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From political rallies to television debates to drawing room conversations, the Maharashtra state Assembly elections seems to be dead rubber. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who died in 1966, an election issue in 2019 and a lot of the media as well as the opposition seem to have fallen for the trap. However, there are enough issues which the opposition could have capitalised on the voter dissatisfaction. But as the campaign comes to a close, the dispirited opposition failed to offer even an alternate narrative, and has showed much less gusto in providing leadership against the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government in the state. As the leaders dwell on the glories of the past, the state’s population, which is reeling between drought and deluge, is worried about their future. These are some of the issues in which the people of Maharashtra have suffered under the current establishment. Auto sector slowdown hits Chakan in Pune Maharashtra has been one of the worst victims of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/slowdown-plunges-august-auto-sales-to-lowest-since-1997-98/articleshow/71055961.cms">economic slowdown</a>. In Pune, hundreds of thousands have lost jobs in the auto sales drop resulted in slashing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-auto-manufacturers-have-laid-off-350000-jobs-in-four-months/articleshow/70563890.cms">millions of jobs </a>of both temporary and permanent workers. Auto sector employees who are amongst the most well compensated of blue collar workers, are now roaming around in the auto hub of Chakan in Pune—doing<a href="https://theprint.in/economy/in-pune-auto-hub-an-engineer-is-selling-paan-another-is-roaming-around-with-his-cv/290816/"> menial jobs</a>. Former Congress party president Rahul Gandhi was one of the few to point out to the issue. He commented that Modi is showing youth the moon taking a dig at Chandrayaan 2 mission, even as the auto sector “remained shattered”. BJP, in its manifesto, however promised one crore jobs to people, but lacks details on how they plan to reverse the situation, which only seems to be worsening. Burdened with loans and low support prices-farmers resort to suicides Farmers are in no better position either. In the last five years, around 16,000 farmers have committed suicides said <a href="https://www.timesnownews.com/india/maharashtra-news/elections/article/people-suffered-worst-16000-farmers-committed-suicide-over-the-past-five-years-under-sena-bjp-sharad-pawar/504721">Sharad Pawar</a>, the leader Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at his election rally in Anushakti Nagar. The septuagenarian criticized the government for not waiving loans of farmers who are hit by drought, even as thousands of crores to corporates are being written off as non-performing assets. The state government did waive off loans but it covered only 30% of the affected. These last five years have been tough for farmers in the state as they claim to be hurt by its policies which did not increase the minimum support prices. Around 15,000 farmers marched from Nasik to Mumbai not once but twice in the last five years—asking the government for aid. In fact, in a shocking protest in 2017, the state’s farmers emptied milk onto the streets leaving the government red faced. The state has a new crime capital in Nagpur The state also has another problem that is ballooning—increasing crime in Nagpur. The constituency of the ruling chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has turned notorious for organized and unorganized crime. On an average, over 700 cases are registered in the city which shares a border with Madhya Pradesh. Apart from increased organized crime and racketeering, the city has also<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/cops-got-cracking-to-remove-nagpurs-crime-capital-tag/articleshow/71283462.cms"> turned infamous</a> for prostitution, murder and attempted murder cases, amongst others. Fadnavis has been trying to turn around the extensive crime using stringent laws against anti-social elements. This started in 2015, but there has only been a slight change in the number of crimes. Mumbai’s creaky infrastructure Mumbai and its suburbs too have been many burning problems for which India the opposition provided only lip service to. The repeated lack of preparation leading to loss of lives during flood, which is a predictable annual occurrence in the city, has been a major source of discontent. The city’s commute has worsened in the last few years as metro and other construction have weighed only the already-snaking traffic. Even if one were to look at it as a temporary pain towards a better, it does not help that even the roads are filled with potholes. The Aarey Colony mess As the state approved the chopping of over 2,000 trees for the construction of a metro car shed at Aarey colony, a large citizen protest ensued but never turned into the poll issue it could have been. The protesting citizens were defeated in a court case and it sure left a bad aftertaste for those who detested the chopping of trees amidst a rising awareness around the terrible impact on the environment it would have. The protests were also diluted by a large number of people who came in support of the metro car shed as it would make commuting easier for millions of Mumbaikars. The opposition parties were conspicuous in their absence on ground over the issue and thus, it never took a political dimension. The dynasty debut The issues which find a pulse with young voters could have been handled by a young politician <a href="https://scroll.in/article/940621/behind-the-aditya-thackeray-campaign-in-mumbai-is-the-quiet-work-done-by-another-shiv-sainik">like Aditya Thackeray </a>from the state’s most-popular political family. But, seven years after the demise of the charismatic Bala Saheb Thackeray, his successors, including Aditya’s father Uddhav, have lacked Bala Saheb’s gravitas. Instead, Aditya got ridiculed for sporting a lungi, a South Indian attire, as his detractors cited his grandfather’s attacks on South Indian migrants a few decades. He was also caught on the wrong foot endorsing the <a href="https://rajkaran.com/aadtiya-thackeray-gets-trolled-for-his-mumbai-best-aahe-tweet/">BEST bus service</a>, and his refusal to address issues like a toddler <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/mumbai-news/video-shows-rescue-operation-of-mumbai-boy-who-fell-in-drain-2-days-ago-2068380">slipping down the </a>drain--did not go down well with the electorate. An acid test for the BJP government The politicians of the ruling party which is the BJP and Shiv Sena combine, seem to be taking it slow on campaigning this year. In fact, the CM Fadnavis also said that there is no<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/pehelwans-panzies-and-nikammas-maharashtra-elections-rallies-keep-the-drama-high/articleshow/71610174.cms"> pehelwan or a great opponent</a> this time. A lot more believe that this state election is a foregone conclusion mostly because the Parliamentary elections in April and May this year have shown that there is a strong BJP wave. Yet, a lot has changed since Modi came to power the second time. For one, the economic slowdown has become a grim reality and painful reality—which the central government has been slow to react to. Maharashtra’s election outcomes often mirror the general elections that have preceded them in recent years but surprises are born out of complacency. But for that, there has to be a credible intent, palpable energy, and effective communication from the opposition.

