From: mkarandi@bobcat.ent.ohiou.edu ( Mangesh Karandikar GRAD ME)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Series of fund raising concerts by Sudhir Phadke for movie on Veer Savarkar.
Date: 11 Apr 92 18:58:49 GMT
Organization: Ohio University, College of Engineering & Tech.


               
Hello Netters,

I am posting this article for India Heritage foundation, Houston TX.       
Mangesh Karandikar       
	       
	       
	       
	       
	         INDIA  HERITAGE  FOUNDATION
                              
               VEER  SAVARKAR  MOVIE  PROJECT
                              
                              
                              
                              
                              
                              
                              
                              
                              
                              
In  the  saga of India's struggle for freedom, the times  of
Vinayak  Damodar  Savarkar present the most  inspiring  era.
Veer  Savarkar,  a  dauntless  revolutionary,  a  determined
social  reformer, a literary genius, an electrifying  orator
and  a diehard patriot, was a man with vision and foresight.
He  had  a  tender heart of a poet but was a fierce  warrior
dedicated  to  the  pledge  of  freedom.   It  was  he   who
envisioned  a Hindu Society based on casteless equality  and
sacrificed   his  entire life to transform  his  dream  into
reality.

Veer  Savarkar  was  born in 1883 in the village  Bhagur  in
Nasik  district  in Maharashtra. In 1898 his  idol  and  his
inspiration the noted revolutionary Chaphekar was hanged  by
the   British  for  revolting  against  the  imperial  rule.
Incensed by this, Veer Savarkar at the tender age of 15 took
an oath before goddess Durga to liberate his motherland from
the  foreign rule.While still a student at Ferguson College,
Pune,  Savarkar established a secret organization of freedom
fighters  called  Abhinav Bharat.  which  had  far  reaching
implications  in the revolutionary activities in  India  and
abroad. In 1906 he went to England on a scholarship to study
law.  He  expanded his revolutionary mission to England  and
Europe.  To  inspire  the  revolutionaries  in  Europe   and
England,   he   wrote  a  classic  book   "War   of   Indian
Independence"  on  India's freedom  struggle  of  1857.   So
potent  was  the  message  in  the  book  that  the  British
Government,  frightened by its potential  influence  on  the
revolutionaries, banned it even before it was published.  He
also  wrote  biography  of the noted  Italian  revolutionary
Joseph Mazzini. Both these books were secretly published and
then smuggled to India.

Enraged  British  Government  sought  to  arrest  all  three
Savarkar brothers. To evade arrest Savarkar went in exile to
France.  The  British Government arrested Savarkar  and  his
followers.    He  was   put  on  the  vessel  "Moriya"   for
deportation to India. During this journey, Savarkar  escaped
from  the  ship by jumping through the porthole and swimming
ashore  amidst  shower of bullets near the French  coast  of
Marsellies.  On  reaching the shores the French  authorities
turned  him over to the British. He was tried in  India  for
treason and sentenced to two consecutive life terms of  hard
labor  in  the infamous Andaman jail . Life was  intolerably
difficult with fully chained solitary confinement, miserable
climate and hard labor. A graphic account has been given  by
him  in his book 'My Transportation for Life'. Even then  he
found   time  and  energy  to  teach  illiterate  prisoners,
struggle  for  better  treatment  and  compose  epics   like
'Gomantak'  and 'Kamala'. His health eventually deteriorated
and  the government was compelled to transfer him to  Indian
prison  in  1921. He was confined to Ratnagiri district  and
prohibited  from  participating  in  politics.  However,  he
undauntedly   followed  his  social  mission  with   special
emphasis  on  eradication of untouchability.  He  built  the
famous  'Patit  Pavan  Mandir in Ratnagiri,  consecrated  by
Harijans .

In  1937,  after twenty six long years Savarkar was  finally
released  from confinement. It was a period when the  threat
of  world war as well as partition of country loomed  large.
Savarkar   joined   Hindu  Mahasabha  and  revitalized   the
organization. He advised Netaji Subhash Chandra  Bose  in  a
secret  meeting  to leave India and carry out  the  work  of
revolution from abroad. At the same time he urged the Indian
youth  to join the army in order to gain military experience
so  far  denied  to  Indians. He carried out  a  countrywide
campaign  for Unified India (Akhanda Bharat). In 1952,  five
years  after  Indian gained independence  he  dissolved  the
Abhinav Bharat as it had accomplished its mission of freeing
India from the shackles of British rule.
                    
