Kannada translations of two books with opposite views of Savarkar released

Bengaluru: The Kannada translations of two books offering conflicting views about VD Savarkar were released in the city on Sunday. 

These were ‘V D Savarkar: Elu Mithyegalu’ and ‘Savarkar-Vistritige Sarida Gatakaalada Maardanigalu Kraantisuryana Mele Ksha-Kirana’. The first is a translation by T Surendra Rao of political science professor Dr Shamsul Islam’s book ‘VD Savarkar: Seven Myths’. The second translation is by Narendra SS of historian Vikram Sampath’s ‘Echoes from a Forgotten Past’. 

Speaking at the launch of ‘V D Savarkar: Elu Mithyegalu’, Congress leader and MLC B K Hariprasad said Karnataka would become what Kuvempu imagined as a garden of peace for all communities if the Hindutva laboratories were imprisoned. 

KS Vimala state vice-president of Janavadi Mahila Sanghatane thinker K Prakash MLC B K Hariprasad and social activist release the Kannada translation by Tadagalale Surendra Rao (second from left) of Shamshul Islam

He said certain right-wing forces had been violating peace in Karnataka and warned of consequences unless there were mass resistance. 

Dr Meenakshi Bali, writer and activist, released the book and stressed the importance of coming together against “Brahmanical notions of caste, which is inherent to Hindutva”. 

Introducing the contents of the book, she said, “This book is not fiction. Every word that has gone into the pages of this book is based on facts. The scientific temper and rationality of a scholarly research work is reflected here,” she said, adding that the book unfolds the hidden agendas of extreme right-wing groups, which have been using Savarkar’s face to propagate their ideologies. 

She highlighted the legitimacy and credibility of the book in the current times with extensive footnotes at the end of each chapter. 

Dr Islam spoke on ‘Theocracy and Secular Democracy’ and said that religion today was at the disposal of rulers, who make use of faith as a vote bank. 

Speaking at the launch of Sampath’s book in Kannada, noted author SL Bhyrappa said the Congress party had always been on the lookout to “besmirch” Savarkar’s image, which he described as tantamount to “dismantling nationality”. 

He asked why Savarkar hadn’t been awarded the Bharat Ratna despite his “contributions to the Indian freedom movement”. 

“Savarkar’s picture is hung on the walls of the new Parliament building. Perhaps, Prime Minister Narendra Modi understands that Savarkar is beyond Bharat Ratna and thereby has refused to award him posthumously,” he said. 

Recalling Jawaharlal Nehru’s days in prison, he said ‘The Discovery of India’ vaguely resembled the ‘History of British India’ written by British historian James Mill. 

When Subhash Chandra Bose was the Congress president, Bhyrappa said, it was impossible to win freedom without taking arms and fighting against the British, which was contrary to Gandhi’s Ahimsa (non-violence) philosophy.

But when Gandhi came back to India with his Ahimsa ideology, it brought him fame, followed by a loss of conviction for Hindus in bringing out a revolution. 

Even after independence, Savarkar’s image was at stake, he said.