Savarkar does not gloss over the long period of Hindu-Muslim hostilities that marked India’s medieval history, but he brilliantly chronicles how 1857 brought the two communities together and made them fight shoulder to shoulder for national liberation. He describes how the uprising’s leaders, belonging to both communities, felt that “now the original antagonism between the Hindus and Mahomedans might be consigned to the past”. This, because “their present relation was one not of rulers and ruled, foreigner and native, but simply that of brothers with one difference between them of religion alone. For they were both children of the soil of Hindustan. India being the common mother of these two, they were brothers by blood.”

Savarkar’s book, while describing the valour of Indian patriots, also examines in a dispassionate manner the reasons for the ultimate failure of the War of Independence. According to him, these were: weak central leadership, lack of organisation and betrayal by traitors at crucial stages. “The Revolution of 1857,” he writes, “was a test to see how far India had come towards unity, independence and popular power. The fault of failure lies with the idle, effeminate, selfish and treacherous men who ruined it.

UPA’s campaign

But those who, wielding the sword dripping with their own blood, in that great rehearsal, walked boldly on the stage of fire and danced in joy even on the very breast of Death, let no tongue dare to blame those heroes! They were not mad, they were not hasty, they were not the sharers of defeat. It was at their call that Mother India woke up from her deep sleep and ran forth to smite slavery down. But while one of her sons gave a terrific blow on the head of Tyranny, alas, her other son thrust a dagger in her own heart!”

... contd.