Maharashtra state elections 2019: These are the issues the opposition could have capitalised on but didn’t

Telecom Minister <keyword id="6354886" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ravi-Shankar-Prasad">Ravi Shankar Prasad</keyword> on Monday hit out at British telco Vodafone for "dictating" terms to India when it threatened of withdrawing from the Indian market following a SC ruling. He also said Mahanagar Telecom Nagar Ltd and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd are strategic assets that should remain in the fray and ensure better competition. After the Supreme Court's ruling on the adjusted gross revenues (AGR) that created a liability of Rs 1.4 lakh crore for telecom firms, Vodafone's global leadership had cast doubts over the future of the company in India.
 "I don't appreciate this kind of statement, firmly and clearly. We have given all the options of doing business but no one should dictate terms to us. India is a sovereign country," Prasad said while speaking at the Times Network's India Economic Conclave.
 "India is a sovereign country, we are open to give all the benefits, all the indulgence, all the help, open to all the suggestions. But, any form of dictation is plainly not acceptable," the minister added.
 Prasad welcomed the explanation given by the company, wherein it had said those remarks were misquoted.
 He said the government has given a potential benefit of up to Rs 42,000 crore by agreeing to defer the spectrum repayment period for the telcos and expressed an inability to do anything beyond that.
 State-owned companies such as GAIL and RailTel Corporation of India have also made representation to the ministry.
 Prasad exhorted the private sector telcos to provide flawless service with enriching customer experience by making the right investments.
 Meanwhile, on the Citizenship Amendment Act-related protests, Prasad said the violence "is regrettable and is also sponsored".
 He also said, "Some people are trying to provoke communal violence. Political parties have to rise beyond petty politics."
 He also decried Rahul Gandhi's statement on Veer Savarkar over the weekend, terming it as "irresponsible and deliberate denigration of a great son of india". See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-airtel-and-vodafone-idea-face-more-financial-burden/articleshow/72513282.cms">Three reasons why the Indian telecom sector's troubles went from bad to worse in the last 24 hours</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/the-telecom-sectors-roller-coaster-over-the-past-four-years/articleshow/71755349.cms">The telecom sector's roller coaster over the past four years</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/reliance-jio-and-mukesh-ambani-have-unlimited-money-says-airtel-top-boss-sunil-mittal/articleshow/72485785.cms">Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio has ‘unlimited’ access to finance, says Airtel top boss Sunil Mittal in his clarion call for government support</a>

