The news about Veer Savarkar's grandson found begging, brought back some memories from the past.
It is several years back that I used to live in a small and lesser known town in Maharashtra. I was sharing a rented accommodation with a friend. We needed a maid-servant, and upon asking, our house-owner introduced to us a lady who was badly in need of work. She was past her middle-age and was getting towards what we would call old age, though still active. Looking at her age, we were reluctant, but house-owner and the lady insisted that she needed work, so we hired her.
She used to live at some distance in a very small house, along with her aged and ailing husband, who used to herd cattle of the villagers, for earning a living. One day, for some reason, I and my friend had to go in that direction, so we decided to see her husband. Upon entering the house, we saw a very old and striking photo of Veer Savarkar on the wall, along with some young men posing. Upon much inquiring he started telling us his story. He was a freedom fighter who had left everything he had in his youth to the call of the nation, and had joined Savarkar's movement. He was indeed a very well known name associated with the Goa liberation, and had earned quite a fame. (I would not like to share his name.)
But in doing this, he earned nothing for himself, neither education, nor a steady living. And after freedom, everybody forgot him, and here he was herding cattle in his 70s, and his wife working as a house-maid. He did not wish to earn money or get anything in return for what he had done for the nation; he did not even apply for freedom-fighters benefits which government offered.
In the end, he was full of tears and so were we. I had no words to say to him. All I could do was to touch his feet and leave.
I had to leave that town soon, and have never gone there again. I could not think of what I could have done. Now I think maybe I could have done something.
It is several years back that I used to live in a small and lesser known town in Maharashtra. I was sharing a rented accommodation with a friend. We needed a maid-servant, and upon asking, our house-owner introduced to us a lady who was badly in need of work. She was past her middle-age and was getting towards what we would call old age, though still active. Looking at her age, we were reluctant, but house-owner and the lady insisted that she needed work, so we hired her.
She used to live at some distance in a very small house, along with her aged and ailing husband, who used to herd cattle of the villagers, for earning a living. One day, for some reason, I and my friend had to go in that direction, so we decided to see her husband. Upon entering the house, we saw a very old and striking photo of Veer Savarkar on the wall, along with some young men posing. Upon much inquiring he started telling us his story. He was a freedom fighter who had left everything he had in his youth to the call of the nation, and had joined Savarkar's movement. He was indeed a very well known name associated with the Goa liberation, and had earned quite a fame. (I would not like to share his name.)
But in doing this, he earned nothing for himself, neither education, nor a steady living. And after freedom, everybody forgot him, and here he was herding cattle in his 70s, and his wife working as a house-maid. He did not wish to earn money or get anything in return for what he had done for the nation; he did not even apply for freedom-fighters benefits which government offered.
In the end, he was full of tears and so were we. I had no words to say to him. All I could do was to touch his feet and leave.
I had to leave that town soon, and have never gone there again. I could not think of what I could have done. Now I think maybe I could have done something.