The British government had decided to send all prisoners serving life sentences to Andeman Island jail notoriously called Kalapaani. The political and revolutionary type prisoners were specially sent there to isolate them from the main land. Savarkar was also earmarked for Kalapaani.
Along with other prisoners Savarkar was sent to Madras by train. A ship was anchored there to take the prisoners to the Island.
Savarkar was put in a small fire boat along with some Tamil officials.
One of them asked, “How active are Indian revolutionaries in Britain?”
“I have been in Indian jails for a long time. How do I know about what is happening in England?” Savarkar replied.
“Well, in the assassination of Nasik collector there were supposed be four persons.”
Savarkar laughed, “Why don’t you include a few more people to make it a party?”
Just then the boat reached the steamer.
The steamer had capacity of only 25 passengers but it was packed with 50 prisoners. Savarkar saw that they were all prisoners of Thane. Many of them were hardened criminals but they were sobbing. Going to a far off Island jail was a frightening idea for them. Some were trying to console them. Then, one of them saw Savarkar and recognised him.
He squealed, ‘‘Look, who is there? It is our Barrister Saheb! He is going there for life but he is cheerful. Why can’t you people be brave like him?”
In Thane prison some visitors used to address Savarkar as Barrister Saheb. That is why the prisoner was calling him Barrister Saheb. The sobbing prisoners stared at Savarkar.
The ship reached Port Blair on 4th June, 1911. The prisoners were led to the Cellular Jail of Andeman. The gate of the jail was open in anticipation. Once the prisoners were inside the jail compound the gates shut with clattering sound.
The incharge of the Kalapaani jail was an Englishman named Barry. He was massively built intimidating character. Very stout and strong, he was. The prisoners were in awe of him.
Savarkar was led in flanked by two guards. The announcement was made that the jail incharge Barry would talk to them. The prisoners cowered. But the announcement made no impression on Savarkar.
Barry arrived and he growled to the guards who were holding Savarkar, “ Guards! Why do you hold that youngman? Leave him. He is no dangerous creature.”
He was staring at Savarkar.
“Are you the same one who had jumped into the sea from the ship?” Barry questioned.
“Yes sir,” Savarkar answered.
“Well, don’t take me for an Englishman. In fact, I am an Irishman. I also fought against the British to liberate my country. But I found that revolutions and rebellions are useless exercises. You should also give up militant exercises. It won’t get you freedom,” Barry advised.
“I have spent some time in England and several Englishmen are my friends inspite of my being anti-British militant. But you are an Irish. You should have naturally made friends with us,” Savarkar
said.
“It pains me to see a popular youngman like you here as a prisoner.”
“You can’t change the fate.”
“Well, I should not be concerned with your history. Here you are a prisoner in my charge. You must obey all the jail rules and regulations. If you try to escape either we will shoot you or some beast will make you its meal,” Barry warned.
“I know the rules, Mr. Barry,” Savarkar answered and revealed, “I have read the Jail Manual.”
“Very good. Cooperate with me and you will be happy.” Barry patted the shoulder of Savarkar and ordered Zamadar to put Savarkar in the cell number seven.
Savarkar was shut in the cell no. 7. His cell was guarded by ferocious Pathan prisoners.
Days went by with Savarkar being given a chance to take bath. He complained to Zamadar. He was informed, “There is that pool over there which is filled with sea water. Go and take bath. Here is your Langot. Always wear it.”
Savarkar went and took a dip in the pool. The water was ice cold. He shivered.
There were several Englishman in Port Blair and adjoining areas who had heard stories about Savarkar and his adventures. They wanted to meet the adventurous character named Savarkar. They requested Barry to let them meet Savarkar.
Barry obliged. He took the group to Savarkar’s cell and whispered to him, “For them I am jailor. The don’t know that I am friendly with you. Keep up the impression of my being strict jailor.”
The Englishmen’s party spent some time with Savarkar and talked to him. Then, they went back.
The most of the jail authorities and prisoners considered Savarkar a dangerous person and treated him like that. There were some prisoners who had been Savarkar’s jail mates in Indian prisons. They had great respect for him. Some of them worshipped him. He was their hero. On several matters they consulted him and sought his advice.
One day a 1857 uprising prisoner came to Savarkar. Savarkar respectfully paid his obeisance to the old warrior. It overwhelmed the old man and tears rolled off his eyes. He could say nothing as his throat was choked with emotions. The old man blessed Savarkar and retreated.
Savarkar suffered from breathing trouble. Once he broke some regulation and as a punishment assigned the task of pounding coconut shell pieces. Soon he began panting but he continued to pound regardless. His hands started bleeding. English wardens watched in satisfaction.
One other time, Savarkar had an argument with an abusive English official who was in the habit of loathing Indians. Savarkar was again punished by getting yoked to Kolhu (Indian oil extruding set up driven by bull) and made to pull-operate it like a beast. The sadistic officers would often whip him to make him work faster. While he toiled on like a beast of burden the white authorities spat invectives at him.
Savarkar fell down and fainted several times but no medical help was called. The other prisoners were also suffering the brutalities of the British officers. Fed up with the life of tortures a prisoner named Inder Bhushan committed suicide. It pained Savarkar. He understood the trauma of the dead one because he was himself suffering that fate made worse by the fact that he came from intellectual background, unaccustomed to physical mind. But Savarkar never thought to taking his life to escape tortures. He was resolved to stay alive and carry on his battle against the whitemen.
One day Barry visited the cell of a political prisoner opposite Savarkar’s cell. Barry treated the prisoner to dirty abuses. The politician did not retaliate. Savarkar watched on and tried to keep up the morale of the politician by giving some victory signals. Barry went away. The politician stood broken and humiliated.