India's telecom minister hits out at Vodafone for 'dictating' terms

<ul><li>Despite having zero Covid-19 cases, people here continue to take precautions like wearing masks.</li><li><keyword id="1802935" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Havelock-Island">Havelock Island</keyword> not only offers some stunning beaches, but it also has some of the top diving destinations in the country.</li><li>If you are hankering for some serious digital detox there is no better place than Havelock - there is limited to zero connectivity on the island.</li></ul> Earlier this month, Dr. Niveditha Vasireddy, a psychiatrist from Visakhapatnam, travelled to the <keyword id="54020" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Andaman-and-Nicobar-Islands">Andaman and Nicobar Islands</keyword>. The archipelago, of around 300 islands in the Indian Ocean, is a Union Territory of India, which if you look at the map seems closer to Thailand and Myanmar than to India. She tells Business Insider, not able to control her excitement, how she has never imagined experiencing such clean and untouched white sandy beaches in India. "I mean, you can expect such an experience in countries like the Philippines, but in India... my mind was blown,” she says. <div type="image" title="Elephant beach, Havelock" msid="81127084" hostid="261"></div> The picturesque white sandy beaches of the <keyword id="162996" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Andaman-Islands">Andaman Islands</keyword> are not considered by most as an option for a beach vacation. And perhaps it is for the best, because as is the case with most popular tourist destinations, the more touristy they become, the more we expose the location to environmental risks. But if responsible tourism is your jam, and you do not mind paying a little more money for a truly magical experience, then the Andaman Islands is the place to visit. Dr. Vasireddy, along with a few friends, decided to ditch the idea of vacationing in Goa and chose a place where they can get away from it all — plus, there was the added advantage of the location being COVID-free. In fact, it was the first place in India with zero<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/andaman-and-nicobar-islands-indias-first-to-be-covid-free/articleshow/80657352.cms"> active cases</a> as of 03 February 2021. Regardless of the fact, she was pleasantly surprised that people on the Island continue to take safety very seriously and said all the locals were wearing face masks. In case you forget to wear yours, they will politely inform you that if you don't, you will get 'challand’ (a challan). Please note that it is mandatory to present an RTPCR Covid negative test at <keyword id="107932" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PORT-BLAIR">Port Blair</keyword>. The authorities validate the test against the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) website. Only once the validity is confirmed do the officials stamp the document, and without this stamped paper, you will not be allowed to take the ferry to any of the Islands. Flights from all major cities of the country, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi, land at the capital Port Blair. <div type="image" title="Havelock Island" msid="81128095" hostid="261"></div> HAVELOCK ISLAND The island not only offers some stunning beaches, but it also has some of the top diving destinations in the country. It is an excellent place to learn deep-sea diving so that you can explore the underwater marvels. Havelock Island is one of the few places where inexperienced divers can try out a single dive instead of signing up for a full course. The water is teeming with tropical fish, sea turtles, stingrays and much more. It also has a healthy population of colourful live corals. The best part is that you don't need to be a swimmer to try scuba diving. The crystal blue waters are so clear that you can always opt for snorkelling if you want to skip scuba diving. There is also an excellent night kayaking expedition that takes you through the mangroves. The unreal experience of watching the water bioluminescence below and the sky filled stars above cannot be paralleled. <div type="image" title="scuba diving, Havelock" msid="81126940" hostid="261"></div> There is so much to see in Havelock that it is best to hire a bike or cycle. But we must warn you that while happily cruising on well-made tar roads you may land up literally nowhere. "Some (roads) took us to beaches and others just abruptly ended by fields or the forest," Dr. Vasireddy tells us. <div type="image" title="Roads leading to nowhere, Havelock" msid="81127015" hostid="261"></div> Beaches <keyword id="1578932" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Radhanagar-beach">Radhanagar Beach</keyword> (Beach No.7), Elephant Beach, and Vijaynagar Beach (Beach No.5) are some of the most well-known beaches in Havelock. Radhanagar beach is flanked by the ocean on one side and lush rainforest on the other. This west-facing beach is ideal for catching the sunset. You can also walk down to Neil's Cove, a secluded spot perfect for sunbathing and a spot for swimming in shallow water. <div type="image" title="Sunset at Havelock" msid="81127095" hostid="261"></div> Elephant beach may not be easy to get to, but the beauty of the place more than makes up for the effort. The beach features some bleached driftwood and logs that provide an excellent backdrop for a photo-op. This is also an ideal place to go snorkelling. Vijaynagar beach is where the buzz is. This is where most of the restaurants, hotels and snorkelling centres are situated. The beach faces east and is, therefore, a