Even the greatest leaders have negative aspects, because they are humans. If to be a role model one has to be faultless, then no Indian leader - not even Gandhiji - will satisfy Bipin Chandra's criteria.
Of course Savarkar had his faults, but offering an apology is certainly not one of them. Many revolutionaries offered apologies to secure their release and then promptly went back to their patriotic activities.
Savarkar was a Hindu nationalist, and has certainly contributed in certain ways to the communal divide in the Indian national movement which led to partition. But he was a great inspiration for so many, including Bhagat Singh, probably the greatest revolutionary leader India has ever known.
Historians like Bipin Chandra would do better to point out that Savarkar opposed the RSS all his life. His vision of Hinduism was far broader, better and more humanistic than theirs. The very fact that he was an atheist shows this.
The RSS in turn, abused Savarkar as long as he lived, but is now trying to appropriate his legacy as theirs. This should not be allowed, and the Bipin Chandras of this world should use their considerable scholarship to demonstrate how Savarkar was anti-RSS and how the RSS was anti-Savarkar, and expose their opportunism and lack of principles.
If J.N.Nehru who had an affair with a white lady during freedom struggle could be the role model and even occupy India's highest office why not Savarkar ?
Interveiwing persons like Mr.Bipan chandra seems to be waste of time.How he can be called as a historian is strange thing.may be he got a forgery certificate in being calling as so.Or may be his age which made him imbalanced person. What quality he is having in critisising the gaint Veer Savarkar who kept his whole life for this country.May be the luxuries what Bipan is enjoying might have forced him to give such meaningless statements.
I find that the author Mr. Bipinchandra is being highly unjust with Savarkar and his contribution to the freedon struggle. Bipinchandra doesnt deserve to be a person with the authority to talk about Savarkar on his shortcomings and thus being critical about Savarkar's efforts. Its pity on him that even being present with Savarkar, he couldn't see what he should have seen. He doesn't seem to have 'studied' Savarkar in detail, otherwise he couldn't have expressed the views, which he did in this perticular interview.And as a matter of fact, it seems that he doesn't even know the Gandhi stream in depth.
Need to find out truth! Our politicians should not try to give color to every thing as wishful thinking. New generation has a right to know truth. No matter what it is?
Despite carefully reading this article, let me tell this Mr. Bipin Chandra, that Savarkar is still my role model. What Savarkar has done for the country has no parallel least of all the class A prisoners of the time.
