The Lion's Den
London, one of the world's greatest cities, the den of the British lion, the very hub of the empire that controlled close to 2/3rd of the world. It was also a refuge for revolutionaries across the world, the Irish, the Russians, the Anarchists and now the Indian rebels. It was into this very nerve center of the British empire, that Savarkar stepped into in the last week of June, 1906. Over the next four years, he would be prove to be a thorn in the side for the British, as they tracked every move of his, considered him one of the most dangerous of the freedom fighters.
True to his name, Shyamji was the Krishna to Savarkar's Arjun, guiding him in the battlefield. The Kurukshetra here was London itself, the den of the British lion, where Savarkar began his battle. Continuing from where he had left off in India, Savarkar established the Free India Society in 1906 in London. It was not an easy task, he had to deal with an entire generation of Indian students, who were more English than the British themselves. Decades of colonial education, had brainwashed the average Indian into believing that British rule was a blessing, and that they indeed bought civilization to a backward nation. Savarkar began to change that, holding weekly meetings explaining the ill effects of British rule. He also organized the anniversaries of great heroes like Shivaji, Guru Gobind Singh, and grand celebrations of Dussehra, Dipavali.
And soon they began to flock to him, from all corners of India, drawn by a single purpose the freedom of India. From the city of Mumbai, came Madame Bhikaji Cama and Senapati Bapat. From the South came V.V.S. Aiyar and P.T.Acharya. From the plains of Punjab, came Lala Hardayal and Bhai Parmanand. From the North there was Gyanchand Verma, while from Nizam occupied Hyderabad, came Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, the brother of Sarojini Naidu. Men and women from different cultures, regions, backgrounds, but all united by one single desire, an independent India. However the Muslim students from India in London kept away from India House. When Abdulla Suharwardy wanted to join, Sir Ziauddin Ahmed warned him with the following words
"You know that we have a definite political policy at Aligarh, i.e. the policy of Sir Syed. Do you really believe that the Muslims will be profited if Home Rule is granted to India? What I call the Muslim policy is really the policy of all the Muslims generally – of those of Upper India particularly."
And so did Asaf Zaki who wrote to Pandit Shaymji that he did not want to antagonize his Muslim friends unnecessarily, by associating with the nationalist. The fact is Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and later the Muslim League had successfully brainwashed Muslims into believing, that freedom would mean a Hindu dominated India, where they would have no space. Barring a few like Ashfaqullah, most Muslims deliberately kept aloof from the freedom movement, and tacitly supported the British too.
Primarily Savarkar's time in London was divided into three major tasks-his own writing, organizing public meetings and conducting the secret revolutionary activities. After he settled down in London, Savarkar began to send a series of newsletters to India, that started on August 1906, and ended somewhere in November 1909. He also began a work on Mazinni and Garibaldi, the great leaders of the Italian unification and liberation movement, and his heroes. He had already read about Mazinni in a Marathi biography of his, which was an inspiration to him. Also the articles by his mentor Paranjpe in Kal magazine, about the nationalist movements in Europe, the revolutionary wars and secret societies influenced him to the extent, that he felt only a similiar armed revolution could liberate India from the British rule. By the end of September he completed his biography on Mazinni that also had a close look at his politics. He also wrote a highly explosive 25 page preface to his work, while attending the meetings, conducting the revolutionary activities and carrying out his regular studies too.
Savarkar dedicated his biography on Mazinni to Tilak and his brother Babarao, however the former deemed it too dangerous to publish, so explosive was that 25 page preface. Babarao however went ahead and published the book in June 1907, and within a month 2000 copies of it were sold. That preface became a guideline of sorts for the youth, fired up now by Savarkar's revolutionary zeal, and it also helped others to understand his strategy better.
What made this preface so explosive, that even Tilak felt it would be dangerous to publish it?
Right at the beginning, Savarkar quotes Mazinni-"Italy would not prosper unless the old machines were melted and the new ones forged. And the material for the new machines were the youth". And the machine were the Secret Societies.
