In a first, a play based on the life of Veer Savarkar will be staged in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Delhi today at 4 pm. According to ABVPVoice, the play organised by Swatantryaveer Savarkar Rashtiya Smarak and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad JNU, captures Savarkar’s life imprisonment in Andaman.

The Hindi play titled ‘He Mrityunjay’ is written and directed by Digpal Lanjekar, while the lead-actor is Ajinkya Nanavare. The poster bears the caption, “Who will win? death or Sawarkar?”

Formally trained as a lawyer, Savarkar was the master of several skills. Not only he is a revered freedom fighter, but also orator, poet , author, social reformer and a historian with profound knowledge of the country's history.

His two seminal works - Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History and 1857 - The Indian War of Independence. The latter, despite British ban, became immensely popular among Indian revolutionaries, including INA and even Bhagat Singh printed two thousand odd copies.

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In the former work, not only Savarkar gave due recognition to rulers like Chandragupta, Pushyamitra Shunga, Yashodharman, Bappa Rawal who successfully resisted invasions but also boldly identified social evils that engulfed the civilisation and led to its dependence. A bold Savarkar actively took part in social reforms in Ratnagiri and established temples for people of all castes to pray in and a café where all castes would dine together.

Being the visionary he was, Savarkar recognised the fact that it would be loss of loyalty of armed forces that could fatally shake the roots of British empire. Both him and Ambedkar understood the urgent need to completely Indianise the British-Indian army. For Savarkar’s efforts in this direction, both Subhash Chandra Bose and Rash Behari Bose praised him.

Subhash said, When due to misguided political whims and lack of vision almost all the leaders of Congress Party are decrying all the soldiers of Indian Army as mercenaries, it is heartening to know that Veer Savarkar is fearlessly exhorting the youth to enlist in the armed forces. Those enlisted youths themselves provide us with trained men from which we draw the soldiers of our Indian National Army.

On the other hand, in his radio broadcast, Rash Behari Bose directly addressed Savarkar: In saluting you I have the joy of doing my duty towards one of my elderly comrades in arms. In saluting you I am saluting the symbol of sacrifice itself.

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He Mrityunjay

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