Rationalism of Veer Savarkar
This book has been written for the readers in India whose mother tongue is
not Marathi and also for the millions of readers outside India. Some elementary knowledge of the Indian History is expected of them. However, I have added explanations in places with these readers in mind. If you arenot familiar with the Indian History, customs and practices, please skip over the related sections. You would still be able to appreciate the book. Youwould find more information in Appendix C – Glossary. The Prologue is an essential reading for understanding the Indian history during 1880 -1966, to get necessary background information. You may browse and move over to the Preface if you wish.
As far as possible I have quoted from the original sources. But with passage of time language changes and readers may also be not familiar with the relevant history. I have therefore given explanations after such passages which readers would find enlightening.
I would sincerely ask all readers to read calmly and dispassionately the chapter on ‘Dharma (Religion) and Religious Texts’, Please resen/e your judgement till the end. Also, while reading the chapter ‘Savarkar the Doer’ one must appreciate that we are dealing with the social conditions as were prevalent in India in 1920s and 1930s. The customs and traditions of those days may sound absurd to us today, but what I have described is the truth. Society does not move forward without efforts of persons like Savarkar. Some historical facts may make uncomfortable reading. However, they are given with a view to enabling the reader to understand what happened in the past. They are not given, out of vengeance or for scoring points. We need to learn from history, but that must be the true history. If you find any errors, please ignore them while reading the book but do let me know them for making any corrections in the next edition. My^mments and explanations are in Italics while the references and quotations are in normal type.
– V. S. Godbole
