Q: Some think that you believe in a Hindu Nation because you are a fanatic communalist. What have you to say about it?

A: Let us get this thing straight. People have a wrong notion of a Hindu Nation and about communalism. A Hindu means a person who regards this land of Bharatvarsha from the Indus to the Seas as his fatherland and holy land—the land of origin of his religion and the cradle of his faith. Therefore, the followers of Vedism [sic], Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism and all hill tribes are Hindus. The Parsees, amongst the other minorities, are by race, religion, language and culture, almost akin to the Hindus. The Christians and Jews could be politically
assimilated with the Hindus. Around this life-centre moves Hindutva—not a religious dogma or creed but the thoughts and activities of the whole being of the Hindu race. The problem of the minority is that of only one minority—the Muslim minority. A Hindu nation, therefore, is a group of people bound together by ties of common religion and culture, common history and traditions, common literature, occupying a territory of geographical unity and aspiring to form a political unit. Therefore, in Hindusthan, the Hindus are a nation.

Those who think I am a fanatic Hindu and a communalist, are suffering from a strange malady—hallucination. I am neither a fanatic Hindu nor a communalist. I cannot make donkeys think like horses.

More Questions from the interview :

Q: Looking back, what are the most thrilling memories, which you still cherish?

Q. You have been a great revolutionary in your time and a great fighter for India’s freedom. Tell me, how and why you became a revolutionary?

Q. When you were a political prisoner in the Andaman Island, you were cut off from the main currents of Indian life and soil. How then, did your mind function, and what were your dominant thoughts?

Q: How would you compare Indian Revolutionaries with Revolutionaries in Russia and China?

Q: Do you think that the ‘1857 Mutiny’ was India’s first organized revolt against the British for the freedom of the country as a whole? Some historians say that the ‘1857 Revolt’ was organized by half a dozen disgruntled but daring leaders who banded together for the maintenance of their respective privileges and status. What do you think ?

Q: What are the factors, which contributed to the liberation of our country?

Q: Did Gandhiji and other Congress leaders persuade you at any time to join the Congress? If they did, why did you not join the Congress?

Q: Assuming you had joined the Congress years ago, don’t you think you would have served your country and your ideology in a positive way?

Q: What is the India of your dreams?

Q: Some think that you believe in a Hindu Nation because you are a fanatic communalist. What have you to say about it?

Q: What are your views on the present state of affairs in India?

Q: What of the future?

Q: Do you think in an atomic age, militarization of the country is essential?

Q: Assuming that Congress disintegrates, do you foresee a contest for political power between a form of Hindu fascism and communism?

Q: And finally, is our revolution complete? Or are we still in the midst of it?

Source : Savarkar (Part 2): A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966 ( Buy Now )