.. The article under the caption "Far from Heroism: The Tale of Veer Savarkar" written by Dubey and Ramakrishna appeared in the column "Reappraisal" of Frontline dated April 7, 1995.

The article is an attempt to denigrate Savarkar and thereby condemn Hindutva. It, therefore, calls for a rejoinder. .

The authors have quoted Savarkar's letters to show how unnerved he became, how his spirit was broken and how he made an abject surrender. If this was really the position, revolutionaries themselves would have turned their backs on him. This does not seem to be the case ...

They write, "One warning from the Government, and his concern for the so-called welfare of the Hindus had disappeared into thin air". Yours readers should read the chapter "Social Revolution" from Keer's biography of Savarkar ... to find out for themselves what tremendous social transformation he effected in Ratnagiri during his internment there and thereby earned encomiums from several reformers of Maharashtra ...

The authors write, "What is clear from a study of these documents, many of them available with the National Archives, New Delhi, is that Savarkar sought his release from British prisons not merely by giving an undertaking not to engage in political activity but also by acknowledging that he had had a fair trial and a just sentence ...

Savarkar did not believe in Satyagraha. So jail-going was not an important pall of his political activities. If he was caught, he thought it legitimate to give any undertaking to secure his release. He was a disciple of Shivaji. One should read Shivaji's letter to Aurangzeb. To secure his release, Shivaji made many promises in that letter. But when he escaped these promises evaporated in thin air.

Why judge Savarkar by Gandhian principles ...

Your authors have said that Savarkar and his family showed increasing tendency to mollify the British authorities. What was wrong in that? And family would do that. It is natural; moreover, the British Government was not sympathetic, tender and accommodating to Savarkar brothers, as it was with Gandhi and Nehru ...

The authors have written about Savarkar's surrender etc ... The authors say, "Although Savarkar's conditional release -was not much of a secret at the time, when it occurred it was criticised by sections of the press". And yet Bose, Nehru and Roy thought it wise to welcome him ...

The authors have stated " ... Vinayak Damodar  Savarkar ... is considered to be the father of the Anti-Muslim Hindutva ideology ... "

... Savarkar's Hindutva says "It may be that at some future time the world Hindu may come to indicate a citizen of Hindusthan and nothing else!" Does this not show that Savarkar visualised that a time would come when Muslims. would be included in the fold of the Hindus? If this is so, how can Hindutva be anti-Muslim? Savarkar ... was father of Hindutva-Hindu Nationalism. Now Hindutva has gathered its own momentum. No denigration of Savarkar will stop the growth of Hindutva. (Source: Publication No. HVK/18 of Hindu Vivek Kendra)