Veer Savarkar- A profile in courage

The Judgement

December 24, 1910 was the Judgement Day, and as the shadows ominously lengthened, the poet came alive in Savarkar. He had composed "Pleased be Thou Mother" the previous day, to tell his compatriots he was making a part payment of the debt he owed to Bharat. The accused in the dock, on the other hand were accepting the verdict in a more wry manner.  Life sentence was considered first class, lesser punishments were second and third class, and those who were acquitted were failed.  It was in a way macabre and ironical, yet also showed how much pride these young men took in putting their lives on the line for the nation's freedom.

The judges came in and took their seats, and Savarkar was the first, sentenced to life and his property to be seized. Rising from his seat, he accepted the verdict and defiantly shouted "Vande Mataram" in court.  Soon the other sentences were awarded, one by one.  Chandwadkar got 15 years of imprisonment, while Marathe, Khare and Patankar got 10 years each. Most of the others got away with lesser terms of imprisonment, while around eight were acquitted. Savarkar's brother Narayan got around 6 months.  And the hard fact is that none of those on trial had the facility of Class A parole.

And far from cowing down the accused, the sentences actually made them more defiant. As they began to shout "Vande Mataram" and hailed the Goddess of Independence, in court, the Comissioner lost his temper, and ordered the police to crack down upon on them, saying they are prisoners now. Savarkar was now hand cuffed and bought outside of the dock. As he left the court, he defiantly raised his hat, and walked away waving a farewell to all.

January 23, 1911, Savarkar was tried in the second case of being an accomplice to Jackson's murder, before the same Tribunal. His friends and relatives asked him to defend himself, as he might even get the death penalty. But since he had abstained in participation in the earlier case, he felt it would be more consistent to do the same here. He gave the same argument as in the earlier case, that he considered himself under the jurisdiction of France and was not willing to participate in the proceedings. When the prosecution rested, Savarkar said he wanted to make a submission

"I still maintain I have no direct or indirect connection with Jackson's murder, and I distanced myself from participation, as I consider the proceedings illegal in the first place.  Assuming I did participate, I would have exposed the first charge itself as non tenable. There is no evidence connecting me to Patankar or showing connection between Patankar and Karve. The only evidence produced was the booklet "Vande Mataram", that you found with Chanjeri Rao. Again with evidence that shows the booklet was sent after Jackson's murder even that falls flat"

Finally on January 30, 1911, the court gave it's verdict, that Savarkar was involved in Jackson's murder and hence would be exiled for life. On listening to this, once again he rose and addressed the court.

"I am prepared to face without any grudges the extreme penalty of your laws in the belief that only through sacrifice and suffering, our beloved Motherland can march on to an assured triumph"

Though the British managed to convict Savarkar, a severe blow was dealt to the Empire's prestige. As he was convicted twice, it meant Savarkar would have to spend the next 50 years of his life in imprisonment. And this is when he began to compose poems, to cope with the long period of jail, and also what he felt was a small debt to India. He wrote poems on Guru Gobind Singh, and another on the crucifixion of Christ. When an officer taunted him that he would be free only in 1960, Savarkar shot back "But is the British Raj itself going to last for fifty years?".

It was at Nashik, that Savarkar met his wife once again, a remarkable woman.

She had to travel on horseback from Trimbakeswar to Nashik along with her brother to meet her husband in prison. Even worse, fearing the wrath of the British, none of her friends gave her shelter, and she had to spend all the night in heavy rain at a temple in Nashik. She finally met her husband, and they spent around 45 minutes together. When Veer Savarkar was sentenced to life at Cellular Jail, she accepted her fate stoically. However when she saw him in chains at the Dongri prison in Mumbai, she became emotional and almost broke down. It was then Veer Savarkar advised her.

"If the Almighty shows compassion, we shall meet again. Till then, if you are ever tempted by the thought of an ordinary family life, remember that if producing children and collecting a few twigs to build a home is to be called married life, then such a life is led by crows and sparrows as well. But if a nobler meaning is to be given to married life, then we are blessed to have lead a life fit for human beings. By breaking our hearth and utensils, golden smoke may ensue from thousands of homes in future. And did not plague render our homes desolate when we were building them? Face the odds bravely."

To which Mai replied-"We are trying to do just that. As far as we are concerned, we have each other. If you take care of yourself, we shall feel fulfilled.". Savarkar reassured her that he would take care and walked around with the manacles raised.