Veer Savarkar- A profile in courage

Cellular Jail

Cellular Jail was a literal hell on earth, the kind of place, you would not even wish for your worst enemies. It became a place, where the British Government sent, those freedom fighters, whom they regarded as particularly dangerous. And Savarkar to them was a far more bigger danger, than any of the petition pushing Congress leaders. The prisoners were put to the worst form of torture, to break their spirits. The most vicious Pathans were employed to beat the prisoners, and they had absolutely no qualms whatsoever.

Built between 1896-1906, te Cellular Jail was so called, because of the 696 cells here, spread out among seven wings, radiating from the central watch tower in straight lines, based on Jeremy Bentham's concept of the Panopticon, a design he came up with for better control over human beings. Each of these seven wings had three stories, and the cells by themselves were 4.5 by 2.7 metres (14.8 ft × 8.9 ft) in size with a ventilator located at a height of 3 metres (9.8 ft). The cells were designed in such a way, that their face saw the back of another cell, ensuring prisoner to prisoner communication was impossible. Which effectively meant you had to spend years in solitary confinement.

Cellular Jail was India's equivalent of Auschwitz, the Soviet Gulags and Devil's Island, a hell on earth. The idea came around the late 19th century, when the number of prisoners, most of them rebelling against British rule, sent to the Andamans grew in large number. The need was felt for a high security prison, and the task was given to Charles Lyall, the home secretary and A.S.Lethbridge, a surgeon in the British administration. After an investigation they concluded that a penal settlement was necessary, where transported prisoners would be subject to harsh treatment on arrival. The islands were also called as Kala Pani, basically a reference to the taboo, prevailing then, travelling across the seas would result in the loss of one's caste.

Maharaja, the name of the ship that was transporting Savarkar to the Andamans,an ironical name if ever there was one.  

"Embarking on that ship by a lifer, was akin to being carried alive on the bier". 

Once again he was taken to the ship's lowest deck and locked in the cellar, a small dank area with no air.  Soon he began to have chest pains, and was unable to breathe, was then allotted a place near the bar for some fresh air. As the ship steamed out of Madras harbor the wailing of the convicts, being sent away for life from their homes echoed all around.  The stench, the filth, the stifling heat made it unbearable for Savarkar, but he kept his mind strong with the sayings of Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Sant Ramdas.  The days passed,  meanwhile the traders on board gave the convicts a meal of fish, rice and pickles to express their respect for Savarkar.

Finally the ship docked at Port Blair, on July 4, 1911, on a date, when America celebrated it's independence, Savarkar would be stepping into a life time of slavery. As the prisoners disembarked, some of them were taken straight to prison, and Savarkar in the custody of English officers was taken there.  But his thoughts were on how these islands could be the outposts of a free India. n a way it was prophetic too, when Netaji began his long armed struggle, he first captured Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which he promptly renamed as Shahid and Swaraj.

As the doors of the Cellular Jail, opened with a creaky sound, Savarkar's heart skipped a beat, as he surveyed the gloomy atmosphere around. Rows and rows of tiny cells, cut off from each other, housing the hapless prisoners.  From the upper middle part of the iron gates, hung deadly instruments of torture, the hand cuffs, fetters enough to scare any prisoner into submission. But then Savarkar was made of sterner stuff,  having read biographies of Russian, Italian revolutionaries,  he was impressed by their stern resolve and courage.

As he was lost in the thoughts a stout European officer, stood in his way, none other than Barrie the tyrannical superintendent of the prison. A man feared for his sadistic nature and cruelty by the prisoners. As Barrie checked out Savarkar, they spoke about his attempted escape at Marseilles, and another interesting fact came out that Barrie was once an Irish revolutionary himself.  But had changed his views later, and it became a case of the once oppressed become even worse than the oppresors. When Savarkar queried, if it was age or late wisdom that made him change his stance, Barrie responded back with "Murders will always be murders",  and warned him of not even attempting to escape from here.