Prabhakar Timble
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, undeniably a revolutionary with commitment to walk the talk, lived with dignity and embraced death with equal dignity. After a dialogue with his physician, knowing his intestinal disorder stayed firm on refusing saline for postponing the inevitable death.
Savarkar is eulogized as a nationalist. Even the strongest critics do not deny him the throne of a patriot. As a college student, he espoused the ‘swadeshi’ cause and made bonfire of foreign cloth. In his Presidential address at the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (1937), he exhorted writers and youth to renounce the pen and embrace guns. For his revolutionary activities, Savarkar was sentenced to two life terms of imprisonment totaling fifty years. However, the popular title of “swatantra veer” (brave) annexed to Savarkar is under cloud due to his mercy pleas to the British government for release from jail in the Andaman and Nicobar islands as the clemency petitions looked as if coming from a servile and obedient son to the British government who was admittedly put on the pedestal of a compassionate parent. Apart from this indelible dark spot, the fiery orator and nationalist writer earns due recognition for igniting the flames of free India.
He is worshipped by Hindu fanatics as a hero of ‘Hindutva’ and Hindu Rashtra. He consistently harped that Hindustan is Hindu Rashtra and only the Hindus are the Swamis of this nation. He exhibited unflinching commitment to Hinduisation of politics and gave a clarion call to militarise Hindus. Dubbing the approach of the Congress as pseudo-nationalism, he opposed the formation of Pakistan. At the same time, he did not give any confidence to the Muslims due to his firm belief that Muslims and even those who fought for independence are enemies of India. Though, he initially joined the Satyagraha movement, Savarkar had no faith in the struggle of Truth and non-violence as propagated by Mahatma Gandhi and vehemently opposed the Hindu-Muslim unity theorem of Gandhiji. That’s why he remains the leader of Hindu fundamentalists and traditional mindsets. In today’s regressive scenario of narrow parochialism, he sounds appealing to an extended segment of Hindus but cannot be the thinker of post-independent India and the future of humankind. This is the reason as to why Savarkar stages come back in popular discourse when political power rests with the right-wing forces.
Savarkar’s thoughts on Hindu India can have historical value and should take a full stop. Their rightful place is in the archives and libraries and not on the floor of parliament or state legislatures. Thus and no further once India adopted the Constitution and became a Republic. His reformist preaching and pro-science teaching have current value. It is this treasure that is relevant for the people and youth of India.
Savarkar is a life lesson in rationalism. He held that “No religious scripture is inspired by Divine. It is composed by human beings, hence cannot be regarded as timeless or eternal whether it is Vedas, Quran or Bible”{Samagra Savarkar Vangmaya(SSV) Vol. 3}. Conveying that what does not stand the test of scientific reason should be discarded even if it appears in religious texts and scriptures, he urged to discard 5000 years old superstitions and scripture-based discrimination. Savarkar said, “I shall apply the test of present day science to all the wisdom and ignorance present in these scriptures” (SSV, Vol. 3). The emphatic roar “I felt like rebelling against the caste system just as I felt I should rebel against foreign rule”, says it all. (SSV, Vol. 5). However, the end objective of Savarkar was the consolidation of caste-ridden Hindu society into one. The base of thought was not equality, compassion and humanism.
The socially dangerous traditions and rituals of Hindu religion were subject of his writings and public discourses. Savarkar rejected the concept of auspicious time (Panchang) and was against practices like “yadnya”, Holy Fire etc to promote good and ward off evil. Underlining that reform implies a minority and tradition implies a majority, Savarkar stood with the deity of reform though people crowd before the deity of tradition. Looking at the master-mind behind the killing of social reformers like Dr Narendra Dabholkar, Prof Kalburgi, Comrade Pansare, Gauri Lankesh it is evident that those who hold the flame of Savarkar have no courage and conviction to stand with rational and pro-science teachings.
Cow in India is in the news for all wrong reasons under the present ruling dispensation. Savarkar rebuffed the cow as the emblem of Hindu nation. He was against cow worship but supported cow protection on economic and scientific principles without spreading religious superstition. It is because of this rational outlook that Savarkar stays relevant. Due to his religious extremism in politics, Savarkar cannot traverse beyond being a leader of fanatic Hindus and they too do not accept his rational practices. Gandhiji is a treasure in totality but it’s difficult to tread on the same footprints. Overall, Gandhiji’s story of life can never pale into irrelevance as equality, justice and peace is the quest of humankind. Sardar Patel stands tallest in the unification of India. Babasaheb Ambedkar is an icon not only for giving voice to Dalits, but a modern Constitution. Pandit Nehru has bequeathed a wealth to the world through his writings, foreign policy and statesmanship. But, Nehru had human frailties and hence adopting, adapting and walking with the propagated ideals seem a larger possibility. It is Nehru who poses a threat to the rightist ideology. Hence, the all out attempts are seen to discredit him through logic, illogic, foolery and mockery from the ‘Hindutva’ brigade. All said and done, there was something authentic about Savarkar and all these leaders and their leadership styles. My mind turns to the life, struggle and works of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela.
