“VINAYAK Damodar Savarkar is not just a person, he has become a thought. We should look at the literature of Savarkar, his philosophy as a thought that would guide the nation. Even after five decades of his demise, the society has failed to understand him,” asserted Dr Shubha Sathe, researcher of Savarkar literature. Nation is celebrating the birth centenary of great leader Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on Sunday. In the wake of it, ‘The Hitavada’ spoke to Dr Sathe. Dr Sathe has been touring all over Maharashtra explaining Savarkar, his philosophy, his thoughts to society. She feels that if nation follows the thoughts of Savarkar, then those thoughts would steer India to new heights. “Savarkar was a visionary, who could foresee the scenario beyond 15-16 years. There are several examples where one would realise what he had told a long ago came true in later years. He had warned the nation not to allow partition of India. Nobody listened to him. Everybody now realises the damage it has caused to our nation because of partition. S M Joshi, too, had said in 1937 that he started to understand the meaning of ideas or thoughts expressed by Savarkar in 1910. It means, when a person like Joshi took 25 years to understand what Savarkar had said, how much time would a common man take to do so,” Dr Sathe asked.

 

Explaining Savarkar further, Dr Shubha Sathe said, “I am least bothered about whatever today’s political leaders say or whatever stand they take on Savarkar. He was so much engrossed in the thought of freeing his motherland. He was brought to Andaman as a part of his imprisonment. His feet touched the shore and he thought India should set up its naval base there. According to him, that would stop enemies from entering his motherland. India did it, but after more than 40 years.” Dr Sathe felt Savarkar was a confluence of Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, who thrived for social reforms, and Lokmanya Tilak, who was aggressive about India’s independence. “Urging literatteurs from the platform of Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Sammelan as a President to throw away the pens and hold the guns was the courageous act then,” felt Dr Shubha Sathe. “Never mind if the nation failed to create a poet in next 10 years. If mother becomes sick, would her ward enjoy music, dance, composing poems? In the same way when the motherland is suffering, one should learn to use guns and not get involved into writing poems of love.

 

This is what Savarkar batted for,” Dr Sathe elaborated the pragmatism of Savarkar. After suffering punishment for 50 years, when Savarkar had come out, Tilak had gone and Gandhi had taken over. In those years, nobody saw Savarkar so people gathered around Gandhiji. In 1937, Subhash Chandra Bose offered Savarkar a respectable position in Congress with a request to join. Savarkar had put a condition of opposition to partition. Other leaders like Nehru, Patel, Gandhiji did not agree with it. So Savarkar continued his activities through Hindu Mahasabha. Sharing this information, Dr Sathe, who authored a book ‘Tya Tighi’ on the wives of Savarkar brothers, said with proud feeling, “I can say with authority that there were no one like Savarkars, where a complete family without a hitch sacrificed themselves for the country. When Savarkar brothers founded Abhinav Bharat, Yesubai, the wife of Ganesh alias Babarao Savarkar formed Atmanishtha Yuvati Sangh that brought patriotic women together. Savarkar women could not afford to live like other women in the society. Unfortunately, Savarkars were misunderstood more.”