AROUND
( A special tour of places associated with Indian
revolutionaries )
by
V
Preface
Indian Freedom
struggle went through four phases as described in the next few pages. The role
of the revolutionaries has been wiped out of memory by various parties of
vested interest.
However,
because of their sacrifices we have become independent. We now see increased
prosperity in
After the
failure of the 1857 war to gain Indian independence from rule of the East India
Company, some one said to Emperor Bahadurshah,
Dum Dumaye Dam Nahi
Samsher Hindostanki
The valour of
Indian people has now subsided. You better beg the English for your life.
Bahadurshah
replied
Gaziame Boo Rahegi
Jabtalak Eemanki
Teg Hindostanki
As long as
there is a spark of self respect in the blood of our youth, we will carry our
fight for independence even to doors of
That fight was
indeed carried in
If you wish me
to conduct a guided tour for you, please contact me at the following address
V.S.Godbole
14 Turnberry
Walk
MK 41, 8 AZ
The (English)
East India Company was started in
The Four Phases of Indian Freedom Struggle
(1) The Moderates
First came the
Moderates, men like Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade (1842-1901), Surendra Nath
Banerjee (1848-1925), Gopal Krushna Gokhale
(1866-1915).
They were great visionaries, men of utmost sincerity and dedication. They
sought reforms and better government. They pleaded with the British for a fair
play. Savarkar aptly said in 1937, “ Moderates were great men. They were rebels
of their generation. They did their best for our good under their
circumstances. They were just as patriots as firebrands of today.”
Ranade had a
rather grandiose conception of the destiny of the Indian nation. In a public
speech delivered in 1896 at
Ranade was one
of the founder members of the Indian National Congress
(commonly
known as the Congress Party or simply as Congress) which held its first session
in 1885. But, after just three years, British Rulers forbade Ranade and other
Government servants to attend the annual sessions of the Congress.
It must be
emphasised that, unlike the followers of Gandhi, the Moderates were never
obsessed with non-violence. Time and again, they made resolutions to the effect
that the Arms Act of 1858, by which Indians were disarmed, should be repealed.
Some moderates
thought that an armed rebellion against the British was impossible or
impracticable. Others thought that the British would not stretch their patience
to the limit of human endurance and make armed struggle inevitable. But NONE
would have denounced the Indian independence won by the armed struggle.
The greatest
of the Moderate leaders was Dadabhai Naoroji (1825-1917). Dadabhai literally means
the eldest son in a family and he lived up to it in a way. He was
affectionately called the Grand Old Man of Indian Politics. His invaluable
works was Poverty and Un-British
Rule in India , published in 1901.
He proved meticulously that the British were draining away the wealth from
In 1892 he was
elected as a Member of the British Parliament from the Finsbury Constituency in
(2) The Militants
Next came the
Militants. They propagated that, without a direct action, the British would
never accede to the Indian demands. They proposed the boycott of British goods.
They said, "If you cannot avoid buying foreign goods, buy non-British
goods." They emphasised self
reliance, support to indigenous
industries, mass agitation and even going to jail if necessary. Their
undisputed leader was Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856 - 1920). He was popularly
called Lokamanya Tilak by the masses. They bestowed the title 'Lokamanya'
(people's leader) as opposed to Rao Bahadur and other honours bestowed by the
British rulers.
* In 1882,
Lokamanya Tilak went to jail for exposing the inhuman treatment meted out by
the British Authorities to the adopted son and then heir apparent to Maharaja
of Kolhapur. While in jail, his weight went down by 24 pounds.
* During the
outbreak of BUBONIC PLAGUE in 1896/97, Tilak refused to leave the
plague-infested city of
* In 1897, he was sentenced to 18 months hard
labour, this time for sedition. Again, in jail, his weight went down from 135
pounds to 105 pounds. This time, there were grave doubts about whether he would
come out alive from prison.
* In 1908, he
was sentenced to transportation for 6 years to
The
transportation involved a travel of 3000 miles ( compare this to the distance
between
There was no
parole for him when his wife was on the deathbed in June 1912.
The Indian
militants achieved a spectacular victory in 1911.
Tilak was
appropriately called The Father of the
Indian Unrest by the British.
During a
period of 30 years (1889 -1919) he tried to make Congress as an instrument of
constant agitation and wanted it to have an annual programme of action instead
of just meeting once a year for four days, passing resolutions and doing
nothing for the rest of the time. Dadabhai's complaint was that leaders of the
Congress did not believe in continuous, constant, consistent whole-time work.
That is what Tilak strived to achieve.
Tilak founded
the Home Rule movement in 1916. When charged with sedition, Tilak's lawyers
successfully argued that pleading for progressive political rights for the
people in itself could never be seditious. Bombay High Court accepted that
argument.
(3) The Revolutionaries
The
Revolutionaries went one step further. Their leader was Vinayak Damodar
popularly called Veer Savarkar (1883-1966). Since 1900, he had been preaching Absolute Political Independence for India.
This was to be achieved by incessant armed struggle whenever and wherever
possible.
He said,
" Tilak and his followers are carrying out their activities (movements)
within the law and look what happened. The British rulers did not hesitate to
send him to jail in 1897. If a movement is within the law today, the British
can change that law tomorrow and make the movement illegal. Today or tomorrow,
we will have to seek the authority to make the law itself. At some stage, an
armed struggle is inevitable. Why not start such a struggle today ? Why waste time
? "
* In 1905,
therefore, Savarkar started his secret society Abhinav Bharat - on the lines of Young Italy the revolutionary society of Mazzini.
* In 1910, he
was sentenced to TRANSPORTATION FOR LIFE, TWICE to the Andaman Islands, 1000
miles [1600 Km ] East of Madras ( now called Chennai ), The sentences of transportation were to be
served IN SUCCESSION - a total sentence of 50 years, unparalleled in the
history of the British Empire. The badge which he had to wear around his neck
stated, date of sentence
All his
property and possessions including his clothes were confiscated and sold at
public auctions. Even his spectacles were confiscated.
When Savarkar
was in jail,
* Savarkar was
allowed to write a letter once a year to his younger brother Narayanrao.
Leaders of
* Due to
Savarkar's efforts, there arose a succession of revolutionaries. For example,
Khudiram Bose (1908), Madanlal Dhingra (1909), Anant Kanhere, Karve and
Deshpande (1910), Bal Mukund, Avadhabihari, Amirchand and Vasant Vishwas
(1915), Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev (1931), Udham Singh (1941) and many
more.
Those who were
sentenced to death went to the gallows fearlessly. Their courageous behaviour
was admired even by the British officers and it must have made the tremendous
impact on the minds of millions of Indians.
Those who were
not sentenced to death were sentenced to Transportation for Life to the
It was the
defiance of the revolutionaries, which inspired the masses, and they eventually
became ready to join in the freedom struggle. The time for mass movement had
arrived.
Some idea of
the extent of the activities of the revolutionaries can be gathered from '
Who's Who of Indian Martyrs ( 3 volumes )’ published by Government of India.
Another valuable source is the annual indices of the Times (of
After the
revolutionaries,
(4) Mass movements and armed uprisings
* Finally came
Mahatma Gandhi (1873 - 1948). Tilak died in August 1920. Moderates who
obstructed attempts by Tilak to make the Congress Party active, now gave way.
They broke away from Congress Party and formed the Liberal Party. Savarkar was
on the Andaman Islands till 1921, then transferred to mainland
Gandhi
proposed a 4 Anna ( quarter of a Rupee ) annual membership of the Congress
Party, thus spreading the freedom movement to the masses. He initiated the idea
of Indians wearing clothes made from Khadi ( home spun
cotton ). It
gave a uniform to the Congress workers throughout
By 1920, the
Congress Party had been in existence for 35 years. Gandhi led the mass
movements of 1920, 1931 and 1942. At the same time, there were several attempts
of armed uprisings against the British by various groups of revolutionaries. In
1943, Subhash Chandra Bose had formed the Indian National Army from among the
Indian prisoners of war captured by the Japanese. Later, Bose died in a plane
crash. His attempt did not succeed, but the writing was on the wall for the
British.
The British
had to grant independence to
Savarkar
regarded the work of his generation like that of sappers and miners in the
army. They detect and defuse mines, remove obstructions, overcome watercourses,
streams and rivers either by building bridges or diverting water through pipes,
fill potholes and build roads. Their job is extremely dangerous but their work
ensures the speedy advance of the soldiers who follow them.
Moreover, he
was like an engine of a railway by whose driving force all the carriages
automatically move forward.
Savarkar and other leaders and their followers
Savarkar met
and influenced many men from all quarters.
Moderates
In 1899,
Justice Ranade went to
Savarkar
joined the
Savarkar also
met Ramesh Chandra Dutta, a retired high ranking civil service officer, in
In 1909,
Surendranath Banerjee came to
"
Savarkar was perfectly within his rights to express his opinion. It was
outrageous to attack him in this way." He left the hall in protest.
* In March
1910, Savarkar returned from
Militants
In the period
1900-1920, there was a famous Trio known as Lal-Bal-Pal. Lal was Lala Lajpat
Rai of Punjab, Bal was Bal Gangadhar Tilak of Maharashtra and Pal was Bipin
Chandra Pal of
Lala Lajpat
Rai used to come to India House, the Indian students' hostel in
Savarkar
studied in Pune during 1902-06. He was well known to Tilak who had given him a
reference for the Shivaji scholarship offered by Shyamji Krushnavarma to study
in
Tilak's
lawyers Dadasaheb Karandikar and Dadasaheb Khaparde came to
B C Pal used
to visit India House. He and Savarkar shared common platform on some occasions
during the public meetings in the famous Caxton Hall,
Revolutionaries
It goes
without saying that a large number of revolutionaries were inspired by
Savarkar.
