Page 93 - AGRANI SAMKALP SILVER JUBILEE SOUVENIR

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“Indian Review” found access to the jail library. However
the Jailor Mr. Barrie did his best to dissuade the prisoners
from reading books---by tearing off certain pages, by burning
some books or by blackening the objectionable passages with
the ink roller taken from the printing press. Still it must be
said that due to the efforts of Savarkar, the jail inmates got
what they wanted.
The library in fact became a model institution inside the
jail. It contained more than one thousand books in different
languages and on different subjects. Even the superintendent
was proud of that institution. He sanctioned cupboards for it
and allotted an independent hall for it. Three political
prisoners were appointed to supervise the library and take
proper care of the books. They knew the art of book binding
and did the job thoroughly well.
Conversion in Andamans:
There was a very bad practice of conversion which was
going on in the Andaman jail and that was the practice of
converting Hindu prisoners into Islam. As soon as the chalan
came in the prison, a suitable opportunity was found for the Hindi the national language of India and Dvenagri the script
purpose. The charge of simple Hindu lads was taken over into which it should be written. He persuaded all the political
by the head of the Muslim warders and Jamadars, the prisoners in the Andamans to study Hindi and worked a lot
notorious Mirza Khan and at once put to hard labor. The for its promotion.
Muslim Warder or Petty Officer would lost no time in brow The heart rending tale of human tortures and indignities
beating and thrashing them on the one hand and offering heaped on the inmates of the Cellular Jail is very well depicted
them baits on the other hand in order to force them into Islam. by Swatantryaveer VD Savarkar. The heroic struggle of this
To lure them, they were given tobacco to chew or sweetmeat gem of freedom struggle is worth emulating. The indomitable
to eat. When these boys were beaten or worked to the point courage over a long period of time when utter despair and
of crying, the warder would openly advise them to become abysmal gloom haunted him is praiseworthy. In spite of the
Muslim and all the troubles would be over. Gradually these utter ruination of his most promising young age in the
new boys were caught in his net and at last the ceremony of dungeons of Andaman when in the absence of any ray of
conversion came to be completed. They then started taking hope, the idea of suicide entering upon his mind again and
food with the Muslim brethren No circumcision, no recital again, still he carried on---composed lines, worked for the
of Quran, no Namaz was necessary in this case. Tobacco welfare of the jail inmates , tried to find practical solutions
was their circumcision, hard labor their Quran, and dining for the prison problems. He was really a true patriot with
with Muslims their Namaz. None of the officers cared to indomitable spirit. Even in the extremity of bondage he did
enquire how they had changed their names. None asked them not waste a single minute of his life without working for the
if they were converted by force. But Savarkar toiled hard to salvation of his motherland. Even during incarceration , he
stop this practice and even could make reconversion. The could manage the activities of his organization “Abhinav
purification or “shuddhi” ceremony was done on two Bharat”.
converted youth. This event caused great sensation in the The presence of German submarine Emden in the Bay
Andamans. of Bengal during the first world war seemed to be the work
The Spread of Hindi in Andamans: of “Abhinav Bharat” and other revolutionary societies in
The members of “Abhinav Bharat” used to take a pledge Europe that had contacted the Kaiser and arranged that a
every night, "Make India independent,to weld her into one submarine should come over to bombard the place and release
nation, to turn her into a republic, and last the fourth, to make prisoners from the silver jail in the Andamans. 

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