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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)
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Savarkar’s Collected Works
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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
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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…
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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
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Imagine if you received a copy of this text in 1909…
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Map
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“Victims of British Brutality”
• Artist: Vasily Vereshchagin
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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”
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“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)
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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.”
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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…”
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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)
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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…”
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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)
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Some problems…
• Problems with English authors (161)
(“wicked,” “partial,” “prejudiced”)
• Problems with Indian authors (161)
(copy English authors, please English authors)
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Causation
“Temporary & Accidental Causes”
• “The cartridge rumor”: cow and pig fat
• Annexation of Oudh
“Real Causes”
• Swaraj
• Swadharma
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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”
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Key Questions:
• Which country? (Hindusthan)
• Which religion? (Hindus and Mahomedens)
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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…)
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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)
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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
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Gandhi Savarkar
Writing
Public
Counterpublic
+
+
+
+
-
+
Resistance Passive Revolution
Ethics Non-violence Violence
History
God/Religion
-
+
+
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IWI (Title Page)
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Title Page (2)
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Dedication
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Rani of Jhansi(Queen of Jhansi)
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Tatia Tope
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Mangal Pandey
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Mangal Pandey
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Film: “The Rising”
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Rani of Jhansi