When Savarkar
was in internment in Ratnagiri (1924-37), Bhagat Singh and Rajguru met him
secretly.
Gandhi and his followers.
Gandhi met
Savarkar in
Subhash
Chandra Bose met Savarkar in Mumbai in 1943. On his advise Bose slipped out of
Y.B Chavan,
the Chief Minister of
These are just a few examples.
Savarkar
publicly disbanded his revolutionary society, the Abhinav Bharat in Pune in 1952. At that ceremony he said, " It
is absurd for the Congressmen, because they are now in power, to say - Gandhi
came, we (congressmen) went to jail and hey presto, we won the freedom from the
British. Nothing can be more childish, selfish and insulting to other freedom
fighters. "
He then paid a
glowing tribute to the contribution of the people of ALL the persuasions, for
the Indian freedom struggle. He said,
" Credit for the Indian freedom from the British goes not to any
one group of people or any particular movement but goes to people of all
persuasions over the last three to four generations and their movements. Of
course, those who took part in the fight against the British in the 1857 War
and in the successive revolutionary activities had forced the pace of the
freedom struggle and must be given large share of credit. We must also be
grateful to the nationwide movement of the Congress Party. But even the
Moderates from Dadabhai Naoroji to G K Gokhale must also be given their due
share of credit. "
Various
parties of vested interest have ensured that we have no memory of the
contribution made by various sections for the Indian freedom struggle. They
have ensured that the world knows only about Gandhi and Nehru. Time has come to
correct this imbalance.
With this
information, let us now begin our Special Tour of places in
Special
Mazzini, the
Italian freedom fighter lived here, when he was in exile during 1837-48.
Once upon a
time the
But, in course
of time, they lost the empire and Romans i.e. Italians were enslaved by others
in turn. First by the Germans (Lombards) for 200 years
(571 to 771),
then by the Franks (773 to 873). By 843 Arabs (Moors) captured the
The heroic
Italian struggle for freedom from the rule of Austrians took place during 1848
-70. Mazzini (1805-72), Garibaldi (1807-72) and Cavour
(1810-61) were
the principal personalities involved.
Mazzini was
the philosopher-warrior, Garibaldi the General and Caover the Chief Minister of
the tiny state Pidmont, a Statesman.
Mazzini was a
source of great inspiration to Savarkar. Other Indians too have written
Mazzini's biography but only the one by Savarkar was proscribed by the British
Authorities.
Giuseppe
Mazzini was commonly known as Joseph Mazzini. Austrians sentenced him to death
in absentia. He was forced to flee to
While in
Italian
revolutionaries freed half of
Mazzini died in 1872. His biographies
were available in
Why Mazzini ?
Savarkar was
attracted to Mazzini because he wanted to emphasise that freedom from the British
Rule would not come about easily. Indians will have to face severe hardships,
go to jail, face floggings, torture by police, deportation, transportation and
even death. Thousands of families will be ruined before independence is
achieved. He used the Italian freedom struggle as an illustration. He said in a
poem
Kee ghetale vrata na he amhi andhatene
Je Didvya Dahak Mhanoni Asavayache
Buddhyachi Van Dharile Kari He Satiche
In short, We knew very well from the start that
the work we undertook was a fiery ordeal. It was like sitting on a burning
funeral pyre of a husband by a devoted woman.
Savarkar also
wanted to stress that freedom fighters must be prepared to face several years
of disappointments and frustrations. He said in 1950s,
“ We never
thought that we would see
At times, even
Mazzini thought that he would go mad. But he said to his countrymen, “ Every
failure is one more step to success. Let us try once more.”
This was
indeed the reality. Let us take some cases in point --
Jail sentences
* In 1882,
Tilak went to jail for exposing the inhuman treatment meted out to the then
heir apparent to Maharaja of Kolhapur by the British. It was indeed a brave
act. He lost 24 pounds in weight while in jail.
Tilak exemplified that he was prepared to endure the harsh jail life for
the sake of fighting for his principles and seeking justice.
* In 1897,
Tilak was sentenced to 18 months of hard labour for sedition, during which
period; again, he lost 30 pounds in weight. There were grave doubts about his
survival. Many of his close associates feared that he would die in jail.
Transportation
* After the
unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the British Rule in 1857, many Indians who
took part in it were sentenced to transportation for life on the
* In 1872,
Ramsingh Kooka from Punjab was transported to
* In 1879,
Vasudev Balwant Phadake, a revolutionary from Pune, was sentenced to
transportation for life to
Phadake died
in
* In May 1907,
Lala Lajpat Rai and Sardar Ajit Singh ( uncle of Bhagat Singh ) were
transported from
* In 1908,
Lokamanya Tilak, at the age of 52, was sentenced to transportation for 6 years
to
He was kept in
isolation in an area of 150 ft by 50 ft with the exception of the company of a
cook.
There was no parole for him even when his wife was on
deathbed in 1912.
*In 1909,
Savarkar's elder brother Babarao was sentenced to Transportation for life to
the
While on the
Andaman Islands Babarao was denied even the most basic medical treatment. He
contacted so many diseases like migraine that is was a miracle that he
survived.
* In 1911,
Savarkar was sentenced to transportation for life, TWICE, to Andaman Islands
1,000 miles (1,600 Km) east of Chenai (
All the
Transportation
to
In 1918 he
weighed 119 pounds, in 1919 he weighed only 98 pounds.
In 1921,
instead of allowing Savarkar brothers to settle on the island outside the
prison, British Authorities sent them back to mainland
* Many
contemporaries of Savarkar including Bhai Paramanand, Hotilal Varma and
Hemchandra Das, were sentenced to transportation for life to the
Deportation
* In 1897,
Natu brothers from Pune were deported from
* In 1909,
Nine political leaders from Bengal were deported from
Torture
* Baba Khare
and Sakharampant Gore, two of Savarkar's colleagues, died of torture while in
prison.
* Babarao, the
elder brother of Savarkar was given electrical shocks to extract information
from him on how arms and ammunitions were smuggled into
* Savarkar
mentions the administration of electrical shocks to political prisoners in jail
on the
* Various
punishments meted out to Savarkar are depicted in his book ' My Transportation
for Life '
Flogging
* Savarkar
mentions flogging of some of his contemporaries, on the
Death
Apart from the
deaths at the gallows at the hands of official executioners, many prisoners
committed suicide to escape from harsh prison conditions. One of them was Indu
Bhushan on the
Many patriots
like Shyamji Krishnavarma and Madame Cama had to spend their lives in exile in
foreign lands. They never saw their beloved motherland and their kith and kin
again.
Savarkar was
interned for 13 years in a remote place in
In 1950, the
commemorative plaque was fixed on
|
30 January
1948 |
Gandhi was
killed in |
|
|
|
|
5 February
1948 |
Savarkar was
arrested by Police |
|
|
|
|
10 February
1949 |
Government
of |
|
|
|
|
10 April
1949 |
Savarkar
returned to Mumbai |
|
|
|
|
December
1949 |
Savarkar
attended the annual session of Hindu Mahasabha, in |
|
|
|
|
3 April 1950 |
Savarkar was
arrested under Preventive Detention Act. |
|
|
|
|
13 July 1950 |
Savarkar was
released on the condition that he would not take part in politics for one
year. |
|
|
|
(2)
Madanlal
Dhingra studied for Diploma in Civil Engineering at this college
(1906-09). On
1 July 1909 he shot and killed Sir Curzon Wyllie, Political A.D.C
(aide-de-camp) to the Secretary of State for India. We will examine the
significance of this incident later.
Madanlal
Dhingra was from
Dr Dhingra had
seven sons
Kundanlal ( a
businessman )
Dr Mohanlal
Dr Biharilal
(MRCP 1895)
Chamanlal
(Barrister from Middle Temple 1899)
Chunilal
MADANLAL
Bhajanlal
(Barrister from Grays Inn 1911)
When Madanlal
shot dead Sir Wyllie, Bhajanlal was in
Madanlal
Dhingra went to the gallows in Pentonville prison on 17 August 1909. Soon
after, his brothers dropped the surname Dhingra, with the exception of Dr
Biharilal. As their first names ended in Lal they adopted that as the surname.
e.g Chamanlal Dhingra became Chaman Lal.
[ In a similar
manner, many Indian freedom fighters changed their names so that their
relations would not be identified and harassed by the British Authorities.]
Until 1988, we
did not know the date of birth of Madanlal. At my suggestion Mr Mukund Sonpatki
wrote a letter to the Principal of University College,
Note - The
It is
interesting to note that Dadabhai Naoroji was Professor of Gujarati in this
college from 1856 to 1866. Ravindranath Tagore studied English Literature at
the same college during 1878-1880. Dhingra’s elder brother Dr Biharilal passed
MRCP from
xxxxxxxxx
Before we
proceed further, we need to know some terms for clarity and to avoid confusion.
Some terms
' In Council '
English
administrators in
THE POLITICAL
DEPARTMENT
Whatever the
name may imply it had little to do with politics, as we know it. After the
Indian War of Independence 1857, the British Parliament took over the
administration of
After 1857,
Secretary of State for
This was an
inexpensive hostel for Indian students started by Shyamji Krishnavarma in Highgate
area of north
This should
not be confused with the present office of the Indian High Commission also
called India House, which was built in the late 1920s and inaugurated by King
George V and Queen Mary on 8 July 1930.
Indian
National Congress was founded in 1885. It was decided that there should be
representative of the party in
(3) 60 Muswell Hill Road, London N10 (formerly No. 9
Queenswood Avenue)
This house was
purchased by Shyamji Krishnavarma Bhansali, commonly known as S K Varma for his
own use. In 1906, he offered a scholarship to enable Savarkar to come to
Shyamji
(1857-1930) - brief career
Born on 4
October 1857 at Mandavi (Kathiavad- in Gujrat). He lost both parents by the age
of 10. Relatives helped him to come to Mumbai for High School studies. Learnt
Sanskrit through a traditional Pathshala.
