Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

A birthday of a giant thinker.

A freedom fighter.

A rationalist Hindu to the core.

A person who has been strict and disciplined with himself for life.

A person who loves his Matrubhumi like anything else and would leave everything for Her.

Have already written about this great personality, none other than Savarkar. A basic introduction can be found in my following blog.

https://ameetkothari.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/mananshil-vyaktitva-punya-smaran-diwas/

Today, we need to look at this personality from his family point of view.

Son of Damodar and Radhabhai Savarkar (Tatyarao) had three siblings, Ganesh (Babarao), Narayan and a sister, Maina. All dedicated their lives to India.

The relationship Tatyarao shared with Babarao is a guiding light to all the siblings around India today. Babarao, himself, is a freedom fighter and is caught for organising the youth against the British and sent to Kalaa Paani at the Andaman and Nicobar cellular jail. Vinayak also reaches the same jail in a few years for plotting against the British. After a few months, Vinayak finds out that Babarao is in the same jail, he longs to meet him. My readers may think, if they are in the same jail, how come they didn’t meet? Well, the interns of the jail are not allowed to meet each other. Even during lunch time, they are not allowed to talk to each other. But Vinayak, finds out a way and meets his brother during lunch. A conversation takes place with the help of the eyes, and the two brothers are united after a gap of many years.

Narayan, the youngest sibling, has taken upon himself, the responsibility of the family, when both his elder brothers are in jail. He has been through many hardships too. It was during the time when Tatyarao was in jail, that his young son passes away. It is then, that Narayan takes care of his sister-in-law and looks after the family.

Tatyarao is married to Yamunabai, through whom he has a child, a baby boy. When he hears about the child’s demise, he is pained and it is said that it is during one of these days, he penned the poem “Ne Majshi Ne Parat Matrubhumila”.

The bond shared by this couple is itself divine. When Tatyarao was jailed, Yamuna visits him. Tatyarao, at that time too, emphatically explains to her, that his service to the motherland comes first. The lady, not only understands, but also promises to help him in his fight.

Will cite an incident about the bonding between the two. When Tatyarao was in jail at Andaman, he was made to extract oil from the coconuts in a very traditional way, manually. He has to shred the coconuts with bare hands. And then using the manual machine, which he had to pull with all his might, (say so as he is very frail by then), extract oil. A work of bullocks is got done from humans. Truly inhumane! When Yamunabai comes to know of this, she is ready to go through the same pain. She herself everyday goes down on her knees and walks towards the Tulsi plant to water it and circumnavigate around it. Now imagine a lady (cannot imagine a man even) enduting this pain, just to be close to her husband. Hats off to the lady!

It is only through such dedication that Savarkar is what Savarkar is today. Nowhere do I want to belittle his own personality, but he is lucky to get such an understanding family which stands by his actions so strongly.

On his birthday, I bow to this great personality and pray to God to give us the intellect and emotions to understand him better and better!

Jai Hind!