalition
ministries in Sind and Bengal, and Savarkar supported and appreciated
this move of Hindu Mahasabha.
As such collaboration
with Muslim League is so 'logical' for Hindu mahasbaha as both of these
parties are on the same wavelength of political ideology. Both of them
hold on to religion based nationalism, that religion can be the base
of nationalism, was inherent in their politics, both of them did not
participate in the freedom movement and both these formations were derivatives
of the political formations founded by landlords and kings of princely
states. So the Muslim League-Hindu Mahasabha alliance is logical and
not an aberration.
The most interesting
part of Savarkar's writings which is presented in the book is about
the King of Nepal. This monarch of Hindu Rashtra of Nepal is perceived
by Savarkar as the one who is the logical ruler of Hindus all over the
world. One shivers with the idea that had Savarkar's politics succeeded,
today we would have the 'proud privilege' of being ruled by a king who
has killed his brother's entire family for power and has muzzled the
democracy. It seems we have been spared this torture by the maturity
of Indian people who not only rejected Hindutva politics during freedom
struggle but have again spurned its 'Shining India gestures' during
last parliament elections.
His efforts to eradicate
untouchability many a times are projected as being equal to those of
Ambedkar. The contrast can never be worse. While Ambedkar burns Manusmriti
Savarkar upholds this as the core rule book for Hindus. At one point
he assures the sanatani Hindus that they should not worry about temple
entry of Shudras as Hindu Mahasabha will not let the untouchables enter
the temples and will not let them come in beyond a point at which non
Hindus are shown the 'No Entry' board. The 'brilliance' of this strategy
is beyond words. Dalits are Hindus but like the non-Hindus they will
not be permitted to enter the "Laxman Rekha" drawn by Holy
Scripture called Manu Smriti. So much for his rationalism!
Role of Savarkar
in Gandhi murder has been a matter of creation of another myth. Taking
advantage of the fact that the court acquitted him in this case, it
is being said that he was not a part of the conspiracy. As matter of
fact, he was let off only because the charges were not corroborated.
Kapoor commission pointed out that Savarkar was a part of the conspiracy
while Sardar Patel also said similar thing in his letter.
Well facts and truth
are the first victims when politics based on emotions and myth rules
the roost. The strength of the book lies in the fact that the author
lets Savarkar speak for him, and has been written in the popular style
of myths and facts. The book is full of interesting quotes and letters
of
Savarkar. It must have been a painstaking research to cull out these
scattered writings to weave a complete picture. While very strong on
facts and evidence Islam does not elaborate the ideological and political
connections of Savarkar and his ideology. A suitable introduction would
have enriched the worth of the book. Placing his ideology in the contemporary
context would have broadened the visions of the readers. While the production
of the book is overall satisfactory errors in copy editing are jarring
to the reader. Overall shamsl Islam deserves appreciation for this much
needed political intervention.