great place to catch the sunrise. However, because the water is shallow and strewn with rocks, swimming here is not the easiest. <div type="image" title="Red snapper grilled in lemon pepper sauce with rice and roasted potatoes" msid="81127169" hostid="261"></div> Food The local food, if idyllic surroundings are not enough, is usually a combination of Indian and continental cuisine that is absolutely delicious. Dr. Vasireddy recommends - Fat Martin's Cafe in Vijaynagar that serves south Indian food including a delicious Nutella dosa; Anju Coco that strangely enough serves the "best biriyani”; Something Different serves excellent continental seafood pizza and amazing desserts; Moonlight Cafe is great for seafood. The restaurants here are a seafood lovers paradise, serving up a fantastic variety of fresh red snappers, calamari, prawns, and so much more. That being said, there are plenty of vegetarian options too. Accommodation There are plenty of hotels to choose from high-end Taj Hotels to more affordable options like Wild Orchid, SilverSand Beach Resort, Munjoh Ocean Resort and Symphony Palms Beach Resort. The hotels are clean, and most are environmentally conscious. Most hotels and restaurants on the Island provide only RO water and not plastic bottles, as is sadly the norm elsewhere. And if you choose to buy water, the local stores have nothing smaller than 2-litre bottles to reduce the amount of plastic used. <div type="image" title="Bambooka, the government ferry" msid="81127801" hostid="261"></div> How to get there From Port Blair, the best way to get to Havelock is by ferry. The government ferry from Port Blair to Havelock takes around 2.5 hours but please note that the outside deck area has no seating, so you will have to bring something to place on the floor to sit on. The booking process is slightly cumbersome, but you can get a travel agent to take care of everything, which will still be cheaper than private options. MV Makruzz and Coastal Cruise are the private companies that ferry people across to the Island. They take around 1.5 hours to get to Havelock. Connectivity If you are hankering for some serious digital detox there is no better place than Havelock. There is limited to no connectivity on the island. BSNL is the only cellular service that works but the network is patchy. Hotels usually provide wi-fi access, but most are limited to the lobby area. <div type="image" title="Port Blair" msid="81127917" hostid="261"></div> PORT BLAIR While Andaman and Nicobar Islands' capital may not seem all that appealing as a tourism destination, there are plenty of places you can visit while here. There is a high probability of you spending the night there since the ferries to the islands do not operate at night. So depending on your flight timing, chances are, one way or the other you will have to stay in Port Blair. If you opt to stay in Port Blair, <keyword id="10800405" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chidiya-Tapu">Chidiya Tapu</keyword> (Bird Island) is an excellent place to explore. The area offers some fabulous diving spots, including Mundapahad, ideal for beginners and the old shipwreck, a site for advanced divers and home to clownfish, schooling snapper, resting ray and lots of colourful corals. If you want to give the water a break, the place is an excellent spot for birdwatching. The mangroves and rainforests here play host to a bunch of migratory birds and flowers. You can also hike to Mundapahad lighthouse. ReefWatch Marine Conservation, in collaboration with Lacadives, offers an informative mangrove walk (when the tide is out) and informs you about the surrounding ecosystem. <div type="image" title="The view from Mt. Harriet" msid="81127981" hostid="261"></div> Dr. Vasireddy decided to stay at the relatively new Big Tree Resort featuring only eight cabins, an in-house restaurant and a supremely friendly dog called Momo. Momo insists all guests should play with him and will bring you a coconut husk that you need to pry out of his mouth and throw so that he can fetch it, thus providing an excellent way to drive away the blues. <div type="image" title="Cellular Jail" msid="81128022" hostid="261"></div> Another site that may be worth a visit, especially if you are a history buff, is the colonial prison called Cellular Jail (Kālā Pānī) that is where most freedom fighters, including Veer Savarkar, were shipped off to before independence. There is an informative light show in the evening and the tour of the jail itself is quite fascinating. <div type="image" title="Limestone Caves" msid="81128047" hostid="261"></div> BARATANG MANGROVE FOREST AND LIMESTONE CAVES To experience the fascinating limestone caves and mangrove forests in <keyword id="5041058" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Baratang-Island">Baratang Island</keyword>, you will have to head to the Jirkatang check post (a little over an hour-long-drive from Port Plair), which marks the beginning of the area where the Jarawa tribes of Andaman Islands live. After the clearance is done, you can drive through Jarawa reserve forest, but note that taking photos is strictly not prohibited. Once you reach the other end, you have to take a ferry to cross the water and arrive at Baratang. Here you can take a permit and board a speedboat to ride through the mangroves and arrive at a trekking spot from where you have to walk for 1.2 km through villages to reach the spectacular limestone caves. The journey may sound daunting, but this is one of the unforgettable experiences you wouldn't want to miss. However, respecting the people's privacy and regulations, particularly of the tribals, is of paramount importance.