In 1875,
married Bhanumati, daughter of Seth Chhabildas Lallubhai
( famous for Chhabildas High Schools in
Mumbai ).
Teaching of Sanskrit in
In 1831, Colonel Boden bequeathed his
entire fortune of £25,000 to
Hoarce Hayman Wilson became the first
Professor. When he died in 1860 there was an election for the Sanskrit
professorship. The contest was between Monier Williams and MaxMuller. Williams
won.
In 1876, Prof Monier Williams visited
Shyamji
borrowed money from his father-in-law and came to
[ Lord Curzon (1859-1925) Eton,
Sir Michael O’Dwyer (1864-1940)
When Prof Williams realised the potential
of Shyamji, he wrote a letter of recommendation to Sir Richard Temple, the
Governor of Bombay province who in turn, persuaded Maharaja of Kutch to offer a
scholarship of 100 pounds/ year to Shyamji.
In 1882, Prof Williams made a request
for a grant for the Indian Institute in the
1881 - Shyamji
read a paper at the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and
He was
honoured to be sent as
1883 - He was
sent as
1884
Shyamji became
a Barrister from the
1885-88 He
served as Divan of Ratlam state ( salary of 700 Rs per month plus cash of
32,000 Rs at the end of service )
1888-92 He
practised as a Barrister at
1892-95 He was
Divan of Udaipur ( salary of 1000 Rs per month )
1895-96 He
served as Divan of Jugagad state with a salary of 1500 Rs per month, when
things started to go wrong. Shyamji had done a favour to an Englishman named
Meconoki whom he knew in
Shyamji was
furious and fought for justice. But as soon as it was known that his fight
concerned an Englishman, all the other Englishmen closed ranks and refused to
listen. He appealed right up to the Secretary of State for
After
Shyamji’s dismissal from Junagad, Maharana of Udaipur wanted him to come back
as his Divan. But Sir Curzon Wyllie who was Governor General's Agent in
Rajputana refused permission. He said that Shyamji had been declared unfit to
hold the office of Divan by the British Resident at Junagad. He cannot be
appointed as Divan of Udaipur, until that Resident clears the name of Shyamji.
As the British Resident himself was involved in the conspiracy to remove
Shyamji, there was no chance that he would change his mind. Further details are
onscure, but it seems that he did become Divan of Udaipur.
Shyamji had
burnt his fingers. He realised what the British Justice meant in practice. He
sought help of Tilak. However, in 1897 the two British officers Rand and Lt
Ayerst, were shot dead by Chaphekar brothers, for insults and humiliations suffered
by the people of Pune during the recent outbreak of plague. Shyamji thought
that if Tilak's house was searched by the police they would find his letters
and harass him too. He, therefore, hurridly resigned as Divan of
1905
February
On the 18th,
Shyamji founded Indian Home Rule Society. Indian members of the British
Committee of the Congress Party were becoming disaffected with the British
members of the committee. They were attracted to Shyamji's society. Among its
members we find - Barrister Rana, Barrister Parekh, Dr C M Muththu ( he looked
after Savarkar in Brighton ), Mukundrao Jaykar, Surhavardi and Godrej (he
helped Savarkar and Cama in
Shyamji also
started his monthly magazine the Indian
Sociologist. It was proscribed in
July – Viceroy
Lord Curzon finally announced the partition of
There was
widespread anger and resentment against this act. ( On 7 October 1905, Savarkar
organised a bonfire of foreign clothes in Pune )
* Tilak’s
paper ‘Kesari’ carried an editorial about Shyamji’s activities in
1906
April
On the 14th,
a protest meeting against the partition of Bengal was held at
On 5 May a
meeting to condemn the police action was held at Shyamji’s home by the Indian
Home Rule Society. At this meeting, Vitthalbhai Patel
( elder
brother of Sardar Patel ) and Bhai Paramanand were present. Dadabhai Naoroji
and Gokhale were invited but did not attend.
On 6 May
similar meeting was held in
Vande Mataram
became our national anthem because it was banned in
1907
May - Shyamji
left
1909
May
On the 1st
, Shyamji was struck off the register of Barristers by benchers of the
In 1903,
Shyamji had endowed a sum of 1,000 pounds to the
1930
Shyamji died
in exile in
1933
Shyamji’s wife
Bhanumati also died
They were both
cremated at St George Cemetery,
* In August
2003, Mr Modi, Chief minister of Gujarat province, took their ashes from
* Plaque on
the house was put up due to efforts of Shree Hemany Padhya of
1905
Shyamji
purchased this house to be used as the students' hostel. This was inaugurated
as INDIA HOUSE by My Hyndman, a Scottish Socialist on 1 July 1905. Dadabhai
Naoroji, Lala Lajpat Rai, Madame Cama, Mr Squelsh of the Justice paper and Mr
Sweeny of the Positivist Society were present at the ceremony. [ the paper
Justice ran from 19 January 1884 to 22 January 1925, it was renamed Social
Democrat and ran from February 1925 to December 1933. The paper Justice was
banned by Government of India in 1910.
In Pune,
Savarkar read about Shyamji's activities in Tilak's paper Kesari. He also came across an issue of Shyamji's monthly the Indian Sociologist, which contained
information about scholarships being offered by Shyamji.
1906
March
On the 9th,
Savarkar applied for the Shivaji scholarship. Tilak gave him a reference and
also assured that Savarkar had no intention of seeking government employment.
June
Savarkar
arrived at INDIA HOUSE on 15th. A letter from the Special Department, Pune
dated 14 June 1906 to India Office,
Why did
Savarkar come to
* To observe
at first hand, the strengths of the British people which enabled them to rule
over
* To meet
students from all parts of
Others 16
* To kindle
the spirit of fighting among these youth for the Indian independence.
* To meet
professionals, Rajahs, merchants and rich people, who came to
* To establish
contacts with revolutionaries of other countries like
We should note
that --
* In
* in 1911/12 Chinese
ovethrew monarchy and
* Bolshevik
revolution took place in
* Turks
overthrew the Sultan and
* In
The speed of
Savarkar's activities in
(i) He started
regular Sunday meetings to discuss various topics related to
These meetings
were intended to increase one's knowledge of all current affairs. They were the precursor of 'baudhiks' or
regular discourses, of the RSS which was founded in 1925. Savarkar was able to
maintain this tradition even in jail on the
(ii) Savarkar organised the days of the remembrance of our illustrious forefathers like Shivajayanti – birthday of Shivaji and celebrations of our festivals like Divali and Dasara. He wanted the revival of our culture, our values, our concepts, and our traditions. And above all, he wanted to imbibe the spirit of self respect in the Indian people.
(iii) Abhinav
Bharat -
* Savarkar
started his secret revolutionary society the Abhinav Bharat (similar to Young Italy of Mazzini) in
At the time of
Indian independence, many leaders of the Congress Party were members of this
secret society. They included, Balasaheb Kher,
Chief Minister of Bombay Province, Ravishankar Shukla, Chief Minister of
Central Provinces, Sikandar Hiyat Khan, the Muslim Chief Minister of Punjab
just to name a few. President of the Congress Party Acharya J B Kripalani
himself was a member of Abhinav Bharat.
* Copies of
bomb manual were printed in India House. One copy did reach Tilak in Pune.
(iii) Literary
works
* Savarkar
completed his biography of Mazzini in Marathi in September 1906. It was
published by his elder brother Babarao in
* He wrote his
famous book Indian War of
[ It is
interesting to note that the British never called this war as The sepoy mutiny. That phrase was
unfortunately used by Indian authors. British called it The Indian Mutiny - accepting the fact that the whole of
The Times reported on 11 August 1909, “ The
mail from India brings the following notification issued at Simla on July 23 –
‘ In exercise of the power conferred by section 19 of the Sea Customs Act 1878
( viii of 1878 ) the Governor-General is pleased to prohibit the bringing by
sea or land into British India of any copy of the book or pamphlet in Marathi
on the subject of the Indian Mutiny
by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar or any English translation or version of the
same.’
Copies of the
book were available from Madam Cama at 25 Rue de Ponthieu, Champs Elysees,
Copies were
also available from F.H Publication,
Savarkar's
book served as a source of inspiration to Indian revolutionaries for next 40
years.]
[ We have the
following information from Secret Files –
Special
Department 4830
To Government
of
V D Savarkar
is said to be engaged in writing a book on the
-----------------
Simla 13 May 1909
Letter 737 of
1909, Govt of
“ I am to add
that, on the 11th January 1909 orders were issued under section 26
of The Indian Post Office Act 1898, directing the interception of
V.D Savakar’s
book on the
Thus, the
British administration had already issued orders seeking seizure of Savarkar’s
book in post, 6
-------------------------------------------------
* Sikhs are an
important part of the Hindu society. In the Indian Army their percentage was
quite high. Savarkar therefore learned Gurumukhi and studied their holy books -
Adigranth, Panthprakash and Vichitra Natak. He prepared notes for his book
'History of the Sikhs' which he completed while in
* Savarkar
sent 43 newsletters from India House during the period from 17 August 1906 to
26 November 1909. These were related to politics and current affairs and were
published in the Marathi newspaper, Vihari.
* Three
leaflets were printed in India House.
1. Gurumukhi
leaflet - This appealed to the Sikhs to revolt against the British.
