Swatantryaveer Savarkar needs no introduction to the Indian public, neither does his biography. Long ago, Mr. Asaf Ali described Savarkar as the spirit of Shivaji and the late Sri Srinivas Sastri said of him that “ he was a great and fear- less patriot and volumes could be written about his yeoman services in the cause of Indian Freedom.” This is, however, too small a volume to describe that spirit and those services adequately.
Savarkar’s life has already appeared in almost all Indian languages, and in his twenties it has appeared in almost all European languages. But excepting the great Marathi bio- graphy by Sri S. L. Karandikar, who wrote it about seven years ago, no book has dealt exhaustively with the various facets of his life. Hence this is a humble attempt to give in detail the myriad sides of Savarkar’s life in its proper historic perspective. This book provides a fuller survey of Savarkar’s revolutionary, literary, political and social activities and movements. It also deals with his personal life, and covers his life upto the present moment.
I have made a faithful attempt to present a true and correct picture of the various events and incidents that occurred in the life of Savarkar, and also the trends of thoughts and opinions entertained in those times. Most of them do not necessarily reflect my personal views. But they are narrated to record matters of mere history. To quote Sir Edmund Gosse, I have attempted ‘ to give a faithful portrait of a soul in its adventures through life \
Savarkar^s life is romantic, epic and volcanic and so it is full of flashes and flames. Bharat has just shed her revolu- tionary shell, and entered an evolutionary phase. And a revolutionary realist as he is, Savarkar now in Free India naturally insists on the adoption of peaceful, constitutional and democratic means by the people for attaining their objectives. This was only a logical corollary to Savarkar s ideal as proclaimed in his historic work on ‘ 1857 ^
My earnest appeal, therefore, to all lovers of Indian Free- dom and true democracy is that they should go through this book dispassionately and in a rationalistic manner and know exactly the real Savarkar. And if the book helps them know the real Savarkar, I shall feel glad that the object of writing this book is fulfilled.
My debt of gratitude is gladly acknowledged to all those who read and scrutinised the manuscript and made valuable suggestions, and particularly to those who constantly encouraged me, but whose names I omit for obvious reasons.
I also gratefully acknowledge my debt to the various authors, journals and publications from whom I have drawn excerpts. Lastly, my special thanks are due to Messrs. India Printing Works, for their prompt execution and exquisite printing of this work.
Bombay, May 10, 1950.
D. K.