Once again Savarkar in his book quotes- "All European nations aspiring to freedom had recourse to secret societies. With very little effort, the foreign powers could be distracted and one could prepare for the battle ahead".
Savarkar emphasizes the fact that though Italy had no access to arms, it sent it's young and bravest men to Spain, US, Germany and Poland to learn the art of war. Also arms were purchased from Germany, stored near the borders, and revolutionaries would rush in when there was disturbance. And above all, spread disaffection in the army, make the officers take the oath of Young Italy, in the Austrian army.
The fact is that while Savarkar was referring to the Italian revolution, what he was laying out was his strategy of a large scale armed revolt in India on similiar lines that could uproot the British rule.
The British used to celebrate May Day in commemoration of their victory over the Indian revolutionaries during the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny. Savarkar decided to counter this propaganda, by calling 1857 as the First War of Indian Independence and celebrate it all over London. Having finhished his biography of Mazinni, he now began to dig for material on the 1857 revolt, and with the help of Mukherjee, the India House manager, he got the first volume of British historian Kaye's work on the event. Though disappointed by the first volume, that had no description of the battles fought or events, he soldiered on neverthless. With the help of Mukherjee, he managed to get the entire body of work by Kaye and Malleson on the 1857 Revolt, giving him enough insight into the event.
Though their work had typically disparaging comments on Indians, it had enough insight into the 1857 Revolt, for Savarkar to begin his work on. And that in fact made Savarkar more curious to read some of the books mentioned as sources in the work. He found out that these books were available in the India Office Library, and managed to get a reader's card from Mukherjee. When the librarian informed him that all the books in one wing, were tales of evil deeds perpetrated by the mutineers, he was annoyed. Savarkar however was more than happy that he had got access to the material, and also admired the facilities provided by the British Government to scholars.
Soon Savarkar began to visit the library and pour over the books related to the 1857 revolt, taking notes meticolously. The librarian himself was impressed by Savarkar's dedication and began to discuss about the event with him. Of course he would naturally praise the British and talk depreciatingly of the Indian soldiers. Though Savarkar felt pained about this, he did not try to counter the librarian, as that would have meant giving his plan away. The more he read about the 1857 Revolt, the more he was convinced that it was a far more extensive and concerted attack on the British rule, than it was projected to be. It was a failure, but shook up the British Empire like never before, and in a way laid down the template for future revolts against the Raj.
Savarkar began to work on the Marathi version of the book, and simultaneously lecture on the 1857 Revolt at various public meetings. The intelligence agents soon got wind of this, and a report was submitted, following which the India Office library barred Savarkar's entry. It was in vain, as the book was already written, and in spite of Scotland Yard's best efforts, the manuscript was smuggled into India, surreptituously. Limaye, one of the Abhinav Bharat members decided to print it in Sholapur, where he had his own press. However with the police actively looking for copies of the manuscript, it was sent back to Paris via Babarao.
It now had become really difficult to print and publish copies of the book's Marathi version, especially in India. Efforts were made to print it in Germany, which then was a major center of Sanskrit printing, however that came to naught. With efforts to print in Paris too failing, finally he was able to get it printed in Holland, through his associates Koregaonkar, Khunte and Phadke. And soon other copies were printed in Paris, and smuggled to India using the covers of novels like Pickwick Papers, Don Quixote. The British Government in India meanwhile banned any import of the book, and Savarkar soon wrote a letter to the London Times, protesting the ban order. By now the book had become popular with the Indian community in the West, and began to be published in other languages. Incidentally the first draft of the Marathi version was given to Dr.Coutinho,a Goanese member of Abhinav Bharat, in London, who later moved to Lisbon and from there to US where he settled down. Later when India became independent, Coutinho sent the draft of the manuscript back to Savarkar in 1949.
