Across Maharashtra, a widely shared narrative about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s life goes something like this: He lost both of his parents early in life, was precociously brilliant—a gifted student, poet, writer, historian—and his genius was both recognised and resented. He was educated first in Nashik, then in Pune, then in London where he travelled to study law. Always a revolutionary patriot, in London, he rose in stature as a mesmerising leader, writing fiery nationalist and patriotic tracts. Arrested by the British in 1910, he was forcibly repatriated to India to serve trial and unfairly sentenced to two life terms in the Andaman Islands where he endured unspeakable hardship, and was subjected to brutal and abusive treatment by the evil warder, David Barrie. After being brought back to Indian prisons in…