2. 'Oh
Martyrs!'. This was addressed to the fighters of the 1857 war. Savarkar assured
them ' your blood oh martyrs, shall be avenged. We will continue your fight and
drive the British out of
3. ' Choose,
oh Indian Princes '
This was sent
out to Indian Princes, Rajas and Maharajas. after Dhingra’s martyrdom in August
1909. Savarkar appealed to them to join in the freedom struggle. His salient
points were :-
-> If you
co-operate, there could be room for various types of administrations in future
->
-> Side
with us and one of you will be Maharaja of the whole of
[This leaflet
was mentioned in The Times (of
1907
June - It was
decided that Senapati Bapat, Hemchandra Das and Hotilal Varma should go to
August - It
was decided to send Madame Cama as
green), Red
for the strength which will be derived from sacrifices by the citizens and is
required to gain as well as maintain freedom ( blood is red ). And Saffron for
the success, which depends up on vitality and sacrifices.
Madame Cama
unfurled this flag in front of 1,000 delegates from all over the world at the
International Socialist Conference in
Others included Lenin and Rosa
Luxemburg who was hanged during Communist uprising in the days of
Savarkar
hoisted this flag again at a public function in Pune on 26 October 1937. He
explained the history behind this flag. It is now preserved in the Savarkar
Memorial at Mumbai.
1908
May
On the 10 th,
Sunday, 50th anniversary of the 1857 War of Independence against the British
was celebrated in this house.
Barrister Rana
came from
Savarkar made
the first speech, followed by Mr Khan, Mr Das, Mr Master (a Parsee) and Mr
Yerulakar (a Jew).
But merely
remembering the freedom fighters was not enough. Savarkar suggested that
Indians must do something constructive. He asked them to take vows of
sacrifices. Some said that they would not drink for a month, some gave up
smoking for a period, some decided not to go to theatres. The money thus saved
was to be donated to the National Fund. In this way, these privileged Indians
identified themselves with the Indian masses.
After singing
Vande Mataram, the meeting ended. Chapatis were distributed as
"prasad" because Chapatis were once distributed in 1857 from village
to village passing the message of the intended uprising against the East India
Company.
1909
Freedom of
Thoughts and Expression - a Fundamental right
Throughout his
life, Savarkar preached and practised freedom of thoughts and expression. In an
interview given to Campbell Green of Sunday Chronicle in March 1909, he said,
" India House is an inexpensive hostel. But for admission as a lodger, one
does not need to have any specific political opinion. All that he has to do is
to pay one pound (per week) for board and lodge. Political discussions do take
place. Persons like yourselves and those who say that the British Raj is a
divine dispensation also come here. Discussions take place. Those who can
convince others by means of truth and logic win the day." Of course, that is not what
the Sunday Chronicle printed.
Even Dube and
Harishchandra Koregavkar who betrayed Savarkar had confirmed the existence of
climate of freedom of expression in their testimonies.
Gandhi came to
" After
dinner, we revolutionaries used to sit on one side of the table, Gandhi and his
followers on the other side. A funny thing happened each day. At the end of our
discussions, one of Gandhi's followers would desert him and join our side. A
day came when Gandhi sat alone on his side and all his followers having
deserted him sat on our side."
VISITORS TO
Many important
leaders visited this house at least once.
Revolutionaries
* Bhai
Paramanand - he was a direct descendent of Bhai Matidas who was sawn from head
to toe on the orders of Aurangzeb for refusing to embrace Islam in 1676. Like
Savarkar, he too was sent to Kalapani on the
* Lala Hardyal
- he was first class first in M.A in English from
* Virendranath
Chattopadhyaya, brother of Sarojini Naidu. He was debarred by the Barristers of
Middle Temple for his political activities. He is believed to have been shot
dead in
* Pandurang
Mahadev alias Senapati Bapat, a civil engineer. He wrote a small booklet
entitled ' We want Home Rule for
Bapat and
Hemchandra Das were sent to
* Hemchandra
Das was sent to Kalapani on the
* Madanlal
Dhingra. He went to the gallows in August 1909
* MPT Acharya
* Venkatsubramaniam
Iyer ( V V
* Gyanchand
Varma : secretary of Abhinav Bharat
* Sukhasagar
Dutta - his brother Ullhasagar was sent to Andaman to serve the transportation
for life, after the Alipore Conspiracy Trial. The most barbaric treatment was
meted out to him, including administration of electric shocks. Savarkar did
hear his terrifying screams. In the end, a jail superintendent took pity and
said, " you would be far better off in a mental hospital." and got
him certified and sent him to a lunatic asylum in
Politicians
* Dadabhai
Naoroji, the Grand Old Man of Indian Politics
* Lala Lajpat
Rai ( Punjab Kesari - Lion of
* Bipin
Chandra Pal, a prominent leader of
* Madame Cama.
* Barrister
(later Mahatma) Gandhi. He was 14 years older than Savarkar and had no reason
to meet him. Gandhi was not new to
* Sardarsingh
Rana of Kathiavad. He was a Barrister from the
But he became a merchant in
out his propaganda from there.
* Dadasaheb
Karandikar and Khaparde - both lawyers acting for Tilak.
* Ravishankar
Shukla. He became Chief Minister of the
1947.
* Dr Rajan. He
was elected a member of Madras Legislative Assembly in
1937.
* Dr K P
Jayaswal. He became famous for his books on the Vijayanagar
Empire.
Others
* W V Phadake,
Koregavkar and Kunte. They translated Savarkar's book
'Indian War of
* Harnam
Singh. He shared a cabin with Savarkar while travelling from Mumbai to
* KVR Swami
* Mr Master -
correspondent of the paper 'Parsee'
* Shapurjee
Sakalatwala
( nephew of
Jamshetji Tata. He founded the Communist party of
--------------------------
INDIA HOUSE
was constantly in the news during 1906-1910.
Savarkar made
history. We were at least able to erect a small memorial to him. In 1983 I had
proposed to my friends that a commemorative plaque should be placed on this
house to mark his birth centenary. The plaque was placed on this house with the
consent of its present owners by the Greater London Council ( GLC ). This goal
was achieved by the efforts of my friends Late Mukund Sonapatki who worked for
the GLC as an architect and Late Padmanabh Pendse, the Mayor of London Borough
of Brent.
The plaque
reads VINAYAK DAMODAR SAVARKAR 1883-1966, Indian Patriot and Philosopher lived
here. It was unveiled by Lord Fenner Brockway on 8 June 1985. He was then 97.
We all suggested that he should not strain himself by standing up. But he
refused, stood up and spoke for three minutes. He said, " I am proud to
unveil this plaque but this should have been done by your Prime Minister Rajiv
Gandhi." Sunil Gavaskar, the famous cricket player attended the function
at my request.
After the
ceremony we were able to see the ground floor flat by the kind permission of
the present owner. YES, it was here that the history was made. It is impossible
to describe our feelings.
I had to do
some work in
Every Indian
visiting
LET US OBSERVE
A 2 MINUTE SILENCE IN THE MEMORY OF OUR FREEDOM FIGHTERS.
(5)
There are four
institutions in
Famous Barristers
Chamanlal Dhingra, elder brother of Madanlal -> 1899
Virendranath Chattopadhyaya removed from register 1909
Sir Stafford Cripps (1889-1952) Barrister
of
Sardar Patel à Barrister of
Shyamji Krishnavarma à Barrister of
Gandhi à Barrister of
Chittaranjan Das à Barrister of
Clement
Attlee à Barrister from
Nehru à Harrow,
Phirozshah Mehta 1867
W C Banerjee 1867 – First President of
Morley (1838-1923) Barrister of
Jinnah à Barrister of
Mihir Kumar
Sen 1954 –> He was the first
Bhajan Lal Dhingra, Madanlal’s younger brother ->
1911
Dr Ambedkar à Barrister
of
Veer Savarkar joined
( see Times of 21 April 1909 page 4 –
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Harnam Singh passed final examination).Sir Curzon
Wyllie of India Office was trying, behind the scene, to ensure that Savarkar
and Harnam Singh were not called to the Bar. This was a wicked act.
From the
secret files in India Office, we now know that Mr Douthwaite, Under Treasurer of Grays
Gray's
Dear Sir
Curzon Wyllie,
The Benchers
at Gray's
I now write to
ask therefore that I may receive as soon as possible any definite information
concerning Harnam Singh and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar which is deemed to affect
the eligibility of both or either of them for call to the English Bar.
Any document,
which I receive, will be submitted to a committee of three Benchers of Gray's
Believe me yours
faithfully
D
Enclosed are
copies of the admission documents of both students.
------------------------
Gray's
Dear Sir
Curzon Wyllie,
Thank you very
much indeed for your letter which will be very helpful.
You will be
glad to hear that my committee have decided to report to the Benchers tomorrow
night that neither Harnam Singh nor Savarkar should be called to the Bar until
full enquiry has taken place into the matters alleged against them.
I have no doubt
that the committee's report will be adopted. Certainly neither of them will be
called this term.
The committee
feel ( as I expected ) that except for the Police report there was a lack of
substantial matter against Harnam Singh.
They would not
refuse to call him on the Cirencester incident alone. We must remember of
course - that they have the Judges to think of.
Yours very
truly
D
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Sir
Curzon Wyllie,
I am directed
by the Treasurer of Gray's Inn to inform you that your communication in
reference to the case of the two Indian students, Harnam Singh and Vinayak
Damodar Savarkar was considered by the Benchers of this
It was decided
that in face of your communication the consideration of this application should
be suspended and that in the meantime the Benchers should investigate the
subject matter of your report. Under the
regulations of this society, a preliminary enquiry has to be held by the
discipline Committee with a view of ascertaining whether upon the facts there
is a case of complaint calling for investigation.
The Committee
will sit for this purpose at Gray's
I am, Dear Sir
Curzon Wyllie,
Yours
faithfully
D
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daily News
interviewed Bipin Chandra Pal about Savarkar.
Published on
Saturday 8th May 1909.
India House
carries on a propaganda, and if its sympathisers are not called to the Bar on
that ground, then it follows that every member of the
Of course this
did not happen. There was one law for whites, one law for blacks.
