NTA UGC/NET/SET/JRF Political Science Paper 2 - 2024, 2nd Edition, Includes 2023 Solved Papers

CHAPTER 15

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (1883–1963)

INTRODUCTION

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar born in Bombay, was an Indian politician, activist, and writer. A leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha and popularized the term ‘Hindutva’ (Hinduness). He was known by the famous prefix ‘Veer’ or ‘brave’, a term used by writer Sadashiva Rajaram Ranade as ‘Swatantra Veer’. He wrote about himself using the pseudonym ‘Chitragupta’. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s ideas of ‘Hindutva’ reflects the ideology of cultural nationalism. His thought has sectarian and exclusivist orientations.

The life and thoughts of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar can be divided into two phases, one where he was behaving as a Revolutionary Nationalist Leader (1902–21) and another where he dedicated ...