Vikram Sampath's book on life and works of Veer Savarkar to hit stands on July 26

New Delhi, May 28: Historian Vikram Sampath's concluding volume on the life and works of Veer Savarkar will hit the stands on July 26, Penguin Random House India announced on the occasion of 138th birth anniversary of the Hindutva ideologue on Friday. The book, titled "Savarkar: A contested Legacy (1924-1966), will cover the story of one of the most contentious political thinkers of the 20th century from 1924 to 1966 -- the year he died. The first volume, "Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past" released in 2019, covered Savarkar's life from his birth in 1883 to his conditional release from prison in 1924.

 

 

Born on May 28, 1883, in Bhagur village near Nasik, Maharashtra, Savarkar remains a revered figure for his Hindutva philosophy, especially to parties and organisations which subscribe to Hindutva views. "I have been obsessively researching on the life and times of Savarkar since the last five years. It's been a rewarding journey, unearthing hitherto unaccessed documents from archives across India and the world & works in Marathi & other Indian languages," Sampath said.

 

 

".. The amount of love and warmth I have received from the readers for the Volume 1 has been truly heartwarming & I hope this concluding volume would appeal to them as well & set out the true facts in public domain for scrutiny," he added. Even decades after his death, former president of the Hindu Mahasabha Savarkar continues to uniquely influence India's political scenario. From being an optimistic advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity in his treatise on the 1857 'War of Independence' to a proponent of 'Hindutva', what was it that transformed him in the Cellular Jail? The book, according to Sampath, tells the true story of what he called the "misunderstood and maligned patriot".

 

 

 

In 1911, Savarkar was sentenced to 50 years in the cellular jail of Andamans, also known as 'Kala Pani', for revolting against the Morley-Minto reforms (Indian Councils Act 1909). He was released in 1924. "The amount of propaganda and lack of credible information about him that made his story amenable to manipulation, by both his opponents and proponents, is shocking. At the same time, I think there was a huge hunger among Indians to know the true story of this misunderstood and maligned patriot," he said. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon.

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