Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a prominent figure of India’s national movement. He was a freedom fighter, a writer, a historian and a philosopher as well. He was born on May 28, 1883 AD at Bhagpur in Nasik, Maharashtra. His father’s name was Damodarpant Savarkar. Vinayak Savarkar received his early education at Shivaji School, Nasik. He was blessed with a patriotic mind and nationalistic ideas from an early age. He used to take an active part in the Shivaji Utsav and Ganesh Festival on the inspiration of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. V.D. Savarkar joined the prestigious Fergus-son College in Pune in 1902 AD for higher studies.
He remained very upset with the cruelties of British rule and wanted to do something to get rid of it. He along with his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar founded Mitra Mela in 1901 in Nasik to launch anti-British activities in an organised way. He also launched the Abhinav Bharat Society to free India from the curse of British rule.
V.D. Savarkar was immensely influenced and inspired by the ideas and philosophy of B.G. Tilak. He actively supported the Swadeshi movement. He used to propagate his anti-British ideas in his speeches and articles, resulting in the withdrawal of his graduation degree by the British government. In 1906, he went to England for higher studies. Now he made London the center of his Indian freedom movement activities. He wanted to purge his motherland of the curse of British rule by any means.
He even backed the use of arms to uproot the cruel British rule. He organised a group of armed revolutionaries to fight against British rule.
He had sent a parcel containing 20 Browning pistols with ammunition to Bombay from London to carry out armed operations against the British government in India. But the British government came to know the plan of Savarkar, resulting in his arrest on March 13, 1910 AD in London. He was sent to India for legal action. After a trial, he was held guilty under the charges of illegal transportation of weapons and sedition. He was sent to jail at the Andaman Cellular Jail. He spent several years in prison there before being shifted to Yaravada Jail from where he was released in 1924 AD. After his jail term, he founded the Hindu Mahasabha as a separate party. After a long service to his motherland, V.D. Savarkar passed away on February 26, 1966 AD. He was one of those fortunate freedom fighters who witnessed the historic dawn of India’s freedom on August 15, 1947 AD.
● V.D. Savarkar is also known for his great book ‘The Indian War of Independence, 1857’ in which he gave a detailed analysis of the 1857 Revolt. It was banned by the British government.
● He described the 1857 revolt as the first war of India’s freedom.
● He also wrote a book named Hindutva in Ratnagiri Jail.
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