Exploring the unreal beauty of the Andaman Islands

In 1906, in a lodging house for Indian students in Highgate, a pleasant area of north London, a young lawyer called Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi dropped in on a law student called Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who happened to be frying prawns at the time. Savarkar offered Gandhi some of his meal; Gandhi, a vegetarian, refused. Savarkar allegedly retorted that only a fool would attempt to resist the British without being fortified by animal protein.
The meeting is said to have begun hostilities between the two young Indian nationalists; whether or not the story is apocryphal, there were real reasons for antipathy.
The two men had very different approaches to the struggle against Britain. Gandhi, who became leader of the Indian National Congress (INC), was a pacifist with an inclusive attitude towards Muslims and Christians. Savarkar, who would lead the Hindu Mahasabha, was a right-wing majoritarian who spawned the idea of hindutva, or Hindu-ness--the belief that the Hindu identity is inseparable from the Indian identity. Congress eclipsed the Mahasabha and, since history belongs to the victors, the story of India's independence movement became one of non-violence. But the strand of thought that Savarkar represented was more important than is generally recognised, and is enjoying a revival.
A member of the Mahasabha broke away to form the paramilitary Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or national volunteer organisation, in 1925, modelled, some say, on the British army. A social rather than explicitly political organisation, it presented itself as the world's largest non-governmental group, in which like-minded, khaki-uniformed men could gather for dawn calisthenics. It recruited boys at an impressionable age, as the Jesuits did, the better to inculcate them with discipline and with passion for the cause. One such was the eight-year-old Narendra Modi. The future prime minister attended training sessions with the RSS, was subsequently inducted as a cadet, and in 1985 was assigned by the RSS to its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which he rose to lead.
Mr Modi is India's strongest leader since Indira Gandhi, and its most controversial. The source of controversy is his failure in 2002, when chief minister of Gujarat, to avert a massacre of Muslims, which opponents attribute to a hostility to Muslims born of the ideology that Savarkar spawned. Mr Modi has never apologised for the massacre, though he said last year that he felt regret over them, as he would at seeing a puppy run over in the street. Nor has he made any attempt to distance himself from the RSS.
The RSS, meanwhile, is becoming more overtly political. Mohan Bhagwat, its current leader, is somewhat in the mould of Savarkar, paraphrasing his beliefs and promoting Hindutva. In August this year Mr Bhagwat directly echoed Savarkar by saying all who live in "Hindustan" are in fact Hindus, whatever Muslims, Christians or secular Hindus might say. More striking, the RSS leader has switched the organisation's methods. Now, far from eschewing party politics, the group has become an enthusiastic and effective actor within it. The RSS's millions of members and volunteers (no one knows just how many active ones there really are) played a big role in electing the BJP by a landslide in 2014. At least 19 ministers in government, including Mr Modi, have a background in the RSS. Its leaders are seconded to senior posts in the party too. So the ideas of the man who inspired the RSS matter more than ever before.
<h3>The naked jumper</h3>
The lawyer described by a British official in 1906 as "a small man with an intelligent face and a nervous manner" does not sound like the muscular hero that Indian nationalists crave, but Savarkar clearly had a certain dash. In 1910, while he was in London, he was charged with conspiring to wage war against the king and with providing weapons used to assassinate a Briton in the Indian civil service, sentenced to two life terms--50 years--in jail and sent back to India. While the steamship "Morea" was berthed in Marseille harbour, he slipped away from his guards, leapt, almost naked, into the sea and swam ashore. Unfortunately for the eulogists, he was promptly caught by French police and bundled back to the ship.
His daring did, however, win him fame, and also created legal history. France's government, annoyed that Britain had overseen an arrest on its territory, wanted Savarkar returned. Britain refused so the matter went to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. It ruled his arrest was indeed "irregular", but decided Savarkar might as well stay in India. The case was one of the earliest heard by the tribunal.
Savarkar's next stop was the Andaman Islands--a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal. This palm-fringed tropical paradise served as a penal colony for the British. Cellular Jail in the capital, Port Blair, is now a memorial for freedom campaigners. In a park opposite stands a row of statues of independence heroes. One is of a slender man with a pinched face behind round spectacles. A pen protrudes from his jacket pocket, one hand rests on a part-furled umbrella and the other wags a finger at the sky. You might mistake him for a prissy bank manager, but a plaque identifies him as Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The park is named after him.
Ranjit Savarkar, his great-nephew, who runs the Savarkar trust, says that he showed great fortitude in jail. A trained yogi, he overcame thoughts of suicide. Other inmates nicknamed him "Barrister Babu", for his London legal training. Already a published historian and poet, he used Cellular Jail to work on his writing--literally: he wrote on its walls. He spent a decade there before being moved to the mainland in 1921. He was subsequently freed, after pledging to keep out of politics--a promise which the ideology he was developing in jail suggests he did not intend to keep.
A fierce nationalist, he adored Guiseppe Mazzini, who fought for the unification of Italy, writing about him in the hope of inspiring resistance to the British in India. Savarkar believed that India is really composed of, and must only be run by, Hindus. In his 1924 book, "Hindutva", he drew on cultural, philosophical and religious practices of ancient Hinduism, a rich faith that allows immense variety in how it is followed. But he also distinguished the ideology of hindutva--an attempt to unite disparate Hindus in a political project--from the religion. He himself was an atheist, and disapproved of aspects of traditional Hindu belief, dismissing cow worship as superstitious--a stance that would upset many today. He was an early outspoken opponent of caste discrimination. In the 1920s and 1930s others among the emerging Indian political elite opposed "untouchability", the rejection as sub-human of those considered "below caste". But Savarkar went further, saying modern India should drop altogether the idea of dividing people by caste.
His attitude towards Muslims, who made up a quarter of the population before partition, and other non-Hindus was less liberal. He regarded them as alien and separate, in effect not as real Indians. He was fiercely opposed to the formation of Pakistan and what his great-nephew calls the "appeasement" of Muslims. He believed that they, along with the Europeans, had crushed Hindus for a millennium--a sentiment echoed by Mr Modi in an address to parliament after his election this year, when he spoke of ending "1,200 years of slave mentality" in India.
Aside from his view of Muslims, the big difference between Savarkar and the nationalists in the INC lay in their contrasting attitudes to violence. He also wrote one of the first Indian accounts of the uprising in 1857, centred in Delhi. Known as the "Mutiny" to the British, it is referred to by many Indians as the "first war of independence"--echoing the title of Savarkar's book, "The Indian War of Independence". It was a gruesome episode, in which hundreds of thousands were killed, but Savarkar was untroubled by the violence, and seemed to justify the murders of British women and children. His works are steeped in a desire for revenge against those who have humiliated Hindus, and his frustration with the passivity of his co-religionists: "I want all Hindus to get themselves re-animated and re-born into a martial race." In his early years, he circulated manuals on bomb making. He approved of--and probably assisted in--the assassination of colonial administrators. He was suspected, for example, of encouraging a student radical who shot dead Sir Curzon Wyllie, a government official, one summer night on a Kensington street in 1909.
<h3>Rewriting history</h3>

