Context:
Recently, Prime Minister paid homage to Shri Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his birth anniversary.
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar:
- Born – May 28, 1883, in Bhagur, Maharashtra.
- Founded Abhinav Bharat Society in 1904 to spread revolutionary ideals.
- Advocated armed resistance against British rule.
- Arrested for links to the India House in London, leading to his imprisonment in the Andaman Cellular Jail (1911–1924).
- Coined the term Hindutva in his book ‘Essentials of Hindutva’ (1923).
- Advocated a cultural nationalism that influenced modern Indian politics.
- Became President of the Hindu Mahasabha in 1937.
- Opposed Congress’s appeasement policies towards minorities.
- Famous works –
- ‘The First War of Indian Independence’ (1909).
- ‘Essentials of Hindutva’ (1923).
Source: BS
Previous Year Question
During the Indian Freedom Struggle, who of the following raised an army called ‘Free Indian Legion’?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2008 Prelims]
(a) Lala Hardayal
(b) Rashbehari Bose
(c) Subhas Chandra Bose
(d) V.D. Savarkar
Answer: (c)