SACRIFICES OF SAVARKAR IN FREEDOM MOVEMENT
Indian Freedom Movement has seen sacrifices of many Martyrs who have sacrificed everything for freedom. ‘Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’ is one among them. He was born to free India, he lived for it and he died for it.
Savarkar was born in Bhangurpur village of Maharashtra on 28th May, 1883. He received patriotism from hid forefathers. His grand father Vinayak Dixit and father Damodar too were great patriots.
Savarkar used to listen stories of patriotism of Shivaji and Maharana Pratap since his childhood. In the student life itself, he dreamt of being great Revolutionaries Gary Baldi and Mazzini. He used to work for nation since then. He was much impressed from Lokmanya Tilak. With blessings from Tilak, Savarkar started boycott of British items and his action of burning of foreign clothes in Pune became famous all over the country. Britishers were alarmed at the situation and they started to look for some reason to dismiss him from his college. He was dismissed and was fined. Even then he passed Bombay University exams with good grades. While studying in the college, Savarkar started two societies ’Mitra Mela’ and ‘Abhinava Bharat’ to destro British Government in India and free India.
In 1905, he went to England for study of Law on advice of Bal Ganga Dhar Tilak. Even then his nerves were not peaceful. He lived in ‘India House’ there and this place was main center of Indian Revolutionaries. Savarkar became associate of Sri Shyam Krishna Verma and after sometime, he was made head of ‘India House.’ Here itself, he wrote ‘Mazzin’, ‘History of Sikhs’ and ‘Swatantray Samar’. British Government put censorship over the books reaching India but somehow some copies reached. This made Savarkar very famous and so even after completing his Baristory, he was denied certificate.
Savarkar’s famous book were witten in Marathi but its English transliteration also go published. This book gave a lot of views to the revolutionaries. It contained the description of the 1857 Revolution. With publication of this book, Revolutionary associates in London arranged an Association.
Savarkar made a plan to free India. He thought that spreading revolutionary ideas through posters and speeches are helpful but they are not very effective to destroy the root of British Government. He said that firstly weapons should be sent to India and for receiving military training revolutionaries should be sent to Belgium, Americas, Switzerland, and Egypt. His idea was to establish secret societies in all villages of India and these societies be connected to the trainers in other countries for good action.
Savarkar was not limited to revolutionaries in England, he helped those in India too whenever he could. He sent 20 Browning Pistols to India secretly in 1909.
Upon knowing the actions of the revolutionaries, British Government tried to arrest him. So he flew to Paris in the beginning of 1910. He lived there in house of Bhikaji Kama. He returned back to England in March, 1910 and then he was arrested for having flown. After his arrest, Virendranath Chattopadhya and Aiyyar managed the revolution. After judgement, he was ordered to be sent back to India.
On 8th July, when his shp was standing on the Port of Mersailles, he escaped through the Pot Hole of the Toilet. And after this event, he came to be called ‘Vir Savarkar’.But he was recaptured and was given to British officers. Newspapers of France opposed the action of the French Authorities.
Keeping all the oppositions and movements, British Government sent Savarkar to India. He was brought to Bombay on 22 jUly, 1910. The Government tried its best for Savarkar to get worst punishment possible. Savarkar spent 1911-1924 in Cellular Prison in darkness. During his days in there, he was being used in cart instead of bull. He also was to grind grains with stone grinders. He was brought to Ratnagiri Prison after 1924 but he was released for 5 years on account of his bad health.
Hearing of the sacrifice of Swami Shraddhananda in 1927 in Delhi, Savarkar joined Suddhi Movement ad started reuniting the society. He was released permanently in 1937 and then he was welcomed warm-heatedly in Bombay. He opposed all evils of the society and he remained Chairman of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1947.
Symbol of patriotism, sacrifice and courage, Savarkar left the world on 26th January 1966 at the age of 83 years. Though he is not with us, his sacrifices for he Independence of the Country will be felt forever.