V.D.Savarkar and The IndianWar of Independence, 1857

Today’s Music:

Talvin Singh, “Sway of Verses” from HA

State of Bengal, IC408, from Anokha

(both are available on youtube.com)

Savarkar’s Collected Works

What was known about the events of “1857” in Great Britain?

• London Times• 1857-1859: 129 articles on Mutiny• 1857-1910: 9618 articles on India• ~181 articles per year

• Mutiny: open rebellion against authority, esp. by sailors or soldiers against their officers

Activities of the Young India Society

• Savarkar’s Public Debates• Krishnavarma & The Indian Sociologist• Assassination & Dhingra execution• Indian Flag• Oath: Swaraj can never be attained except by

the waging of a bloody and relentless war against the Foreigner…

How does society respond in the nineteenth century?

• At least 110 peasant rebellions in the 19th century

• Peasants recruited into military

• Public debates and protests

• Princes resist and create alliances

• 1857: Mutiny and Rebellions

Imagine if you received a copy of this text in 1909…

Map

“Victims of British Brutality”

• Artist: Vasily Vereshchagin

Publisher’s Preface

1. Written in an Indian vernacular

2. Translated into English

3. Meant to be re-translated into Indian languages

4. Meant for the “whole Indian population”

5. Why?

To transform “public opinion”

“Author’s Introduction”“…I found to my great surprise the

brilliance of a War of Independence shining in the mutiny of 1857.” (151)

“…one of the most neglected corners of our history…” (151)

Why History?“The nation that has no consciousness of its

past has no future.

Equally true it is that a nation must develop it capacity not only of claiming a past but also of knowing how to use if for the furtherance of its future.

The nation ought to be the master and not the slave of its history.”

Method“Almost all the authorities on which this work is

based are English authors…” (151)

• Problems: “unstated” or “wrongly described”

• Solutions: speak to witnesses and participants

• Also, Reading “against the grain…”

Importance of Writing

“Before laying down this PEN, the only desire I want to express is that such a patriotic and yet faithful…history of 1857 may come forward in the nearest future from an Indian PEN, so that this my humble writing may soon be forgotten.” (151)

Part 1: The Volcano “Swadharma and Swaraj”

• “History of the Revolution…”

• “Historians do not discuss real causes…”

• Problems of classification

• “To be an upright and impartial historian”

• “..to discover the foundations of revolutionary structure…”

References (160-66)

• French Revolution (France)

• Religious revolution (Holland)

• G. Mazzini (Italy)

• Thomas Carlyle (Scotland)

• G. Garibaldi (Italy/Latin America)

• Justin McCarthy (Ireland)

• Charles Ball (England)

Some problems…

• Problems with English authors (161)

(“wicked,” “partial,” “prejudiced”)

• Problems with Indian authors (161)

(copy English authors, please English authors)

Causation

“Temporary & Accidental Causes”

• “The cartridge rumor”: cow and pig fat

• Annexation of Oudh

“Real Causes”

• Swaraj

• Swadharma

Swaraj & Swadharma (163-4)

• Swaraj (Self + Country)

“love of one’s country”

“protection of one’s country”• Absolute Political Independence (Young India Society)

• Swadharma (Self + Religion)

“love of one’s religion”

“protection of one’s religion”

Key Questions:

• Which country? (Hindusthan)

• Which religion? (Hindus and Mahomedens)

Characteristics (164)

• Swadharma doesn’t contradict Swaraj

• Two are connected

• Swaraj without Swadharma is despicable

• (One’s country w/o one’s religion…)

• Swadharma w/o Swaraj is powerless

• (One’s religion w/o one’s country…)

Some conclusions:

• “He who does not attempt to acquire Swaraj, he who sits silent in slavery, he is an atheist and hater of religion.” (165)

• “The war fought for Swadharma and Swaraj does not lose its lustre by defeat.” (165)

Terminology

• Mutiny

• “Great Events”• War of Independence• Revolution• Revolutionary War

• Rebellions/Revolts

Colonial scholars

British officials

Newspapers

Savarkar

(Young India Society)

Indian Nationalists

Today’s Historians

Gandhi Savarkar

Writing

Public

Counterpublic

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Resistance Passive Revolution

Ethics Non-violence Violence

History

God/Religion

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IWI (Title Page)

Title Page (2)

Dedication

Rani of Jhansi(Queen of Jhansi)

Tatia Tope

Mangal Pandey

Mangal Pandey

Film: “The Rising”

Rani of Jhansi