------------------
On 12 May 1909
Wyllie wrote to Douthwaite
You will see
from Mr Morison's letter, which I enclose that Mr Lint Smith is prepared to
give evidence in support of the statements made by him regarding Savarkar, and
I have ascertained that Sergeant Parker and police constable Hallett are
prepared to give evidence that Savarkar spoke at the meting in the Caxton Hall
on Dec. 29th as reported in the Govt of India confidential letter to the
Secretary of State No. 3 of 4th March 1909 para 5.
Enclosed I
send a Scotland Yard special branch report which you possibly care to see.
I dare say you know that Savarkar's brother is now the
subject of a criminal prosecution in connexion with sedition in
( what had
this to do with Savarkar ? )
----------------------------------------
In the end, on
13 May 1909 Mr Douthwaite wrote to Wyllie --
” Harnam Singh
is to be informed that no further proceedings will be taken against him but he
will be admonished by the Treasurer in the presence of the Bench.”
“ Savarkar is
to be called on to answer three charges :-
(1) That by
assisting in the circulation of pamphlets and by taking part in seditious
meetings, he incited the Nation of India to revolt.
(2) That he
advocated assassination
(3) That he
expressed approval of assassination.
” Our enquiry
will, I think, be held on 9th June.”
” I will let
you know, when the date is fixed and it may be that I shall ( if you will
permit me ) trouble you with another visit shortly with reference to Mr Lint
Smith's appearance and other matters. “
” I expect
that Harnam Singh will be called next term. I shall be writing to both students
tomorrow.”
--------------------------------
Savarkar was
allowed time till 22 May in which to frame his reply. The reply was considered
on the 26th May by the Benchers.
The trial was
HELD IN CAMERA. Therefore, evidence for prosecution which would not have been
admitted in an open court was permitted. New charges were being added even when
the trial was half way through. Two official detectives who had shadowed
Savarkar for two years testified. Their reports were submitted. Letters by
Savarkar which were in the possession of Government of India and those used in
the Nasik Conspiracy trial of Babarao Savarkar were translated and given to
It was
astonishing that every officer remarked that these papers from India DO NOT ADD
MUCH TO THE CASE. But still the Benchers went ahead with the farce.
Savarkar was
cross-examined by some of the eminent Barristers on 9th June.
Just three
weeks later i.e. on 1 July 1909 Sir Wyllie himself was shot dead by Dhingra. On
5 July ( Monday ), Indians held a meeting at Caxton Hall, condemning Dhingra.
Savarkar protested in that meeting. And it appeared that he approved
assassination of Wyllie. This naturally affected his case but his letter was
published the next day (Tuesday 6th July) in the Times. He emphasised that as the matter
was subjudice, to discuss it in public and to use the words 'criminal' and
'criminal act' amounted to contempt of the court. Nobody could argue against
this.
At the end of
all this, the benchers ruled on 14 July 1909, " None of the charges was proven. Savarkar is a permanent member of
this society (
( What
happened to the principle that an accused person is innocent unless proved
guilty ? It was conveniently set aside by those who practised and taught law!!
) He may be called later, if his behaviour is satisfactory."
On 23 July
1909, Savarkar wrote in his newsletter, " When it became obvious that the
evidence was collected by the Government of India, it was clear who was behind
this episode."
It was a big
farce and great travesty of justice and that too by the benchers of a famous
Law Society!
Savarkar
eventually withdrew from
The
decision of the benchers of
It must be
emphasized that our history must never be written on the basis of British
sources alone. TIMES of 15 July 1909
simply reports on page 12 column d, “ The benchers of
“ Mr Savarkar
is one of the two students whose cases were alluded to in The Times of
June 30. A letter from him appeared in The Times of July 6, explaining a
protest, which he had made at a meeting held at Caxton Hall on the day before
with reference to the murder of Sir Curzon Wyllie. He was for some time one of
the managers of “India House” Highgate, which he left, according to his own
statement, on April of this year.”
One of the
benchers, who opposed Savarkar being called to the bar, was Frederick Edwin
Smith. He became Solicitor General, six years later; then Attorney General
(1915-19), Lord High Chancellor of
This was built
in 1879, i.e. four years before the birth of Savarkar.
From Viceroy's
telegram of 3 July 1909 it is clear that Bombay Government was most anxious to
take proceedings against Savarkar for conspiracy. Their request for sending a
Sikh deputy superintendent, Dyal Singh Gyani to
On 8 February
1910, the warrant for the arrest of Savarkar under the Fugitive Offender's Act
1881 was issued from this court at the request of Government of India. Though
Savarkar travelled on a passport issued by the Government of India, he suddenly
became a fugitive!! That was the British Rule of Law.
Savarkar had
known about this warrant through a sympathiser. He was in
Despite the
opposition from his friends he decided to come to
(
Savarkar was
brought in front of Magistrate Sir A D Rutzen on 14 March 1910 and charged
under the Fugitive Offenders Act 1881.He was refused bail. Mr Reginald Vaughan
defended Savarkar. Mr Bodkin and Mr William Lewis appeared on behalf of the
Director of Public Prosecution.
On 8 May
Savarkar was committed to High Court. He as given only 15 days to prepare his
defence.
On 24 May
Habeas Corpus was granted for Savarkar.
The lawyers
who acted for the Government of India in the High Court and the Court of Appeal
were, Solicitor General Sir Isaac Rufus K.C, Mr Rowlatt
( infamous for
the Rowlatt Act of 1919) and Mr Bodkin.
Mr Arthur
Powell K.C and Mr J M Parekh appeared.on behalf of Savarkar
Court of
Appeal decised on 17 June that Savarkar should be sent to
Note on Sir
Issac Rufus
[ One year
earlier, i.e. in February 1909, Sir Rufus had declined to accept a brief from
Tilak for appealing to the Privy Council against his sentence of transportation
to
10 years
later, Sir Rufus was sent to
Mighty legal case
A 13 year old boy George Archer-Shees was
expelled from the
Archer-Shees Vs Admiralty finally came to court in 1910.
Victory by Edward Carson who acted for the boy.
Goverenment’s second Law Officer was Sir Rufus Isaacs
In 1919 Edward Carson acted for Sir
Valentine Chirol in his case against Tilak.
>>>>>>
George Archer-Shees joined South Staffordshire Regiment, died in 1914 aged 19
Terenve Ratfigan’s play ‘ The Winslow Boy
‘ written 1945, first performed in
Archer-Shees became the Winslows and George became Ronnie
Other court
cases
* In August
1909, Guy Aldred, an English sympathiser of Savarkar was brought in front of
this magistrate. Guy had tried to publish the monthly Indian Sociologist of Shyamji, which was proscribed in
* Many women
suffragettes were sentenced in this court.
* Several (in) famous court cases started
here. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was charged with gross indecency in April 1895,
Dr Crippen appeared before this court in 1910.
* The Court is
no longer in use. 14 July 2006 was the last day of the court
This is next
to the Bow Street Magistrate's Court. After his arrest, on 13 March 1910,
Savarkar was kept overnight in one of the cells in the basement,. He was
brought in front of the Magistrate the next day.
Deputy
Superintendent John Power arrived in
This police
station is no longer in use.
[ Note :- This
street, named because of its bow-shape, was built between 1633 and 1677. It ran
from
(8) Present
In the wake of
Government of India Act 1935, this building was built as the office of
Government of
India Act 1935 provided for a Federal Government of India and the above
building was intended to be the office of the Agent of that government.
Elections were held in 1937. Congress
Party came to power in seven provinces, but their ministries resigned after the
declaration of the Second World War on 3 September 1939. At the insistence of
Jinnah the Federal part of the Government of India Act 1935 was suspended and
this facilitated partition of
Above the main door we find ‘
Compare this
with what happened in Hongkong on 1 July 1997. Within seconds of the British
rule ending there, the Royal British insignia was removed from the Governor’s
residence and the Chinese emblem installed in its place. And we still preserve
the British Crown!!
On the front
and the side of the building, we see several circles which contain symbols of
our civilisation e.g. Peacock, Rising Sun, Swastika, Snake, Indian Rhino.
[ On the side
of Indian High Commission there is a small lane called
(9) Pentonville Prison,
This prison
was built between 1840 and 1842.
Two Indian
revolutionaries went to the gallows here. Madanlal Dhingra on 17 August 1909,
and Udham Singh on 31 July 1940.
Dhingra, a
contemporary of Savarkar assassinated Sir Curzon Wyllie, Head of the Secret
Service of India Office,
Dhingra wished
that last rites according to Hindu Dharma should be performed on his dead body
and it should be cremated. Many Hindus petitioned to the Home Secretary Mr
Herbert Gladstone that Dhingra's body should be handed over to them, as
Brahmins were ready to perform the last rites. This request was denied! THE
LAST WISH OF THE MAN SENT TO THE GALLOWS WAS DENIED. His body was put in a
coffin, which was buried within the prison premises.
TIMES of
18 August 1909 reported on page 7 column 2,
" Shortly
after 9, death was announced. Pierpoint was the executioner. An application for
leave to have the body cremated was refused and it will be buried in accordance
with the usual custom, within the walls of prison.”
In 1909, Many Indians had condemned Dhingra but no one
protested at the barbaric act of the British Authorities, and even this fact
was unknown till I started investigation in 1987.
Mr J S Master,
representing The Parsee newspaper of
[ Note :- The
Cremation Society of England was founded in 1874. So, cremation was definitely
available in
How important
was the act of assassination by Dhingra ?
On 3 August
1909 Viceroy Lord Minto sent a telegram from Simla to India Office, " It
is understood that Madanlal Dhingra is to be executed on the 17th August. If
body cremated, undesirable that ashes should be sent to
31 years later
the British Authorities behaved just as barbarously as in 1909. They refused
cremation according to the Hindu rites to Udham Singh also. His body too was
put in a coffin, which was buried within the prison premises.