Today, some Indians adulate him. On the day your correspondent called in at Cellular Jail, a party of jovial men in their 80s and 90s, an official "Eminent Committee of Freedom Fighters", was also visiting. Among the last surviving veterans who battled the British in the Quit India movement in the 1940s, they raised gnarled fists to chant "Jai Hind", posed for pictures and praised Savarkar as strong. The local MP called veer (brave) Savarkar a "ferocious, dangerous man who frightened off the British". Rashida Iqbal, the jail's curator, assessed him as "one of the most important freedom fighters". Port Blair's airport, like the park, bears his name. Some 2,000km away, in his native Maharashtra, a street and a park in Mumbai also each carry his name. (In London a blue plaque identifies his former home in Highgate.)
Savarkar's enthusiasm for violence sits uncomfortably with conventional ideas of how India got its independence. India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and then the Congress party (successor to the INC) promoted a pacifist narrative of history, the idea that Gandhi and the likes of B.R. Ambedkar, a social reformer who inspired the Modern Buddhist Movement, triumphed through non-violent resistance. That meant downplaying the bloodshed of 1857, in which atrocities were perpetrated by both sides, and also the roles of Savarkar, Subhas Chandra Bose and Vallabhbhai Patel.
Bose, the Bengali leader of an Indian National Army against the British in the second world war and an ally of Hitler and imperial Japan, led some 40,000 soldiers against the British. (He didn't get far, though the Japanese briefly handed him control of the Andamans.) Patel, the "Iron Man of India", had the Bismarckian task of uniting the country. He oversaw the integration of 562 princely states into India, threatening and using military force. Operation Polo in 1948, a five-day conquest of Hyderabad, a wealthy and Muslim-run state in the south, was bloody indeed. Official estimates, only made public in 2013, suggest the fighting and subsequent Hindu-Muslim clashes there killed between 27,000 and 40,000 people. Some historians claim the real toll might have been five times higher.
The way the story of Indian independence is told is beginning to change. Mr Modi and the BJP are keen to celebrate muscular, nationalist figures. Patel is likely to have a much higher profile in future: in the national budget, in July 2014, the government set aside $32m to erect a statue of him in Gujarat, twice the size of the Statue of Liberty, by 2018. And while Mr Modi frequently invokes Gandhi's name and beliefs, he refers almost as often to Swami Vivekananda, a 19th-century nationalist who revived Hinduism and promoted it abroad. Mr Modi is said to be named after him (the swami was originally called Narendra Nath Datta) and frequently poses before his photograph. Vivekananda's ideas on invigorating Hinduism foreshadowed Savarkar's hindutva project.
Savarkar's profile is lower, but is also rising. Educational comics, hagiographies and patriotic films retell parts of his life story. In 2008 Mr Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, inaugurated a website (savarkar.org) that promotes a man "largely unknown to the masses because of the vicious propaganda against him and misunderstanding around him that has been created over several decades", and in 2012 he launched a Gujarati-language biopic. A previous BJP-led government put Savarkar's portrait in parliament. On his birthday this year, May 28th, the prime minister paid homage to him there. Mr Modi tweeted about Savarkar's "tireless efforts towards the regeneration of our motherland". Ranjit Savarkar's group plans various events to mark the 50th anniversary of Savarkar's death in 1966. (Aged 83, he submitted to what he called atmaarpan--refusing food, water or medicine in order to die. It took 20 days.)
Yet Savarkar remains immensely divisive. He was a fiercely outspoken critic of Gandhi, still India's top national hero: he called Gandhi weak, a "sissy" and far too willing to collaborate with Britain. Gandhian talk of man's common humanity he regarded as utopian to the point of naivety. In articles from the 1920s to the 1940s Savarkar lambasted Gandhi as a "crazy lunatic" who "happens to babble...[about] compassion, forgiveness", yet "notwithstanding his sublime and broad heart, the Mahatma has a very narrow and immature head." Gandhi promoted ahimsa, a Buddhist rejection of violence which Savarkar called "mealy-mouthed". He said Gandhi was a hypocrite for supporting violence by the British against Germany in the first world war. Nor did he cheer Gandhi's prominent backing for the Ottoman Caliphate Movement, designed to win Indian Muslims to oppose British colonial rule.