Right after his book on the 1857 Revolt, Savarkar began his next work on Sikh history. When he was researching for his book on 1857, he came across references to the armed uprising of the Kukhas. Basing on which he delivered a lecture at the India House in London, on the life of Guru Ram Singh. Punjab at that time, was one of the main recruitment centers for the British Army, with a large number of Sikhs serving in it. Savarkar had mooted the idea of an armed insurrection of the Sikhs in the Army and creating a national awakening, with one of his Sikh colleauges earlier. Later in December 1908, he delivered another lecture on Guru Gobind Singh, and also studied the Gurumukhi script extensively.
Apart from that he read all major books on Sikh history, religion and culture right from Adi Granth to Guru Gobind Singh's Vichitra Natak. By now he had enough material, that could be turned into a book, however his constant writing, along with his underground revolutionary activities, took a toll on his health. He spent some time in a Welsh sanatorium, recovering under the care of his friend Dr.Muthu. After a slight recovery, he began his work on Sikh History, based on the research he had done earlier. He left for Paris, after he had completely recovered, where he also prepared the final manuscript, after due editing. The work was dedicated to his son Prabhakar, who had died in India, when he was in London. Three copies of the manuscript were made, one was mailed to India, and was probably lost in transit or seized by the police. Another copy, present in his baggage, was thrown into the sea by him, when he was being deported back to India. And the third one probably was in the possesion of Madame Cama, but finally the book never saw the light of the day.
Savarkar also began to actively publish in Gaelic American, a magazine published by Irish nationalists from New York under the pen name of Vinayak. He also formulated an audacious plan, by which the secret societies of Turkey, China, India, Egypt, Ireland would coordinate, and execute a simultaneous uprising against British rule. Also got articles on Indian affairs, published and further translated into French, Chinese, Portuguese and Russian, with the purpose of swaying public opinion in those nations, to the cause of India's freedom.
He founded the Free India Society, to serve as a platform for his activities, and Gyanchand Varma was appointed as it's secretary. The Free India Society would become a platform for highly intellectual discussions on political philosophy, that provided an inspiration to the revolutionaries. Savarkar had the vision to realize the importance of international engagement. He wanted his message to reach out to a global audience, and get their support for India's freedom struggle. He took the cause of Indian freedom on to the world stage with his speeches and letters.
Apart from his literary activities, Savarkar organized a series of public meetings in London, from 1907 to 1909, to spread the revolutionary feeling among the Indian populace there. The first was a small function held on May 11, 1907 to celebrate May Day at Tilak House in Acton, the residence of Shyamji Krishna Verma's brother in law, Nitin Sen Dwarkadas. It was a small function attended by around twenty people, presided over by Savarkar, and Gyanchand Varma as the principal speaker. The Shivaji festival was organized the following year on May 2, on behalf of the Free India Society, by Ratnabhu, and the principal speaker was V.V.S.Aiyar, another of his Abhinav Bharat associates.
It was the celebration of the anniversary of the 1857 Revolt, or the War of Independence, as Savarkar called it, that would be the grandest of the lot. Held a week later after the Shivaji festival, at the India House, it's reverberations would be felt across the Indian community in London, as well as in the higher echelons of the Government. The build up to the event had been through a series of smaller meetings, that drove home the importance, and also raised the enthusiasm in the youth. In a specially decorated hall at India House, a huge red cloth hung at the back of the platform, decorated with flowers of various hues. Portraits of those who fought in 1857 were displayed, while in green, red and white, the names of Bahadur Shah Zafar, Tatya Tope, Nana Sahib, Rani of Jhansi, Kunwar Singh were shown in bold. The scent of burning incense filled the room, as the melodious tunes from the harmonium, and the singers, created the right atmosphere for the nationalist mood. And they came from Oxford, from Cambridge, Sorcester, Reading, it was unprecedented, as they descended upon India House like a flood from all corners. So large were the crowds that, some had to stand outside. After the national prayer, by Aiyar, Savarkar took stage and enthralled the audience with his speech on Bahadur Shah Zafar, Nanasaheb Peshwa and the nature of the revolt itself. Another associate Khan, spoke about Kunwar Singh, the Arrah Zamindar, whose heroism during the 1857 Revolt was the stuff of legend, while Das spoke about Rani of Jhansi. The festival ended with the organizer Rana, reading out a message from Madame Bhikaji Cama. And finally with Vande Mataram echoing in the hall, the celebrations ended.