Savarkar consoled him, “I saw you receiving the abuses helplessly. But being your countryman I take those abuses as used for me. After all I am your brother. So, you need not feel small in my presence. It is testing time for us all. Ignore the abuses of Barry because he is full of ego. We all are helpless here. We must bear with all the humiliations heaped upon us. But remember, the day will come when they will instal idols of politicians like you and worship them. This place will become pilgrim centre of freedom fighters. Our countrymen will recount how we suffered physical and mental tortures for the sake of the freedom of the country.”
The politician said, “Will that day ever come? Are you sure about it?”
“I am as sure as death,” Savarkar announced.
Savarkar’s brother Ganesh too had been shifted to Cellular Jail of Andeman. Ganesh too had gone through the tortures, brutalities and ill treatments of the British. Savarkar had come to know that his elder brother was in Cellular Jail but Ganesh was not keeping well. One day his condition deteriorated. He had a severe headache.
But jail authorities didn’t send him to the hospital. The news saddened Savarkar.
He complained to the Jail Superintendent, “My brother is sick. Why don’t you send him to the hospital for medical care?”
The Superintendent retorted, “Forget about your brother. You should care for your own. You have no right to meddle in the affairs of others.”
The officer went to Zamadars and gave them a blast, “You are not keeping a careful watch on the prisoners. Be on guard. How does prisoner of a cell get to know about the illness of the prisoner of another cell? Only you can tell about these things. Due to your carelessness illness of Ganesh is known to all the other prisoners. How is it possible unless you are indulging in loose talk or serving as messengers? This time I am forgiving you but you will not be allowed any consideration next time. I warn you all.”
Meanwhile, Savarkar thought of a way to meet his brother, Ganesh. With the help of a cooperative warden he stepped out of his cell when other prisoners were going to render account of their labour in jail. Savarkar slipped in with them. When Ganesh was submitting his work account Savarkar caught sight of him. Ganesh too happened to spot Savarkar. It shocked Ganesh.
He asked, “How come you here?”
Then, the warden panicked. He was afraid of being found out helping out Savarkar. So, he dragged away Savarkar from the scene. Ganesh was able to send a letter to his younger brother he had so much hope from him. The letter read in the end—‘When did you come from Paris? What will happen to the mission you had undertaken? I can’t understand what is going on’.
The letter emotionally disturbed Savarkar. He understood the pain of his brother. Ganesh had put so much faith in his younger brother Savarkar to achieve something spectacular towards the liberation of the country from the foreign rule. He was going through all those torments in the consoling thought that his brother Savarkar was out there battling for the country. Finding him in jail was shattering for Ganesh.
Savarkar wrote to his brother trying to resurrect his faith in words—‘The travails we are going though is our fortune. We must not lose hope in any condition. Present setbacks are part of the struggle. We can’t afford to be sorry. I have advised others to serve the country. I can’t think of doing anything else. Success will come only after going through a lot of hardships and making sacrifices. Fame or notoriety are fated things. But I think so far we have passed the tests. We are enduring the prison life bravely. It is our duty to carry on the battle and not let ourselves be demoralised.’
The Cellular Jail had cut the prisoners off the outside world. It was very difficult to get the news from home or the mainland. The prisoners were allowed to send letters to their near and dear ones only once a year. The letters were sent only after censor by the jail authorities.
Every month new prisoners arrived in the jail from the mainland. Those new arrivals were eagerly awaited by the prisoners of Cellular Jail because the new prisoners brought news about the country and the latest developments in the outside world.
There was a political prisoner from Uttar Pradesh named Hotilal Verma who was serving ten years for treason against British government. He was fluent in Hindi, English and Urdu. During a strike in Cellular Jail by the prisoners he had played a lead role and made things miserable for the authorities. Hence, the jail officials had shut him in confinement cell for a long period. He had seen all the atrocities beings wreaked on the prisoners by the authorities. He carefully penned down all the tortures, torments and atrocities suffered by the hopeless prisoners. He added his cell number and signature to the accounts. Another prisoner hid those papers for him. Later, he put all the papers in an envelop and sent it to the address given by Hotilal Verma.
The envelope reached to Surendra Nath Bannerjee who was a patriotic journalist working for ‘The Bengali’ newspaper. The newspaper printed Hotilal Verma’s accounts on the front page and the editorial condemned the jail authorities for their ill treatment of the prisoners. The Government authorities picked up the news story and referred it to Cellular Jail officials at Andeman. It infuriated the Jail authorities and all hell broke loose.
A fuming Barry marched to the cell of Hotilal Verma and started abusing him. His fury was a clear proof that the effort of Verma to tell the outside world about the goings on in the Cellular Jail had succeeded. He didn’t mind the abuses of Barry because it reflected his victory.
Then, Barry walked to Savarkar’s cell and revealed, “The British government has confiscated ‘The Bengali’ newspaper of Calcutta”.
Savarkar didn’t believe him. So, he said in plain voice, “It is not possible. I think you are mistaken.”
Barry didn’t comment. He went away stomping in furious mood.
Most of the employees of the Cellular Jail were Muslims and of Pathan origin. That was the trick of the British authorities to put Hindus and Muslims in opposite situations to keep alive the communal divide. The jail prisoners were taken to the docks whenever a cargo ship arrived to work them as porters to off load the goods. After off loading the prisoners were given Lai and Chana for eating. The Muslim employees of the jail were assigned the job of distributing the food. The authorities knew that the caste Hindus would not eat anything touched by a Muslim. Thus often Hindu prisoners starved after doing work. This situation worried Savarkar. He worked out a scheme.
He told Hindus, “It you touch anything by invoking the mantra ‘Om Namo Shivaya’ all the impurities would be cleansed even if it may be touched by Muslims.”
That simple solution worked. Savarkar said, “Whatever is happening it is by the will of God. So it will be in the future also.”