Over the years, Savarkar was eclipsed by his rival. During the 1920s and 1930s, the INC benefited from its ability to claim plausibly that it spoke for Muslims as well as Hindus, which made it a more credible interlocutor with the colonial authorities. Perhaps more important, it had an impressive organisation and, in Gandhi and later in Nehru, accomplished political leaders.
By the mid 1940s Savarkar and his supporters in the Mahasabha (which he led until his death) had a new gripe against Gandhi. They were enraged at the prospect of Pakistan seceding from India. Gandhi, in their eyes, did nothing to stop that "vivisection". Worse, he seemed to favour Pakistan when it sent forces to violently seize Kashmir, evidence to Savarkar that warlike Muslims were again crushing passive Hindus. When Nehru applied economic sanctions on Pakistan (refusing to pass on its share of central-bank funds from before independence), Gandhi launched a fast in protest and forced him to back down. To Savarkar's followers in the Mahasabha, that constituted national betrayal.
On January 30th 1948 Gandhi was assassinated in Delhi. The killer, Nathuram Godse, was a member of the Mahasabha, edited its newspaper and was an associate of Savarkar's. Godse's explanation of his actions echoed Savarkar: he said he murdered Gandhi for his "false notions of Hindu-Muslim unity" and in fury over the secession of Pakistan. Savarkar was arrested and tried as a plotter in the murder. He denied all and was acquitted. That did not convince everybody. As the leader of the Mahasabha, who had praised the efficacy of violence and railed against Muslims, it was reasonable to suspect he had at least inspired Gandhi's killer. A.G. Noorani, author of a book on Savarkar and Godse, goes further. He draws a parallel to the Kensington murder of Wylie in 1909, saying the elder man had twice pressed others to pull the trigger. "I would definitely call him complicit in the assassination of Gandhi," he concludes. He points, too, to an official commission of inquiry into Gandhi's death, in the late 1960s, which drew on testimony unavailable at the original trial. It found the evidence was "destructive of any theory other than the conspiracy to murder by Savarkar and his group". Following Gandhi's murder the RSS was also banned, for a year. Yet the final reason why Savarkar should remain unacceptable in modern India goes beyond suspicion over Gandhi's murder. It lies in his attitude to his fellow, non-Hindu, Indians. In his own writing he relates joyfully how as a 12-year-old boy he led a gang of schoolmates to stone his village mosque and smash its windows and tiles, in the aftermath of Hindu-Muslim riots. Relating how "we vandalised the mosque to our heart's content", he adds that when confronted by Muslim boys, he and his pals wielded knives and sticks and chased them away.
Throughout his writing he sets out Muslims as savage, immoral, sensual and eager to destroy the Hindu way of life. In 1937 he wrote of there being "two antagonistic nations living side by side in India", an idea that relies on using religion as the defining characteristic of any Indian, one utterly against the secular constitution of India. And while he occasionally wrote admiringly of the political and religious fervour of Islam, or rather of Muslim political leaders, he did so to encourage his fellow Hindus to match or exceed it.
In India today the fear of communal clashes--between Hindus and Muslims--should not be overblown. But it is never far away. Especially before elections, parties exploit religious tensions. Those who promote hindutva and echo Savarkar whip up stories of "love jihad", alleging that Muslim men convert large numbers of Hindu women by seducing them. Earlier this month a BJP parliamentarian praised Godse as a "patriot" equal to Gandhi. Members of the increasingly influential RSS feel emboldened. Such majoritarian politics, when a larger religious group sets out to absorb or flatten a minority, is utterly destructive. One need only look at the failure of Pakistan as a reminder of that. Sarvarkar could be a brilliant, eloquent and progressive leader. He could also be extremist, violent and divisive. If his influence grows, India's tolerance and moderation will be at risk.
"Notwithstanding his...broad heart, the Mahatma has a very narrow and immature head," wrote Savarkar
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Savarkar (back row, second left) was arrested and tried as a plotter in Gandhi's murder. He was acquitted
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Narendra Modi's Mentor Thought Gandhi Was A Sissy

