VEER SAVARKAR REMEMBERED IN ENGLAND

A report by Mr V S Godbole, Bedford, England

6 June 1984 - while the western leaders were celebrating the D-Day on Normandy beaches 40 years on, Indians had gathered in the House of Commons, London to celebrate the birth centenary of Veer Savarkar. When he came to London in June 1906, the first thing he did was to attend the Parliamentary debate on Indian budget. Who would have imagined then, that just four years later, he would be sent to transportation for life twice, and 78 years later people would pay tribute to him in the same House of Commons?

The meeting started with Savarkar's famous poem jayostute shree mahanmangale shivaspade shubhade - sung by Mrs Barve. Mr Vidyasagar Anand, the main speaker explained Savarkar's work in London. In 1905 Japan defeated Russia and proved that the white man was not invincible. He can be defeated on the battlefield by an Asiatic power. The sun had arisen in the East. It created an enormous sensation in India. Savarkar was offered a scholarship at this time by Shyamji Krishnavarma, and arrived in London in June 1906 to become a barrister.

British politicians of various political persuasions were united when it came to exploiting India. But there were some notable exceptions. Richard Congreaves, Hindanman, Guy Aldred and John Taylor Caldwell had fought for the Indian cause. We must not forget them.

Times have changed. India gained independence 57 years ago. Savarkar emphasised that he never hated (nor did he allow any others to hate) English as Englishmen, only as oppressors, "We have feud with them only as long as they are the masters and we are their slaves, but once we are free they would be our brothers, creation of the God just as ourselves. And then, should anyone threaten their natural freedom, strangle their fundamental rights; it would be our MORAL duty to rush to their aid. We want our independence not just to enjoy ourselves but to ensure that every country in the world becomes free". - that was his philosophy. It was now fully reciprocated.

Rt. Honourable Reg Freeson, M.P. secured committee room number 14 for our meeting and as a Chairman he said "we are not allowing you to hold a meeting here, we are inviting you to have your celebrations here".

Lord Brockway, the longstanding friend of India is aged 97, just four years younger than Savarkar. He wanted to attend but was unable to do so. In his message which was read by Mr Freeson, Lord Brockway said "We are right in celebrating the centenary of the birth of Veer Savarkar. It is difficult to describe his service to Indian freedom. First, he gave inspiration by his books, using a biography of Mazzini as an example to India. He differed from Gandhiji in urging an armed struggle. About this we may differ but Savarkar inspired many by his own sacrifices. He was sentenced to transportation for life. It was characteristic of him that he asked whether the British Raj would last that long. He not only opposed the British occupation of India but took a leading part in seeking to end ranks among Indians including untouchability. He announced that he was retiring from public life in 1948 but in fact he carried on. He was 85 when he died and all of us who have taken any part in India's struggle must remember him".

Richard Balfe, member of the European Parliament also attended the meeting despite his busy schedule and another election campaign for the European Parliament just eight days away. He said "It was a great pity that Savarkar had to spend 27 years in jail and internment. If not, Indian politics would have taken a different direction, adopted different strategy, different philosophy. He faced the wrath of the British press but stood up courageously. When you know you are right you invariably come out successfully in the end. People respect those who have firm

convictions of justice and righteousness of their cause. Savarkar was such a man".

Mr Sonpatki read a message from John Taylor Caldwell. It said "I am pleased to learn that a plaque and a bust will be erected to perpetuate the memory of Veer Savarkar. My association with Savarkar was through my senior colleague Guy Aldred.

In 1910 Aldred and Savarkar shared the same prison; Aldred for printing a banned Indian Nationalist paper, and Savarkar awaiting deportation to India to face trial for waging war against His Majesty's Government. The friendship between these two men lasted for over fifty years. They both believed in an ultimate universal state embracing all mankind, and wherein all men and women would be equal citizens.

After offering a vote of thanks to various persons Mr Godbole said that in the 1960s due to Savarkar's inspiration an attempt was made to formalise a universal prayer. That prayer was sung by Mrs Barve and the meeting ended.

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In April and May 1984 three public meetings were organised; at Birmingham and Leicester by Friends of Indian Society, at Manchester by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh. Mr V S Godbole a civil engineer of Poona now living in Bedford explained various aspects of the life of Veer Savarkar which are largely unknown. What is it that he did that makes us pay tribute to him? Let us see.--

British got a strong foothold in Bengal after the battle of Plassey of 1757. In less than a century they became powerful enough to fight with the Sikhs. Under Lord Dalhousie the states of Satara, Punjab, Nagpur, Ayodhya, Tanjore and others simple vanished overnight. Such high handed, arrogant, shameless action resulted in the volcanic eruption of the 1857-59 national uprising. And as a result the British disarmed the entire Indian population by the Arms Act. Over the next 40 years a state of mental insanity prevailed in India. "We never had it so good" said our leaders, "even in the golden days of Mauryas and Guptas we did not have such peace and prosperity. Never in the history of mankind was such civility and benevolence shown by the conquerors towards the conquered. It is therefore our first duty to be loyal to the British crown". They were not forced to say such things; they said it from their hearts.

