Our heroes are after all falliable

 Savarkar is complex and willifying him by the liberal and left liberal media will only do harm to the fabric of the nation and escalate tensions - Shantanu Gharpure . I’d invite him to enlighten us further on Savarkar beyond this post 

It was after this conversation, for the first time,  I realised I was maybe wrong in my assumptions of Savarkar. I too had not read well. But with some time I’ve read opposing views and core texts to understand him better and this is a culmination of those efforts .  

I have analysed his role as a poet, a patriot, a social reformer and a statesmen involved in building the nation. The regular critique of his apology to the British doubting his patriotism get quashed once his patriotism is proven in the below article and therefore was not necessary to be included explicitly.

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At the outset, the idea of Savarkar is not very well understood by non-Marathi media in India due to the language restrictions and 'lost in translations/ scenario. Even amongst the Marathi media there is a huge division as Savarkar was radical and a polarising figure. It’s necessary to critically evaluate Savarkar to understand him better! 

Savarkar the Poet and Patriot 

Only ones who’ve read him well can truly understand his patriotism and longing for the mother land through Savarkar - the poet . How can you not get affected by his poem ‘Saagara’ . He therefore continues to hold an important position in Marathi Literature.

Savarkar The Social Reformer

His also is praise worth for his position of caste but again problematic on religion. 

He believed in the complete dismantling of the caste system and the four varna system to real social growth for India. While he agreed in theory, there is little evidence on improvement of caste system or lives of Dalits post that to support Savarkar’s belief. 

His belief to use ideals form Nazism and Fascism are problematic to say the least but understandable in times when his fellow countrymen were being killed brutally by the British. He blamed the Indian Muslims like the German Jews who failed to assimilate and belived that the Indian Muslims would have to play second fiddle in Indian growth in the future . 

Savarkar the statesman involved in the nation building maybe blindsided by his patriotism and the pain of Indians like him (Hindus) only suffering under the British . 

Ambedkar has analysed Savarkar's position and his  idea of nation when the idea of Partition of India was being considered in his Book -Partition of India. He writes and I quote 

” At the same time he also mentions the 1937 assertion of Savarkar where he mentioned that Hindu and Muslim are two “main nations in India” and finds that “Mr. Savarkar and Mr. Jinnah … are in complete agreement about it” though “They differ only as regards the terms and conditions on which the two nations should live”. He finds that Savarkar’s idea of “confiscating the weightages [to] strip the Muslim nation of all the political privileges it has secured so far” are “illogical, if not queer”. Also that “Mr. Savarkar in advocating his scheme is really creating a most dangerous situation for the safety and security of India”

since Savarkar wants Hindus to be “dominant” and Muslims to be “servient”, he wonders “Why Mr. Savarkar, after sowing this seed of enmity between the Hindu nation and the Muslim nation, should want that they should live under one constitution and occupy one country, is difficult to explain.”

Dr. Ambedkar further goes on to compare his proposal with what happened in erstwhile Austria and Turkey and how that led to ruination of both with following conclusion used by Savarkar. 

Therefore there is no rationale for for his theory of having one entire nations with one set of civilians to play second fiddle to the Hindus. The evidence presented by Ambedkar showcases how this theory didn't help two other nations in consideration.  The evidence basis which Savarkar claims this theory - Naziism and Fascism are two problematic periods of human history

Therefore in essence, Savarkars patriotism and heart longing for India is without doubt.His literary contribution are second to none but yet we can’t ignore the fact that his deep disdain for Muslims in India and the idea of India born out of it is problematic and very impractical for the current century or any for that matter . 

People choose to cite one part of his life without the other and either willify or alleviate him - both are incorrect! 

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Sources : 

Hindu Rastra Darshan - Vinayak Savarkar 

Partition of India - Dr. Ambedkar