Arya Prathinidhi Sabhas in India decided to honour Veer Savarkar whose birthday was on the 28th May. Many of the younger generation of today may not be familiar with the contributions and scarifies made by Veer Savakar.

Here is a brief Biography on Veer Savarkar.

There have been many shining stars for the propagation of the philosophy and principle of Arya Samaj which was founded by Maharishi Swami Dayanand, but during the course of my research in the life history of Veer Savarkar, I could not find any such involvement with Arya Samaj by him. The only thing, though not confirmed or substantiated, was while he was in prison he read the Satyarth Prakash a few time and was inspired by the writing of Swami Dayanand and decided to write his own version about the 1857 War of India’s Independence which was banned by the British. Veer Savarkar was a political person and should be remembered as such.

Kewal Ahluwalia.

Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar

(May 28, 1883 – February 26, 1966)

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was born in the village of Bhagur, near the city of Nasik, in Maharashtra. He was one of four children – his brothers Ganesh (Babarao) and Narayan, and his sister Mainabai. His family was of Hindu and Marathi , his ancestral roots and heritage would be an important influence on Savarkar. Descending from a long line of landlords and scholars of Sanskrit, the Savarkar family was well-respected and both parents encouraged and inculcated a love of learning in all their children. Savarkar's mother died when he was only nine years old, from an outbreak of cholera. His father also died a victim of plague in 1899.

Savarkar's elder brother Ganesh took the burdens of providing for the family, and would be a strong influence on the teenage Savarkar despite financial difficulties. He supported Savarkar's dreams for higher education. After passing his matriculation examination, Savarkar enrolled in the Fergusson College in the provincial capital of Pune in 1902.

As a young man and student, Savarkar was enthralled by the rising Swadeshi campaign, and the political struggle against the partition of Bengal in 1905. Savarkar had organised several local young men in a group called the Band of Friends, and soon began encouraging revolutionary and nationalist views and passions amongst this group. His views and passions were guided by a new generation of radical political leaders such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai. Absorbed into nationalist activities, he began organising college students across Pune in the promotion of Swadeshi goods, boycotting foreign-made a goods and promoting Indian culture. At the occasion of the Hindu festival of Dussehra in 1905, Savarkar and his friends set a large bonfire of foreign goods and clothes. Savarkar committed himself to fighting for India's independence, envisioning a republic united by a common language.

India House in England was a thriving centre for student political and intellectual activity, and with Savarkar's addition, it soon became a hot-bed of revolutionary thought and activities. Founding the Free India Society, Savarkar sought to organise fellow Indian students for the goal of independence through revolution: He was arrested in 1910 for his connections with the revolutionary group. It is believed that during his time in prison he read the Satyarth Prakash many time and was inspired by the writings of Maharishi Swami Dayanand and advocated the cause of complete independence for India by writing The History of the War of Indian Independence about the Indian rebellion of 1857 (incorrectly taught in schools as Sepoy Mutiny), which became a legend by being prohibited by the mighty British Government, even before it was published and its language, title and author’s name printed on were known precisely to the panicked authorities. In the book he analyzed the revolt and described the British rule in India as unjust and oppressive, he tried to expose this true history of 1857 in England through this book. He was mercilessly tortured and put behind the bars even before the book was published. “Unfortunately, even our own people tried to hide this fact. This truth could not reach many people even now,” recalling the contribution of Rani Lakshmibai in the freedom movement he said that even the British were astonished to see the valour of an Indian lady who fought so bravely. He said it is the day to draw inspiration from the life of the martyrs and we should be grateful to them, that publication would be banned by British authorities throughout the British Empire. Savarkar managed to smuggle his work to a Indian revolutionary Madame Bhikaji Cama, who got its published and circulated in the Netherlands, France the book would attain great popularity and would influence rising young Indians and future revolutionaries, including Subhash Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh.

Following a failed attempt to escape while being transported from Marseilles, Savarkar was sentenced to 50-years imprisonment and moved to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Kala Pani) but was released in 1924, after signing a controversial plea for clemency in which he renounced revolutionary activities, this sparked intense criticism and controversy, which has continued till today. Critics allege that he bargained for his freedom at the expense of his ideals, while supporters assert that Savarkar was merely seeking to escape one way or another, and resume his activities.^.

With a core group of fellow students, Savarkar began studying revolutionary methods and came into contact with a veteran of the Russian Revolution of 1905, who imparted the knowledge of bomb-making to Savarkar and his friends. Savarkar would print and circulate a manual amongst his friends, on bomb-making and other methods of guerrilla warfare.

Madan Lal Dhingra

In 1909, Madan Lal Dhingra, a keen follower and friend of Savarkar, assassinated British MP Sir Curzon Wylie in a public meeting. Dhingra's action provoked controversy across Britain and India, evoking admiration as well as condemnation. Savarkar published an article in which he all but endorsed the murder and worked to organise political support and for Dhingra's legal defence. A secretive and restricted trial and a sentence of death penalty to Dhingra provoked an outcry and protest across the Indian student and political community, following his execution. Savarkar hailed Dhingra as a hero and martyr, and began encouraging revolution with greater intensity.

Savarkar had become one of the fiercest critics of Mahatma Gandhi. Following the murder of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948, police arrested the assassin Nathuram Godse and rounded up his companions. Police investigation revealed that Godse and his chief conspirator Narayan Apte had been a close political confidantes of Savarkar in the Hindu Mahasabha. Despite having publicly denounced Gandhi's murder, Savarkar was arrested on suspicion of having inspired and planned Gandhi's murder, and accordingly indicted. Witnesses during the trial testified that Savarkar had blessed Nathuram Godse before he shot Gandhi, but there was no corroborative evidence against Savarkar, the court exonerated him citing insufficient evidence. Godse claimed full responsibility for planning and carrying out the attack.