Both men came
from
Udham Singh's
coffin was exhumed on 11 July 1974 and flown back to
Madanlal
Dhingra's coffin was exhumed on 12 December 1976 in the presence of Natwar
Singh, acting High Commissioner for
PLEASE OBSERVE
A 2 MINUTE SILENCE IN THE MEMORY OF DHINGRA AND UDHAM SINGH.
(10) 191-195 Piccadilly,
If we stand on
the other side of the road and look up we can see the letters ROYAL INSTITUTE
OF PAINTERS IN WATERCOLOUR founded 1831. Swami Vivekanand delivered his
lectures here in May 1895 and May 1896. He was also given a warm send off in
the same institute on 13 December 1896. The building is located opposite the
Royal Academy of Arts. In 1971, the institute moved to its present premises at
17
Why did
Vivekanand cause such a sensation in
In those days,
speakers used to address public meetings and assemblies with the phrase ' My
Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen.' Those who had achieved the rank of Duke, Marquis,
Earl, Viscount or Baron are Lords. Their wives are Ladies. An Army or Navy
officer was called Officer and a
Gentleman. During their training, they were called ‘Gentleman cadets.’ Even
their wives did not count. And what about the rest 99% of the population ? They
did not matter. In the words of King Edward the VII, they were ' the lower
order.'
Under such circumstances
Swamiji started his address with the words ' my brothers and sisters.' This was
in
In this hall,
Vivekanand met Miss Margaret Noble, who
became his disciple and took the name Bhagini Nivedita. Margaret Noble's
grandparents were involved in the Irish Home Rule movement.
Swami Vivekanand
May - July 1896
Staying at 63St George’s Road
Pimlico
( If we contimue along
Sunday lectures on Vedanta Philosophy.
7 June at 3:30 The necessity of religion
14 June at 4:00 The ideal of a universal religion
21 June at 4:00 The Real and Apparent Man
Admission free – no collection
Free class lectures
Tuesdays/ Thursdays
At 11:30 and 8:30
Dr Jagdish
Chandra Bose invented wireless at the same time as Marconi in 1895, but being
an Indian, he was denied the credit.
He was
however, well known for his discovery that plants have sensations and feelings
just the same as human beings. He gave a demonstration of his findings at the
Royal Society, 6
He used to
come to
When Margaret
Noble went to work in
Dr Bose was
knighted in 1916. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society only in 1920.
Gyanchand Varma, the secretary of
Abhinav Bharat used to live here.
After the
death of Dhingra, Gyanchandji shaved and performed 'shraddha' ceremony for
Dhingra
(12) Houses of Parliament,
A common site
for tourists. Some of the important events that occurred here
were : -
* In 1875,
Lord
* On 20 July
1906, Savarkar came to the House of Commons to listen to the debate on Indian
budget.
* On 6 August
1919, Tilak appeared before the Joint Parliamentary Committee as a witness on
behalf of the Home Rule League of India. This was in the wake of forthcoming
Montford political reforms. Lord Sydenham, the former Governor of Bombay
province as well as other right wing leaders were so discourteous as to leave
the Committee Room as soon as Tilak’s name was announced.
* On 6 June 1984, Savarkar Birth centenary Celebration Committee paid homage to Veer Savarkar in Committee Room number 10 on the occasion of his birth centenary. Rt Hon Reginald Freeson, M.P and Richard A Balfe, Member of European Parliament were members of the celebration committee.
Savarkar’s
famous song ‘ jayostute shree
mahanmangale shivaspade shubhade’
was sung by Mrs Mangla Barve. It was I who proposed the vote of thanks
at the end of the celebrations.
* As we stand
facing Big Ben, Cannon Row is on our right side. After the Court of Appeal
decided that Savarkar should be sent to
(13) Foreign and Commonwealth Office [ Former
King Charles Street, London S.W.1
This is
situated behind
After the 1857
Indian War of Independence, the British Crown took over administration of
Winston
Churchill's father Randolph Churchill was the Secretary of State for
During 1891-92
Curzon was the Under Secretary of State for
Morley was the
Secretary of State for
Council of the
Secretary of State for
Like British
Governors, and Governor Generals, the Secretary of State for
Qualifications
for membership of this Council were -
At least 9
(out of 15) must have resided in
In 1909, Mr
Gupta (Hindu) and Bilgaria (Muslim) were appointed as members of the Council
Wrangler
Salaries in
1905/06
|
Position |
Annual
salary |
|
|
|
|
Secretary of
State for |
£5,000 |
|
Private
secretary to S o S |
£300 |
|
|
|
|
Political
A.D.C |
£800 |
|
|
|
|
Under
Secretary of State for Arthur
Godley |
£2,000 |
|
Private
secretary to Under S of S |
£150 |
|
|
|
|
Parliamentary
Secretary |
£1,500 |
|
Private
secretary to P.S. |
£150 |
|
|
|
|
Members of
the Council Sir John
Edge, William Warner etc |
£1,200 each |
|
|
|
|
Total cost
of India Office establishment |
£148,250 |
|
|
|
Savarkar came
here on 18 June 1906 to see Sir Curzon Wyllie. He sought a pass from Wyllie to
attend the debate on the Indian budget to be held in the House of Commons on
20th July.
Both these
were situated in the same buildings. They contained all the records of the East
India Company. By various Press Acts, all authors in
Savarkar did
his research in this library for his book 'Indian War of Independence 1857.'
Indians were not easily admitted to the library in those days. One Mr
Mukherjee, the manager of students’ hostel India House, was married to an
English woman. With his influence, Savarkar obtained a reader's card.
He soon
secured the confidence of the librarian by condemning the Indian heroes of that
war as villains. The librarian gave Savarkar much more information than
otherwise was possible. He showed Savarkar many secret and confidential
documents which were not normally available even to English gentlemen. Savarkar
outwitted the British! On 11 August 1909, the librarian was surprised to read
in the Times that Savarkar's book on
'Indian Mutiny' was proscribed by
the Government of India. By that time, it was too late. Savarkar had all the
information he needed.
Savarkar also
learnt about the Ramsing Kooka movement in
On 14 November
1909 meeting of the General Committee of Wyllie Memorial Fund was held here in
the council room under the chairamanship of Field Marshall Lord Roberts,
Commander in Chief of the British Army.
Tilak used
this library when in
The library
and records moved to
If we walk
towards St James's Park, we can see War Cabinet Rooms on the left side.
Churchill and his advisers had their offices underground during the Second
World War. The rooms are open to public and are worth a visit.
(14) Caxton Hall,
1908
July
On 23rd,
Lokamanya Tilak was sentenced to transportation for 6 years to
Average life
expectancy for male in
A meeting to
condemn this sentence was held here under the chairmanship of Barrister Parekh
who worked for Dadabhai Naoroji for a number of years. Indians of all
persuasions attended.
October
On the, 16th
three meetings were held
1st to express
sympathies for the plight of Indians in
Sir Mancharji
Bhavanagari was in the chair. Speakers were – Lala Lajpat Rai, Savarkar,
Sakalatwala, Bipin Chandra Pal and Khaparde.
2nd to protest
against the partition of
Lala Lajpat
Rai was in the chair. He explained how the New Party ( A faction of the
Congress Party seeking direct action ) was born when the partition of
Speakers were
:- Dr Kumaraswami, Karandikar and Khaparde ( both laywers acting for Tilak )
3rd was to
celebrate Raksha Bandhan
Bipin Chandra
Pal spoke on this occasion.
December
18/19/20
Bipinchandra
Pal delivered his lectures. On the 19th Madam Cama unfurled
December 20
Indian
National Congress party was to hold its session in
1st 'we want
swaraj' put forward by Dr Kumaraswami, seconded by Savarkar. He said, ' before
passing this resolution, everyone should remember that it means blood, sweat,
toil and tears. Think carefully before you raise your hand to support the
motion.'
2nd was for
the boycott of British goods ( Madame Cama spoke on the subject )
3rd was for
congratulating
4th one
related to the independence movements in
5th one
condemned Morley Minto reforms as insignificant / cheating and will encourage
the spread of internal disputes and quarrels. Bipin babu spoke eloquently on
this topic.
6th one was on
Swadeshi and national education.
7th one stated
that self appointed Madras Congress is NOT a National Congress Party. Dominion
Status will be totally unsatisfactory.
December 29
The birthday
of Guru Govind Singh was organised by Savarkar in
Lala Lajpat
Rai and Sardar Ajit Singh ( uncle of Bhagat Singh ) who were exiled from
Bipin babu was
in the chair. The speakers were Prof Gokulchand, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin babu
and Savarkar. Savarkar explained the meaning of the words
' Deg /Teg /
Fateh.’ which appeared on a banner displayed above the dais. Deg stands for
principles, Teg for the sword and Fateh for success. Principles, however noble,
need the strength of force behind them to succeed. That is why Guru Govind
Singh took to the sword to protect our Dharma.
Most Indians
attending this function specially wore turbans.
The Indian
national flag first unfurled by Madam Cama at the International Socialist
Conference in
‘Karaprasad’
was distributed at the end.
The invitation
card prepared by Savarkar for this function has been preserved by the British
Secret Police.
1909
July
On the 5th
, a meeting was held in Caxton Hall to condemn Dhingra who had assassinated
Sir Curzon Wyllie on the 1st.
Agakhan was in
the chair. The motion was proposed by Bhavanagari and seconded by Amir Ali.
Agakhan put the motion to vote. After seeing many raised hands, he said that
the motion was passed unanimously. Savarkar protested and said, " No, not
unanimously. There are opponents of the motion as well. Take down my name,
Savarkar. I oppose the motion.”
