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Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past,
Publisher:
Penguin Random House
| Author:
SAMPATH, VIKRAM
| Language:
English
| Format:
Hardback
Publisher:
Penguin Random House
Author:
SAMPATH, VIKRAM
Language:
English
Format:
Hardback
₹749
Save: 25%
In stock
Ships within:
5-7 Days
In stock
| Weight | 270 g |
|---|---|
| Book Type |
ISBN:
Page Extent:
624
As the intellectual fountainhead of the ideology of Hindutva, which is in political ascendancy in India today, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is undoubtedly one of the most contentious political thinkers and leaders of the twentieth century. Accounts of his eventful and stormy life have oscillated from eulogizing hagiographies to disparaging demonization. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between and has unfortunately never been brought to light. Savarkar and his ideology stood as one of the strongest and most virulent opponents of Gandhi, his pacifist philosophy and the Indian National Congress.
An alleged atheist and a staunch rationalist who opposed orthodox Hindu beliefs, encouraged inter-caste marriage and dining, and dismissed cow worship as mere superstition, Savarkar was, arguably, the most vocal political voice for the Hindu community through the entire course of India’s freedom struggle. From the heady days of revolution and generating international support for the cause of India’s freedom as a law student in London, Savarkar found himself arrested, unfairly tried for sedition, transported and incarcerated at the Cellular Jail, in the Andamans, for over a decade, where he underwent unimaginable torture.
From being an optimistic advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity in his treatise on the 1857 War of Independence, what was it that transformed him in the Cellular Jail to a proponent of ‘Hindutva’, which viewed Muslims with suspicion?
Drawing from a vast range of original archival documents across India and abroad, this biography in two parts-the first focusing on the years leading up to his incarceration and eventual release from the Kalapani-puts Savarkar, his life and philosophy in a new perspective and looks at the man with all his achievements and failings.
1 review for Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past,
Description
As the intellectual fountainhead of the ideology of Hindutva, which is in political ascendancy in India today, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is undoubtedly one of the most contentious political thinkers and leaders of the twentieth century. Accounts of his eventful and stormy life have oscillated from eulogizing hagiographies to disparaging demonization. The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between and has unfortunately never been brought to light. Savarkar and his ideology stood as one of the strongest and most virulent opponents of Gandhi, his pacifist philosophy and the Indian National Congress.
An alleged atheist and a staunch rationalist who opposed orthodox Hindu beliefs, encouraged inter-caste marriage and dining, and dismissed cow worship as mere superstition, Savarkar was, arguably, the most vocal political voice for the Hindu community through the entire course of India’s freedom struggle. From the heady days of revolution and generating international support for the cause of India’s freedom as a law student in London, Savarkar found himself arrested, unfairly tried for sedition, transported and incarcerated at the Cellular Jail, in the Andamans, for over a decade, where he underwent unimaginable torture.
From being an optimistic advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity in his treatise on the 1857 War of Independence, what was it that transformed him in the Cellular Jail to a proponent of ‘Hindutva’, which viewed Muslims with suspicion?
Drawing from a vast range of original archival documents across India and abroad, this biography in two parts-the first focusing on the years leading up to his incarceration and eventual release from the Kalapani-puts Savarkar, his life and philosophy in a new perspective and looks at the man with all his achievements and failings.
About Author
Bangalore based historian, Dr. Vikram Sampath is the author of five acclaimed books: Splendours of Royal Mysore: the Untold Story of the Wodeyars; My Name Is Gauhar Jaan: The Life and Times of a Musician; Voice of the Veena: S Balachander: A Biography. His latest books are the two-volume biography: Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past and Savarkar: A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966 from Penguin Random House India. Both the voulmes had gone on to become 'National Best Sellers'. Vikram was awarded the Sahitya Akademi's first Yuva Puraskar in English literature and the ARSC International Award for Excellence in Historical research in New York for his book on Gauhar Jaan. The book has also been adapted to theatre as a play Gauhar by Lillette Dubey and is being adapted to a Bollywood film by Ashutosh Gowariker. Vikram was among the 4 writers and artists to be selected as a Writer-in-Residence at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in 2015. Vikram has a doctorate in history & music from the University of Queensland, Australia and was a Senior Research Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. He is also an Aspen Global Leadership Fellow and an Eisenhower Global Fellow 2021. An Engineer/mathematician from BITS-Pilani and an MBA in Finance from S. P. Jain, Mumbai, Vikram is also a trained Carnatic vocalist. He has established the Archive of Indian Music, India's first digital sound archive for vintage recordings, is the Founder-Director of the Bangalore Literature Festival, and curates the ZEE Group's 'ARTH-A Culture Fest'.