How blind were they to the reality? In 1868 our friend Max Muller wrote to Duke of- Argylle, then Secretary of State for India, "India has been conquered once. She must be conquered again and this second conquest should be a conquest by education". Max Muller was one of the examiners for the ICS examinations. In 1875 Lord Salisbury, the Secretary of State for India said openly in British Parliament "We must bleed India. But it must be done judiciously. The lancets should be applied to those parts where blood is most congested". Such a man was British Prime Minister for 14 years during 1885 to 1902. What was the result of this judicious bleeding? The famine commission reveals that

during 1826 to 1850 - 500,000 people starved to death

1851 to 1875 - 5,000,000 people starved to death

1876 to 1900 - 26,000,000 people starved to death

And yet our leaders were saying "we never had it so good". Despite such terrible conditions, in 1897 the British Administrators decided to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria's coronation, at the expense of Indian people. The outbreak of bubonic plague and the atrocities of British soldiers entrusted with preventive measures made life unbearable. Chaphekar brothers shot and killed Ayherst and Rand - the British officers responsible for plague atrocities/on the very day of diamond jubilee. The British immediately learnt the lesson. They did become civilised. When Chaphekar brothers were hanged Savarkar vowed before Goddess Durga to fight to overthrow the British Raj to the last drop of his blood. But even this catastrophic event did not produce any mental change in the attitude of our leaders. Moderates still wanted only some reforms and better administration. Most militants thought that they could carry out their agitation within the law. Savarkar argued that the movements which are within the law can easily be made outside the law. Our support for indigenous goods (swadeshi) can be easily crippled by heavy taxation. Indian industries could be outlawed. Viceroy Lytton gagged the newspapers simply by passing the Vernacular Press Act of 1879. In 1896 Indians in Natal, S. Africa lost their franchise. (Government of India Act of 1935 was suspended in one day by the British Parliament.) Savarkar therefore declared in 1900 that "It is not good laws, it is the authority to make the laws that we want - It is not better administration, it is the administration itself which we want under our control .In other words we want complete independence.

When Savarkar came to London in 1906 he was stunned to find the condition of young Indian students. They were completely mesmerised and were lost for words. The elderly Indian politicians got into their heads that the British people must be educated about Indian conditions, our battle must be fought in the British Parliament. In 1906 Motilal Nehru, grandfather of Mrs Indira Gandhi, said publicly "I firmly believe that John Bull means well - it is not in his nature to mean ill. This belief is shared by past Presidents of Indian National Congress and many of our distinguished countrymen....It takes him rather long to comprehend the situation, but when he does see things plainly, he does his plain duty, and there is no power on earth - no, not even his kith and kin in this country or elsewhere that can successfully resist his mighty will". Thus even after the most repressive reign of Lord Curzon, Indian leaders were so thoroughly duped. "Aren't we going to learn anything from our history and face the truth of current events?" asked Savarkar. After the Maharaja of Satara was forcibly deposed, Rango Bapuji, his Prime Minister, came to London in 1838 and worked for 14 years, doing exactly what the moderate leaders were trying to do, only to find that British have utter contempt for such efforts, but come the Indian war of Independence of 1857 and Queen Victoria, who had pleaded to be helpless to intervene in the affairs of the East India Company, was forced to proclaim "We would honour our treaties and obligations".

Savarkar's extensive preparations for another armed uprising with the help of other countries did not materialise. He was deported to India and later sentenced to 50 years of hard labour. 1906 to 1910, just four years. But the changes brought about by him were tremendous. He made us proud of our past, culture, religion and civilisation. He revived our fighting spirit. He gave us the backbone. He created an international awareness of India's freedom struggle. Indian national flag and anthem were internationally recognised. Even if he had not done anything else we would still be greatly indebted to him. He survived for another 56 years and served India. He was a leader of leaders. He organised a bonfire of foreign clothes in Poona. in 1905. Gandhiji followed suit sixteen years later. He declared in 1900 that we want complete independence; Jawaharlal Nehru said it twenty-seven years later. He warned in 1907 that passive resistance alone would not be sufficient; ultimately the use of force would be required to achieve our independence. Subhash Chandra Bose came to the same conclusion 30 years later. Let us hope that he gets his proper place in Indian history.

"Vande Mataram" was sung at the end of these meetings. Our readers would be delighted to know that due to efforts of Mr Pendse, former Lord Mayor of Brent and Councillor Norman Howard, the Greater London Council has agreed to fix a blue plaque on the house in Highgate, London where Savarkar used to live during 1906 to 1910. It would hopefully be done by December 1984.