There was
great uproar. Bhavnagari became furious and wanted to get hold of Savarkar and
expel him. Agakhan reprimanded Bhavnagari. An Eurasian named Palmer hit
Savarkar near an eye, which started to bleed. But even then, Savarkar said,
" I still oppose the motion." M P T Acharya, a friend of Savarkar
then hit Palmer with a stick. Surendranath Banerjee expressed his anger. He
said " Savarkar had a right to have his say. It was outrageous to attack
him.” Banerjee left the hall in protest. Women panicked and left the hall.
Police rushed in and the meeting ended in
disarray.
Afterwards,
Savarkar wrote a letter to the Times
and other newspapers. He maintained that as the matter was subjudice,
discussing the case in public and using the words 'crime' and 'criminal'
amounted to the contempt of the court. Savarkar’s letter was published in the Times
on Tuesday 6 July 1909.
Dadasaheb
Khaparde, one of the lawyers acting for Tilak was present at this meting. At
the same time, he provided money for the publication of Savarkar's book 'Indian
War of Independence' It is time we learned such duplicity.
1919
Tilak
addressed a meeting of Indians in this hall to protest against the Jalianwala
Bagh Massacre that took place on 15 April 1919 and also to condemn the Rowlatt
Act.
1940
March
On 13 th,
Udham Singh shot dead Sir Michael O'Dwyer, who was the Governor of Punjab at
the time of Jalianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 and thus avenged the Martial Law
atrocities of Brigadier General Dyer as well. At that time, he also shot and
wounded Lord Zetland, the then Secretary of State for
Lamington died
six months later. Lord Zetland was back to work within a few days. But Sir
Louis Dane was ordered by doctors to take a long period of convalescence.
General Notes
–
Many meetings
of Suffragates (votes for women movement) were held here.
Winston
Churchill delivered some of his speeches in this hall during World War II
It is a
‘listed building’.
----------
A note on
relations between Indian Revolutionaries and Moderates.
The meeting to
condemn Dhingra was held here on 5 July 1909.
Savarkar went
to jail on
In the 1920s
Chief Commissioner of Andaman visited Savarkar who was in prison hospital. He
told Savarkar, “while travelling from
In 1937,
Savarkar paid tribute to Banerjee and said, " Banerjee opposed the methods
of the revolutionaries. But, no one grieved more at their sufferings than
Banerjee. It was largely through his efforts that we were released from the
Andaman Islands and sent back to mainland
* Barrister J
M Parekh
Parekh was present at the meeting in Caxton Hall to condemn Dhingra on 5 July 1909. But when Savarkar faced extradition to Mumbai to face trial there in 1910, it was same Barrister Parekh who represented Savarkar in the High Court!!
* Bipinchandra Pal
After Savarkar was arrested and sent to Mumbai to stand trial, there was a programme to celebrate New Year at the house of Bipin Chandra Pal in January 1911. Large photo of Savarkar was hanging on a wall. Sir Henry Cotton showed sympathy for Savarkar. This was reported in English newspapers and caused quite a stir.
Thus, B C Pal had deep respect for Savarkar and did not hesitate to show it even when Savarkar was being charged with waging war against King Emperor.
Additional Notes –
(1) In addition to the meeting in Caxton
Hall on 5 July 1909, there was another meeting of Indians on 4 July in New
reform Club, Adelphi Terrace. In his speech, S.N Banerjee said something
interesting. Times (of
(2) Mr S G Khapharde, commonly known as
Dadasaheb Khapharde, lawyer of Tilak, was present at the meeting in Caxton
Hall. And yet at the same time it was he who provided funds for publishing
Savarkar’s book Indian War of
(15)
Imperial
THIS STONE WAS LAID
BY
HER MAJESTY QVEEN
EMPRESS OF
ON THE 4TH DAY OF JVLY 1887
IN THE 51ST YEAR OF HER REIGN
-----
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS ALBERT EDWARD
PRINCE OF
In 1960 the
rest of the buildings were demolished and the present college extended on the
site.
In the late
1950s and early 1960s, Britain granted independence to many African nations
such as Gold Coast or Ghana (1957), Nigeria (1960), Tanganyika and Zanzibar
(1961), Uganda (1962), Kenya(1963), Zambia (1964). Therefore, the Imperial
Institute became the Commonwealth Institute in 1962 with its new premises at
Kensington High Street.
Note on
It was founded
under a Royal Charter granted on 8 July 1907. Foundation stone of the building
on the corner of
----------
On 1 July
1909, Madanlal Dhingra shot and killed Sir Curzon Wyllie in Jahangir Hall on
the first floor of the Imperial Institute. The function was organised by The
National Indian Association. The reception was given in the name of Lady Lyall,
wife of Sir Alfred Lyall.
Wyllie had received a letter from K L Dhingra (Kundanlal, eldest of Dhingra’s brothers). On 13 April Wyllie wrote to Madanlal and suggesting that he should meet Wyllie. Dhingra pretended that he wanted to dicuss contents of that letter. That is how he came very close to Wyllie and shot him at 11.10 p.m..
On 8 June
1909, Babarao (Ganesh) Savarkar, elder brother of Veer Savarkar, was sentenced
to transportation for life. The prosecution could only prove that he had
published four historical poems, which were construed as seditious. Three days
later, Viceroy Lord Minto sent a telegram to the Secretary of State for
When the news
reached the people of
After the assassination
Dhingra was
wearing a dark jacket suit and a blue turban. After his arrest, the Police
Officer said to Dhingra, “ Do you want us to inform any of your friends of your
arrest ? He cleverly replied, “ There is no need. They will know about
my arrest in
tomorrow’s newspapers.” The Police were trying to find out if they could
implicate any of Dhingra’s friends. He proved a match for them. Dhingra was
taken to Walton Street Police station.
Praise and
malicious accusations
* Winston
Churchill and Lloyd George were, in private, both surprised and admired the
courage of Dhingra. How Savarkar knew this is a mystery. But he does mention
this fact in an article in 1927. “Courage,” Churchill once said,
“ is the
greatest of all human virtues. For, it guarantees all others.”
However, in
public the British Press made some vicious allegations against Dhingra, taking
advantage of remarks made by an ex-Army officer at the inquest on Wyllie. This
was held at
At the
inquest, Captain Charles Rollerton, an ex-Army officer of
The Coroner
asked Miss Beck, the Secretary of the National Indian Association, if she
noticed whether Dhingra was under the influence of some drug; but her reply was
in the negative. Dhingra, she said, seemed in a normal condition and was quite
calm.
Other witnesses clear Dhingra.
During the
trial, Mrs Harris, Dhingra’s landlady, said she did not think he took drugs.
Dr John
Buchnan of
During his
trial Dhingra was examined by Psychiatrists to decide if he was mentally
sub-normal. Their tests were negative. Savarkar says so in his newsletter. Now,
the files in the public record office (
Importance of
Wyllie
Lt Col Sir
Wyllie was Political A.D.C to the Secretary of State for
In his
newsletter published in
Harischandra Koregavkar, who helped to
translate Savarkar’s book Indian War of Independence 1857, turned against him
and became a witness for crown in the trial of Savarkar in
On 2 July
1909, Lt Col Sir Arthur Davidson, one of King's (Edward the VIIth) equerries
went to Lady Curzon Wyllie's residence in No.10 Onslow Square by the command of
the King and Queen to convey an expression of their Majesties deep sympathy
with her in her bereavement. ……. Sir Curzon Wyllie was well known at St
Stephens, as he often came down with Indian Chiefs and notabilities who were visiting
England and took them to seats in the Distinguished Strangers’ gallery ( of
House of Commons ).
Note –
Stranger means one who is not a member of British Parliament.
( Daily News 3 July 1909 pp 7/8 )
On 6 July
1909, the funeral service was held at
At the
funeral, the King (Edward the VIIth) was represented by Sir Dighton Probyn.
The Prince of
Wales (George V) by Mr Edward Wallington
The Duke of
Prince and
Princess Christian by Major Evans Martin.
Lord Kitchner,
Commander in Chief of the Indian Army by Major General Hubert Hamilton.
The Prime
Minister Asquith by his private secretary Mr Vaughan Nash.
Lord and Lady
Morley arrived early, and the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Althorp also represented
in person a department with which Sir Curzon Wyllie has constant official
communication. There were also present Lord Middleton (formerly Secretary of
State for
On 28 July
1909 Lady Wyllie was granted a pension of £500 per year, for life. It was
charged to the Indian Revenue of course. She died on 1 October 1931. The
Wyllies had no children.
Memorial to Wyllie
A fund was
launched for memorial of Wyllie soon after his death. An appeal was launched in
The Times (of
Lord Curzon,
the former Viceroy of India,
Lord George
Hamilton, the former Secretary of State for
Sir Banfield
Fuller, the former Lt Governor of East Bengal after the partition of Bengal in
1905 and who banned Vande Mataram.
Lord
Lamington, the former Governor of Bombay province.
Fifth list of
subscribers was published in the Times on 15 November 1909
Lt Col Sir
Donald Robertson – Honorary Secretary reported that a total of 2,700 pounds
were collected (about 108,000 pounds at 1998 prices)
On 18 November
1909, Times reported that the following have joined the General Committee :-
Viceroy of
India, Lord Minto.
Commander-in-Chief
of the Indian Army.
Some Governors
of provinces of
The
subscription list was closed on 1 March 1910.
Memorial
committee held it’s meeting on 16 October 1909 in India Office. Lord Curzon
proposed that 300 pounds should be spent for a tablet in the crypt of
On 14 April
1910, it was reported that the remaining 2,400 pounds should be invested and
the interest used for the Strangers’ Home for Asiatics, Lime House, West India
Docks,
The tablet can
be found in the crypt of
To the
Glory of God
and in
lasting memory of
LT COL SIR
WILLIAM HUTT CURZON WYLLIE, KCIE, CVD
Youngest
son of General Sir William Wyllie, GCB
Born
October 5th 1848. Assassinated July 1st 1909
while
attending an assembly of his Indian fellow subjects
at the
Imperial Institute in
This
tablet is erected in sorrow and in love
by his
friends.