The impact was electrifying, special badges of rememberance were made for the occasion, that were worn by every one who had attended the celebrations. From old timers to youth, from barristers to doctors, from editors to businessmen, from graduates to studens, all took a vow of sacrifice, pledging their loyalty to the cause of India's freedom. The entire month, was observed as a period of abstinence in honor of the warriors of the 1857 revolt. All those who attended the celebration, voluntarily abstained from smoking, drinking, playing cards, while some fasted. Many donated their money to the fund, that was set up for the warriors of 1857, while some volunteers went from door to door, collecting donations for this purpose. Chappatis were served as prasadam, this again a tribute to the 1857 revolt, where the chappatis were used to send coded messages.
Some of the consequences of the celebration of the 1857 revolt, were quite embarassing. Hernam Singh and Khan, both of them students at the Sorencester Agricultural college, attended classes wearing badges of he 1857 Revolt. They were called by the Principal, who dubbed Rani of Jhansi and Nana Saheb as murderers. Angered by the insult, they both dropped out of college. They were felicitated for this act at a dinner and given the Yar-E-Hind title by a Punjabi lady Dhandevi, the hitherto sleeping Indian community in England was beginning to wake up. The fire was now creeping right into the den of the British lion, no wonder that they regarded Savarkar as one of their greatest threats. Another function was held on October 16, in solidarity with the Indian settlers in South Africa, presided over by such titans like Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal, Savarkar himself, speaking out in support. And it was followed by the sacred Raksha Bandhan, tying the Rakhi to delegates, and concluded with a rousing speech by Bipin Chandra Pal.
Another major function was held on December 29, at Caxton Hall, to celebrate the Jayanti of Guru Gobind Singh. A huge platform hoisted a big banner in rose color with the words "Deg, Teg, Fateh" written on it. Under the line "Honor to sacred memory of Shri Guru Gobind Sigh", the words "Prophet, Poet and Warrior" were written. Again like the celebration of the 1857 Revolt, the venue was decorated with flowers, while the smell of incense filled the hall. Bipin Chandra Pal, presided over the function, which began with the patriotic songs "Amar Desh" and "Priyaker Hindustan" written by Savarkar himself. Two Sikh associates, recited the prayers from the sacred writings of Guru Nanak, followed by a spirited speech on Guru Gobind Singh by Prof. Gokulchand Narang. After Lalaji and Bipin Chandra Pal, addressed the audience, a clamor grew demanding that Savarkar himself should speak. Taking centre stage, Savarkar, focused on those three words on the banner "Deg meaning doctrine, Teg the sword, and Fateh meaning victory". The function was exclusively covered in the British media, leading papers like Times, Daily Express and Daily Mirror carried news of it.
The last major function was the Dussehra Mela held in 1909, at Queens Road Hall where a large feast was arranged for the Indian community. Mahatma Gandhi presided over the function, that saw a large number of students, doctors, businessmen, professors attending it. The national flag proudly displaying Vande Mataram, fluttered in the center, while the fragrance of inckense, mingled with the melodious tunes of national songs, made it a sight to behold. Speaking on the occasion Gandhiji expressed pleasure at the large turnout, and stated he was honored to be sitting beside Savarkar. This in spite of the rather irreconciable differences between them, and ironically years later, Savarkar would be named as one of the co conspirators in Gandhiji's assasination.
"When people forget Rama, the soul of India is itself lost. Hindus make up the heart of Hindustan, yet we accept various colors in a rainbow, as they only enhance it's beauty. Hinduism shall shine forth, by accepting the best practices from Islam, Zorastrianism and Judaism." So moved was Gandhiji by this speech, that he exhorted the audience to remember what Savarkar said, and be prepared for the sacrifices to come ahead.