SAVARKAR FROM THE MEMOIRS OF M. Asaf Ali, a prominent leader of Muslim Nationalist Party, and also of Congress. He was jailed in Ahmednagar Fort during the Quit India movement along with other Congress leaders.
He met Savarkar in London which he frequented as an ICS aspirant.
He remembers Savarkar as a very impactful orator, with rather careless English.
In another incident, he remembers Savarkar's dazzling speech on Rama vs Ravana & Righteousness vs Unrighteousness, when 'Mr. Gandhi' was the guest of honour.
He describes Savarkar as the embodient of “the spirit of Shivaji” and again describes his oratory brilliance.
He says that young Savarkar was better orator than almost everyone he'd listened to.
His description of Dhingra's assassination of Curzon Wylie:
Dhingra was of reserved nature in general, and the news that he'd assassinated Curzon Wylie came as an shock to someone who frequented India House.
Post-assassination Savarkar got a copy of Madanlal Dhingra's fiery statement published in newspaper.
Savarkar & his group also dissented at a meeting held ot denounce Dhingra & his act. Asaf Ali provides his description of the event.
You can read the description of the same meeting from Savarkar's writings here : .
Also, do read snippets from Dhingra's statement which was confiscated by Raj :
The description of further events - dispersal of Savarkar's group at India house, his arrest & plans to rescue him & finally ending in Cellular Jail is bland, as it is largely from 2nd person pov.
Vikram Sampath's book on Savarkar has a very good description of these incidents.
Interestingly he doesn't mention that Savarkar got free from the Cellular Jail as part of general clemency after his *clemency petition*.
“Following appeals by Gandhiji & C.F. Andrews among others, Savarkar was brought back to mainland in 1921 and kept in prison at Ratnagiri.”
Asaf Ali accompanied Maulana Azad in the Congress delegation to Cripps mission.
He went to become an eminent lawyer, fighting the INA trial case, & held several important posts in Independent India.
Before this thread, I wrote another thread in which I mistook M. Asaf Ali as his wife Aruna Asaf Ali. I apologise for the same.
But the point I wanted to make - that socialist, member of CPI - Aruna Asaf Ali - was 'pro-Savarkar' was right, as illustrated below.
1. She admired Savarkar's book on 1857 and quoted it in her speeches.
2. She found nothing wrong Savarkar's stance as leader of Hindu Mahasabha.
3. Her husband remembered Savarkar not a a Hindu communalist, rather admired him as a revolutionary.
All images are from "M. Asaf Ali's Memoirs: The Emergence of Modern India by G. N. S. Raghavan and Asaf Ali".
Last tweet's image is from Vaibhav Purandare's "Savarkar : The True Story of the Father of Hindutva"
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