Entering
the Army in 1866 and the Indian Political
Department
in 1879, he earned distinction in the
Afghan War
of 1879-80, in Oudh, in
He rose to
the highest rank in the Service. In
1901 he
was chosen to be Political Aide-de-Camp
to the
Secretary of State for
Innocent
of all offences.
A devoted
public servant, courageous and gentle,
of a
winning courtesy, and a constant self-denial.
He was
loved by the Princes and people
and died
as he had lived
in the
Service of
Jesus said
I am the resurrection and life St John XI 25
His
servants shall serve Him, and they shall see his face Rev XXII 34
1869-1870
1866- 1869
R.S.R 106
It was unveiled by Field Marshal Lord Roberts on 19
October 1910. At that time it was indeed a very high honour for such a tablet
to be placed in one’s name in the crypt of
Sir Wyllie was a very high officer
indeed. Moreover, if his assassination was just an ordinary criminal act, why
did the leaders all over
* Killing of Lalkaka
During the
fight after the shooting, Cawasji Lalkaka, a Parsee doctor was shot dead by
Dhingra. Lalkaka was born in Karnavati and educated in Mumbai,
On 18 April
1913, bust of Lalkaka was erected on stairs of the vestibule where he was shot
dead.
It seems that
Lalkaka was not married.
Few weeks
before killing Wyllie, Dhingra had tried to kill Lord Curzon, who was the most
arrogant of all Viceroys. But fate saved Curzon twice. Dhingra then decided to
kill Sir Curzon Wyllie. It must be emphasised that it was not the killing of
another Englishman just because he had a similar name. Curzon Wyllie was a very
ranking officer indeed.
We need not
feel any sympathy for Wyllie. Those who are engaged in spying, intelligence
gathering work and suppression of freedom movements know the risks. They enjoy
good money, prestige and privileges. Those
who live by the sword die by the sword.
Indian
revolutionaries never knowingly shot innocent Englishmen let alone English
women and children. On 22 June 1897, Chaphekar brothers shot and killed two
British officers, Collector Rand and Lt Ayerst in Pune. Their target was only
Bengali
revolutionaries, never threatened any English businessmen of
Madanlal
Dhingra once lived here.
Having decided
on his mission, Dhingra left India House to show that he disagreed with
Savarkar. He took lodgings with Mrs Harris at the above address after Easter of
1909. In July 1908, he joined the National Indian Association, which was trying
to discourage Indian students from the militant path. Important British
dignitaries attended their functions. Dhingra denounced Savarkar and other revolutionaries
in the company of appropriate persons. He was soon trusted by Miss Emma
Josephine Beck, the secretary of the National Indian Association, and came to
know the timings of visits of important English guests attending various
functions. Eventually the opportunity came and Dhingra took full advantage of
it.
When produced
before Mr Hoarce Smith the Magistrate of Westminster Police Court, Dhingra
said, " I do not plead for mercy: nor do I recognise your authority over
me. ….. " Dhingra was committed to the sessions.
Dhingra
bluntly asked in the Court, "...If the Germans have no right to rule over
England what right have the English got to rule over India ? " Savarkar
wrote that during the trial Indians were not allowed inside the court.
In his
last days, Dhingra had wished that his clothes, books and other belongings
should be sold and the money thus raised be given to the National Fund.
However, these were confiscated by the Metropolitan Police (of
In 1992, The
Government of India issued a 1 Rupee postal stamp in honour of Madanlal
Dhingra.
Tilak lived
here from August to November 1919. He went to the British Parliament to testify
on behalf of the Home Rule League of India. He also met Mr Chintaman
Dwarakanath or C.D.Deshmukh who stood first in the Indian Civil Service (ICS)
examination. But he was not sure whether he should join in the Civil Service or
join in freedom movement. He sought advise of Tilak. He told Deshmukh, "
Everyone is not cut out for politics. After independence, we will require
capable and experienced administrators. So, do join in the Indian Civil Service."
Deshmukh
became Finance Minister in Nehru's cabinet in 1952.
Please note
that the houses here are given odd numbers on the one side and even numbers on
the other.
Story of the plaque
When Tilak’s
birth centenary was celebrated in 1956, it was decided to make attempts to
erect a Blue Plaque on
In 1960, even
40 years after death of Tilak, there was strong opposition to a memorial to
him. On 14 November 1960 The Times (of
A proposal by
the L.C.C (London County Council) to erect a plaque to the Indian nationalist
leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak has aroused resentment among Conservative members of
the council. A decision on the proposal will be taken by the Town and Country
Planning Committee of the council at their meeting today.
Bal Gangadhar
Tilak died in 1920. The inscription on the proposed plaque on a house in
Mr Harold
Monteflore, the Conservative deputy chief whip in the council, said at the
weekend that Tilak had been imprisoned for publishing seditious literature. He
stayed at the house for only two months when he came in
On 15 November
1960 The Times (of
London County
Council Town Planning Committee decided by 12 votes to four yesterday to erect
a commemorative plaque to Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the Indian nationalist leader,
at public expense on a house in Talbot Road, Paddington. The conservative
members of the committee who had all voted against the proposal then invoked
the minority order to ensure that no action is taken on this proposal until the
council meets next Tuesday, when the matter will be debated in public.]
A plaque was
eventually fixed on this house by the London County Council (LCC) in 1961. It
was unveiled by President Kwame Nkrumah of
Sadly, in
1975, the Westminster City Council purchased this and a number of adjoining
houses. Numbers 42 to 106 were all pulled down to make way for flats. The plaque
was returned to the GLC. At present, house numbers 57 to 97 are intact. There
is a public park in front of the houses 57 to 67.
Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel lived here from October 1910 to February 1913, while studying
to become a Barrister at the
Lokamanya
Tilak stayed in
Chirol was the
editor of the foreign department of The Times. He was deputed to
Tilak was in
jail in
Hearing began
on 29 January 1919 and finished on 21 February 1919. In reality, the case became a battle between
Tilak and Government of India, Sir Chirol being merely a symbolic target.
The Judge in
his summing up observed that he did not think he had ever tried a more serious
case having regard to its possible public consequences.
On 21 February
after a deliberation of only 27 minutes, the Jury declared a verdict in favour
of Sir Chirol. Tilak realised that it was futile to appeal. Sir John Simon, who
headed the Simon Commission in 1929, represented Tilak in this case. He too
advised against an appeal.
However, in
his book ‘Indian Unrest’, Chirol quite appropriately stated on page 41, “ if
any one can claim to be truly the father of Indian Unrest, it is Bal Gangadhar
Tilak “ This amounted to a great honour indeed. Tilak’s true worth was
recognised by his arch enemy. Unfortunately, the negative publicity received
during the libel case, badly affected Tilak’s appearance in British Parliament
in August 1919.
The court case
cost Tilak dearly. Cost of studying the brief alone was 4,000 pounds ( 66,000
pounds at 1998 prices ). Barristers fees were 400 pounds / day ( 6,600 pounds
at 1998 prices ). He was also ordered to pay legal costs of Sir Chirol. A total
bill of 14,000 pounds ( 231,000 pounds at 1998 prices ), a staggering sum
indeed. People in
+++++
First World War
had ended on 11 November 1918. In April 1919, Tilak had prepared a
representation to be submitted to the Peace Conference on behalf of
Afterwards,
Tilak spent his time in establishing contacts with British politicians and
waited till the Home Rule and Congress deputations arrived in
Tilak donated
2,000 pounds ( 33,000 pounds at 1998 prices ) to the Labour Party. However,
there was landslide victory for the Tories in the General Elections.
Rowlatt Act
was passed in
Tilak visited
the Royal Asiatic Society Library on many occasions.
Tilak visited
He left
History of the
plaque.
As we saw
earlier, the owner of above house refused his permission to erect a plaque in
1956. However, 20 years later there was a new owner. After removal of the
commemorative plaque on
A
commemorative plaque was eventually fixed on this house by the English
Heritage. The unveiling ceremony was held on 29 October 1988, because it was
the 70th anniversary of the day on which Tilak took up residence in
this house. Tilak's grandson Jayantrao Tilak
and great grandson Deepak J Tilak came from Mumbai especially for the
ceremony.
A large
gathering was present when Jayantrao Tilak unveiled the plaque, including
Deputy Lord Mayor of
The unveiling
ceremony was followed by a reception at the Old Hall of Lincoln’s
Speaking on
behalf of English Heritage, Mr Norman Howard gave an account of the events and
preparations leading to the erection of the plaque.
( In June 1984
I had publicly thanked Mr Howard for his assistance in erecting a plaque on 65
Cromwell Avenue, in the name of Veer Savarkar )
Councillor Mr
Pendse, former
****
The plaque has
been fixed to the side of the house as there was already a plaque on the front
wall fixed by the London County Council. It reads
Antonio
Giovanni
Canaletto
1697 – 1766
Artist
Worked from a studio
on this site
1746-1755
One needs to
go to number
----------
* Born 23 May
1852.
* Joined as a
Clerk in the Foreign Office 1872.
* Became
correspondent for the Standard and visited
* He became
correspondent of the Times in 1892 and was posted to
* Chirol first
visited
* Morley
frequently consulted Chirol on Morley-Minto reforms programme.
* Chirol
retired from the Foreign Desk of the Times in 1912 aged 60, after nearly
12 years
* He was
knighted in 1912 for his services to
He sat on
Royal Commission on Indian Public Services for two cold seasons – 1912/13 and
1913/14. The Commission issued its report in 1916.
* Chirol died
on
------------ Updated
on