It’s been 69 years that out country has gained freedom. A lot of changes in politics and economics have shaped our present society. However what has remained the same is people’s love for food. Indians are one race on earth who would find every excuse to feed themselves. So when the nation celebrates its independence, why miss a chance to treat yourself? 
 
Here we list out 5 places in Delhi and Mumbai, where you can indulge in gastronomy with tricolour dishes. 
 
The Ashok 
 
From mocktails to starters and dessert, the Tri-colour magic encompasses all at Nom Nom. This Independence day, Savor Chef’s delectable Sushis, Dimsums, &amp; Tiramisu 
 
Date: Aug 8th till Aug 31st 2015 
 
Price: Rs.1,400 per person for unlimited Dimsums or Sushis with a glass of wine / Cocktail / mocktail &amp; Tiramisu 
 
Venue: Nom Nom, Hotel Ashok, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 
 
 
 
 
Rodeo 
 
The Independence Special menu features exotic tri-color dishes like Brochetas de Pollo (Chicken Brochettes), Quesadillas Trio (Tri-colour Quesadilla), Pollo Al salsa de espinaca and Crepes surtidos (Assorted Pancake) as a tribute to the nation. Beyond the lip-smacking indulgence, the restaurant décor is highlighted with tricolor elements to strengthen the spirit of the occasion. 
 
 
Price: Starts at Rs. 350/- plus taxes per person 
 
Date: ​ ​15th August’15 
 
Time: 12 pm-1 am 
 
Venue: Rodeo, A-12, Inner Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi 
 
 
 
La Vie 
 
La Vie, Khan Market, has crafted a tri-colour pizza. 
 
For an unforgettable dining experience they have specially curated delectable pizzas and pastas that will boost the patriotic love in our heart. 
 
Venue: 51 A, Khan Market, New Delhi- 110003 
 
Cost of Tri Color Pizza: Rs. 550 plus taxes 
 
Date: 15th August 2015 
 
Timings: ​11 am- 11 pm 
 
Grub House 
 
This food joint at Rajouri Garden has launched a special menu called Freedom bytes, which consists of tricolour dishes. One can choose from Tricolor Grilled Soya, Tricolor Paneer Tikka, Tricolor Pasta, Tricolor Pizza, Tricolor Risotto, Tricolor Gravy , Tricolor Lasagne, Tricolor Desserts and more. Not only this, If you are dressed up in either of the Tricolor, you might get lucly to 15% discount on your meal. 
 
Venue- J 2/14, BK Dutt Market, Rajouri Garden, Delhi 
Price - Rs 600 plus taxes Timings- 12 noon- 11.45 pm 
 
Vedge 
 
The sweet taste of a dessert mingles with the feeling of patriotism this Independence day as Vedge brings forth an edgy tri-coloured dessert in other words "Tiranga Halwa' to sweeten your taste-buds! 
 
Venue: Vedge - Fun Republic mall, Lokhandwala, Andheri (w), Mumbai 
Price: Rs. 195 
Timings: 11. 30 am - 11.00 pm 
 
 
 
 
Masala Zone 
 
A tricolour 'Swadeshi Mocktail' with orange juice, sprite and khus syrup would bring the full fervour of patriotism . 
 
Venue: Bandra - 2B, Santhal ONGC Complex, Opposite Leelavati Hosptial, Reclamation / Dadar - Building No. 289, Veer Savarkar Road, Shivaji Park 
Price: Rs. 120 
 
Timings: 12 pm - 12.30 am

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