05-29-2009, 03:35 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The 126th birth anniversary of Veer Savarkar falls on 28 May 2009. It is an occasion to remember and reflect on Savarkar's life and achievements.
Unflinching resolve and devotion to duty are the hallmarks of Savarkar's life. Anguished by the hanging of the Chapekar brothers, the teenaged Savarkar took an oath before the family deity. He resolved to hold aloft the flag of armed revolution to free his country and fight and kill if need be unto death. This terrible oath made a lasting impact on Savarkar's mind. His resolve did not dim even when darkness and desperation surrounded him.
On 13 March 1910, Savarkar was arrested under the Fugitive Offenders' Act 1881 at Victoria Railway station, London even as he alighted from a train that brought him from Paris. He was charged with sedition and inciting to murder in India. He was denied bail and sent to prison. Savarkar had dared to come to London knowing fully well that arrest, imprisonment and a possible death sentence awaited him. When his associate Niranjan Pal asked him why he came to London despite knowing what lay in store, Savarkar replied, "I came to London to be arrested because my shoulders are broad enough to bear the consequences!" There were only two possible consequences for Savarkar - Transportation for Life or death by hanging.
Savarkar's personal and public life was now in total disarray. It was a year ago that his elder brother Babarao had been sentenced to Transportation for Life in the hell-hole of the Andamans. His younger brother Narayanrao faced arrest. The responsibility of the Savarkar household was now practically on his elder sister-in-law Yesuvahini and wife Yamunabai (Mai). His only son Prabhakar (aged one and half years) had fallen prey to the "fire, clouds and storms of revolution" as Savarkar himself describes in a heart-rending poem. Savarkar's earthly belongings now awaited confiscation. On the revolutionary front, his dear associate Madan Lal Dhingra had bravely gone to the gallows on 17 August 1909. His revolutionary organization Abhinav Bharat lay in ruins. While in prison, Savarkar heard the terrible news that Anant Kanhere, Karve and Deshpande had been hanged (19 April 1910) for the murder of Jackson, the Collector of Nashik. Total darkness now enveloped Savarkar.
Even in this hopeless situation, Savarkar's spirit was unbroken. He was not yet barred from reading or writing. He wrote a poem titled "Maaze mrityupatra" (My last Testament) addressed to his Pujya Yesuvahini. The immortal poem has 25 shlokas. It starts with a description of a gathering of like-minded revolutionaries in the moonlight of Vaishakh month. Savarkar then compliments Yesuvahini for her culinary skills. He reminds her that his comrades had pledged to follow the footsteps of Baji Prabhu (the brave warrior who gave up his life for Shivaji's safety). Savarkar then goes on to describe his utter dedication to his motherland:
"Hey matrubhumi! tujalaa man vahiyele,
vaktrutva vagvibhavhi tuja arpiyale
tootechi arpili navi kavita rasaalaa
lekhaaprati vishay toochi ananya zhala"
("Oh Motherland! I have dedicated my intellect to you,
To you I have dedicated my oratory,
To you I have dedicated my new poem,
You have become the sole subject of my prose")
Then recalling the strength of Parvati and Padmini of Chittod, Savarkar extolled Yesuvahini.s uncommon bravery:
"Te divya abalaa-bala tej kaahi
ajuni yaa bharatbhumit lupt naahi"
(That luminous feminine strength
hath not yet disappeared from Bharatbhumi")
And then in a stupendous display of heroism, Savarkar pens his immortal lines:
"Ki ghetaley vrat na hey amhi andhatene
labdha prakash nisarga-maane
Jey divya daahak mhannuni asaavayaache
Buddhyaachi ghetaley vaan kari hey satichey"
(Blindly have we not made this resolve
But in the light of history and the laws of nature
Whatever is luminous and scorching
Have we purposefully held the robes of a sati in our hands"
But death itself did not dare to approach Savarkar. Savarkar conquered death itself and became Mryutunjay.
The resolve of the teenaged Savarkar conquered Death itself making him a Mrityunjaya (Conqueror of Death).
May we all get a portion of Savarkar's unflinching resolve and dedication to duty!
Swatantryaveer Savarkar amar hai, amar rahenge!!
