Veer Savarkar:

GS Paper 1:

Syllabus: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.

Context:

May 28th 2022 marked the 139th birth anniversary of Veer Savarkar.

Who is Veer Savarkar?

Born on May 28, 1883 in Bhagur, a city in Maharashtra’s Nashik.

Nationalism and social reforms:

• Formed a youth organization- Mitra Mela, this organization was put into place to bring in national and revolutionary ideas.
• He was against foreign goods and propagated the idea of Swadeshi.
• He championed atheism and rationality and also disapproved orthodox Hindu belief. In fact, he even dismissed cow worship as superstitious.
• He also Worked on abolishment of untouchability in Ratnagiri. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar also compared his work to Lord Buddha.
• Vinayak Savarkar was a president of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943.
• When congress ministries offered resignation on 22nd oct 1939, Hindu mahaasabha under his leadership cooperated with Muslim league to form government in provinces like Sindh, Bengal and NWFP.
• In Pune, Savarkar founded the “Abhinav Bharat Society”.
• He joined Tilak’s Swaraj Party.
• He founded the Free India Society. The Society celebrated important dates on the Indian calendar including festivals, freedom movement landmarks, and was dedicated to furthering discussion about Indian freedom.
• He believed and advocated the use of arms to free India from the British and created a network of Indians in England, equipped with weapons.

Important works:

1. Book- The History of the war of Indian Independence.
2. An armed revolt against the Morley-Minto reform.
3. Two-nation theory in his book ‘Hindutva’.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. Who founded Mitra mela, Abhinav Bharat Society and Free India society, what are the objectives?
2. Books written by Savarkar?
3. Savarkar’s book which was published by Madam Bikaji Cama?

Mains Link:

Discuss Veer Savarkar’s contributions to social reforms in the country.

Q.1) Identify the personality based on the information given below:

1. 1. He was a president of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943.
   2. He founded the “Abhinav Bharat Society”.
   3. He founded the Free India Society.

Choose the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 1. Veer Savarkar.
   2. Bhagat Singh.
   3. Jawaharlal Nehru.
   4. None.

Sources: the Hindu.