Goa govt to reprint 2 books by Savarkar; CM Pramod Sawant describes him as ‘glorious patriot’

Speaking of the book ‘1957 che Swatantrya Samar’, Sawant said, “This book ignited the flame of patriotism among many youth and the British regime banned this book. Fortunately, only one copy of this book was saved with a Goan person, and this helped in getting it re-printed.”

Sawant also released historian Vikram Sampath’s book Savarkar (Part 2): A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966. Sampath described Savarkar as a “much-maligned” firebrand revolutionary, a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional genius, who had led a “stormy”, “tempestuous” life and was a complex character who simultaneously meant many things to many people.

Goa CM Dr Pramod Sawant launching theHindi and English editions of the book Savarkar, by Vikram Sampath. (Express Photo)

Sawant said, “Unfortunately, in our country, the history that has been forced upon us, has been the propaganda of the West and what they thought about us. They thought that we were a land of snake-charmers, they thought that we were a country of the poor. But my question is, did they invade us because we were poor? The answer is definitely no.” He said, “The first person to challenge this vicious propaganda was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.”

Sawant said that along with the two books by Savarkar, Sampath’s book too will be circulated in libraries of Goa.

The event was also attended by Dr Bibek Debroy, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, Sumant Batra, lawyer and founder of Indian Cinema Heritage Foundation and the curator of the KLF.