The Savarkar.org Team
http://www.savarkar.org<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Unflinching resolve and devotion to duty are the hallmarks of Savarkar's life. Anguished by the hanging of the Chapekar brothers, the teenaged Savarkar took an oath before the family deity. He resolved to hold aloft the flag of armed revolution to free his country and fight and kill if need be unto death. This terrible oath made a lasting impact on Savarkar's mind. His resolve did not dim even when darkness and desperation surrounded him.
On 13 March 1910, Savarkar was arrested under the Fugitive Offenders' Act 1881 at Victoria Railway station, London even as he alighted from a train that brought him from Paris. He was charged with sedition and inciting to murder in India. He was denied bail and sent to prison. Savarkar had dared to come to London knowing fully well that arrest, imprisonment and a possible death sentence awaited him. When his associate Niranjan Pal asked him why he came to London despite knowing what lay in store, Savarkar replied, "I came to London to be arrested because my shoulders are broad enough to bear the consequences!" There were only two possible consequences for Savarkar - Transportation for Life or death by hanging.
Savarkar's personal and public life was now in total disarray. It was a year ago that his elder brother Babarao had been sentenced to Transportation for Life in the hell-hole of the Andamans. His younger brother Narayanrao faced arrest. The responsibility of the Savarkar household was now practically on his elder sister-in-law Yesuvahini and wife Yamunabai (Mai). His only son Prabhakar (aged one and half years) had fallen prey to the "fire, clouds and storms of revolution" as Savarkar himself describes in a heart-rending poem. Savarkar's earthly belongings now awaited confiscation. On the revolutionary front, his dear associate Madan Lal Dhingra had bravely gone to the gallows on 17 August 1909. His revolutionary organization Abhinav Bharat lay in ruins. While in prison, Savarkar heard the terrible news that Anant Kanhere, Karve and Deshpande had been hanged (19 April 1910) for the murder of Jackson, the Collector of Nashik. Total darkness now enveloped Savarkar.
Even in this hopeless situation, Savarkar's spirit was unbroken. He was not yet barred from reading or writing. He wrote a poem titled "Maaze mrityupatra" (My last Testament) addressed to his Pujya Yesuvahini. The immortal poem has 25 shlokas. It starts with a description of a gathering of like-minded revolutionaries in the moonlight of Vaishakh month. Savarkar then compliments Yesuvahini for her culinary skills. He reminds her that his comrades had pledged to follow the footsteps of Baji Prabhu (the brave warrior who gave up his life for Shivaji's safety). Savarkar then goes on to describe his utter dedication to his motherland:
"Hey matrubhumi! tujalaa man vahiyele,
vaktrutva vagvibhavhi tuja arpiyale
tootechi arpili navi kavita rasaalaa
lekhaaprati vishay toochi ananya zhala"
("Oh Motherland! I have dedicated my intellect to you,
To you I have dedicated my oratory,
To you I have dedicated my new poem,
You have become the sole subject of my prose")
Then recalling the strength of Parvati and Padmini of Chittod, Savarkar extolled Yesuvahini.s uncommon bravery:
"Te divya abalaa-bala tej kaahi
ajuni yaa bharatbhumit lupt naahi"
(That luminous feminine strength
hath not yet disappeared from Bharatbhumi")
And then in a stupendous display of heroism, Savarkar pens his immortal lines:
"Ki ghetaley vrat na hey amhi andhatene
labdha prakash nisarga-maane
Jey divya daahak mhannuni asaavayaache
Buddhyaachi ghetaley vaan kari hey satichey"
(Blindly have we not made this resolve
But in the light of history and the laws of nature
Whatever is luminous and scorching
Have we purposefully held the robes of a sati in our hands"
But death itself did not dare to approach Savarkar. Savarkar conquered death itself and became Mryutunjay.
The resolve of the teenaged Savarkar conquered Death itself making him a Mrityunjaya (Conqueror of Death).
May we all get a portion of Savarkar's unflinching resolve and dedication to duty!
Swatantryaveer Savarkar amar hai, amar rahenge!!
The Savarkar.org Team
http://www.savarkar.org<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->