Week 6, Lecture 1
V.D.Savarkar and The
Indian
War of Independence, 1857
Today’s Music:
Talvin Singh
Image: 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
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 this period of transformation?
•At least 110 peasant rebellions in the 19th century
•Public debates and protests about British violations of customary rights
•Public debates and protests on British interference with religion, culture, language
•Protests from Princely States about losing authority
•1857: Mutiny and Rebellions
Image: Imagine if you received a copy of this text in 1909…
Image: Map
Image: “Victims of British Brutality”
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.” (196)
“…one of the most neglected corners of our history…” (196)
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…” (196)
•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.” (196)
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 (205-11)
•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 (206)
(“wicked,” “partial,” “prejudiced”)
•Problems with Indian authors (206)
(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 (208)
•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 (209)
•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.” (210)
•“The war fought for Swadharma and Swaraj does not lose its lustre by defeat.” (210)
Terminology
Mutiny
Colonial scholars
British officials
Newspapers
• “Great Events”
•War of Independence
•Revolution
•Revolutionary War
Savarkar
(Young India Society)
Indian Nationalists
•Rebellions/Revolts Today’s Historians