1 review for Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past,
-
Anand Kumar whom I follow on facebook and twitter, had written a compelling review of the book ‘Savarkar-Echoes from Forgotten Past’ by Vikram Sampath that I was left with no option but to buy it. Anand ji had written that if anyone has to make any existing line smaller without erasing it then one will have to draw a bigger line adjacent to that line.
However, savarkar had such a tall & versatile personality that even after all out effort, the opposition gang could not find anyone who could stand near him. When compared with savarkar all other found themself dwarf. Therefore having left with no other option, they maligned his image, spread false propaganda that he was a british agent, he sent mercy petition etc. The propaganda machinery was so strong that they succeeded in spreading their part of falsehood and hiding realty of savarkar and even public who have not read about savarkar believed the falsehood because savarkar was purposefully and systematically removed from academics. He was so much villified that even RWs feared talking about him. After reading the book I felt like crying. In his whole life, this man got only sufferings. He lost his mother in childhood, then father, then son, then sister-in-law. Two times his house was impounded. Even utensils were not given to his family. But none could deviate him from his aim of leberating Bharat mata. One can only woder that how can anyone withstand so much physical and mental tortue. He was such an intelligent that his poems got published when he was in school. He was so studious that he read all books from nasik library. He was such a planner that he got smuggled bomb manual from Russia. He was such a motivator that in jail he motivated people not to think of sucide or hunger strike but to eat properly then only one can fight Britishers. He was so Haazirjabab that jailor Berry or muslim wardens avoided arguing with him. Until he was jailed, MK gandhi was nowhere in scenario of freedom struggle. Whem country got independence, many became ministers, some became CM, but he got only slanders.
Comimg to book, I have to say that it is masterpiece. It is not only must read but to must have in every house. A well researched book. Vikram Sampath has taken great pain in research which is reflected in each page. The author has presented history as it is. Neither added something by own nor deleted some part as others do conveniently. If I had option I could have given more than 5 star.
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Vineet Kumar Singh –
Anand Kumar whom I follow on facebook and twitter, had written a compelling review of the book ‘Savarkar-Echoes from Forgotten Past’ by Vikram Sampath that I was left with no option but to buy it. Anand ji had written that if anyone has to make any existing line smaller without erasing it then one will have to draw a bigger line adjacent to that line.
However, savarkar had such a tall & versatile personality that even after all out effort, the opposition gang could not find anyone who could stand near him. When compared with savarkar all other found themself dwarf. Therefore having left with no other option, they maligned his image, spread false propaganda that he was a british agent, he sent mercy petition etc. The propaganda machinery was so strong that they succeeded in spreading their part of falsehood and hiding realty of savarkar and even public who have not read about savarkar believed the falsehood because savarkar was purposefully and systematically removed from academics. He was so much villified that even RWs feared talking about him. After reading the book I felt like crying. In his whole life, this man got only sufferings. He lost his mother in childhood, then father, then son, then sister-in-law. Two times his house was impounded. Even utensils were not given to his family. But none could deviate him from his aim of leberating Bharat mata. One can only woder that how can anyone withstand so much physical and mental tortue. He was such an intelligent that his poems got published when he was in school. He was so studious that he read all books from nasik library. He was such a planner that he got smuggled bomb manual from Russia. He was such a motivator that in jail he motivated people not to think of sucide or hunger strike but to eat properly then only one can fight Britishers. He was so Haazirjabab that jailor Berry or muslim wardens avoided arguing with him. Until he was jailed, MK gandhi was nowhere in scenario of freedom struggle. Whem country got independence, many became ministers, some became CM, but he got only slanders.
Comimg to book, I have to say that it is masterpiece. It is not only must read but to must have in every house. A well researched book. Vikram Sampath has taken great pain in research which is reflected in each page. The author has presented history as it is. Neither added something by own nor deleted some part as others do conveniently. If I had option I could have given more than 5 star.