Savarkar continued to write and speak in public on issues of
national interest. Ultimately his health deteriorated due to
the  long and continuous struggle  He felt that he had lived
fruitful life and seeing India freed, he had nothing more to
achieve.  Hence  in  the  spirit  of  Atma  Samarpan   (Self
Effacement)  he gave up food and water for twenty  two  days
and breathed his last on February 26, 1966 at the age of 82.

Our  country  is at present passing through a most  critical
period and we feel that had we listened to Veer Savarkar  we
would  not have had to suffer as we are suffering  now.  Our
country has already been partitioned once and we are on  the
brink  of  further  vivisection,  a  total  anarchy,  chaos,
disorder  and  subversion.  The  increasingly  deteriorating
conditions in Punjab, Kashmir, Assam and the border areas in
the  North  East  and terrorist activities and  violence  in
these   troubled  regions  bear  ample  testimony  to   this
impending  danger.   We  feel  that  the  solution  to  this
alarming  situation  lies  in  propagating  Veer  Savarkar's
prophetic teachings among all Indians and that his work  and
philosophy  will show us the light and infuse in  our  young
generation  a  new hope and vigor. In view of this  pressing
need,  the trust entitled "Savarkar Darshan Pratishthan",  a
registered  trust in Bombay, India, has set a  well  defined
objective of producing a film on Savarkar's life,  work  and
political  philosophy  as one of the  means  of  saving  our
country. The powerful medium of cinema will go a long way in
making  our  people grasp the real problems in the  country,
and   their gravity and face and solve them with courage and
determination.  If  we  want to free our  country  from  its
numerous  perils,  from further partition,   from  political
corruption and economic bankruptcy and take it on the  right
path  of  progress,   we  must  follow   the  teachings  and
philosophy  of  Veer Savarkar. The film  aims  at  inspiring
people,  especially the young generation,  to  rise  to  the
occasion and save our beloved country. We are confident that
not only our country but all countries who love freedom will
draw  inspiration  from Veer Savarkar's  heroic  deeds,  his
scientific outlook, his indefatigable spirit,  determination
to sacrifice everything for his motherland and above all his
strong will to bear physical and mental torture for the sake
of  liberation  of  the country. Muhurta of  this  film  was
performed on the auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami on October
17, 1991.

Production  of  the film is in full swing in  India  and  is
expected to be completed by year 1993. The film will be made
in  Hindi,  Marathi and English. The estimated cost  of  the
film  is 20 million rupees for filming in India and $500,000
for  filming  in England and France where Veer Savarkar  had
spent  formative years of his life and was  engaged  in  his
revolutionary activities. A unique feature of  this  project
is  that it will be entirely financed through donations from
individuals like you and not from any financial institutions
or  agencies.  In India various fund raising programs,  such
as,  musical  concerts, a cricket match, lectures  etc  were
organized  with active participation of Shri. Sudhir  Phadke
and  Shri. Babasaheb Purandare. as well as celebrities  such
as, Asha Bhosle, Anoop Jalota, Bhimsen Joshi, Sunil Gavaskar
and  Manna  De.  The trust has also received donations  from
public  bodies, such as the municipal corporations  of  many
cities in Maharashtra. So far approximately fourteen million
rupees  have  been collected in India. We approach  you  for
donations to collect needed $500,000.

Some of us may recall that in 1988, the noted historian  and
novelist  Shri Babasaheb Purandare visited many  cities  all
across  USA  on  a lecture circuit and raised  approximately
$60,000.  This  year  well known music director  and  singer
Shri.  Sudhir  Phadke,  the president  of  Savarkar  Darshan
Pratishthan  (trust),  has appealed to  the  India  Heritage
Foundation  for  financial support of this  worthy  cause.He
will perform in a series of fund raising concerts in Houston
and  many  cities  across  the USA  with  emphasis  on  Geet
Ramayana.  According to him, this will  be  his  final  Geet
Ramayana concert. The Houston concert is scheduled  for  May
2,  1992.  We urge everyone to attend the concert  and  give
generous  donations  in support of this worthy  cause.  Your
donations are tax deductible Cheques should be made  payable
to  India  Heritage Foundation and mailed to  the  following
address:

               c/o  Raja Kulkarni
               12207 Circle Drive East
               Houston, TX  77071





 For additional information please contact the following:


Bhadkamkar,  Anil  & Viju       (713) 392-6943  Chakrabarty,
Dibyendu  (713) 779-2758
Gad,  Pralhad & Sangeeta       (713) 392-9014 Hate,  Uday  &
Vijaya    (713) 392-6170
Kelkar, Vishwanath & Vasudha  (713) 980-7648 Kulkarni,  Raja
& Shobha  (713) 988-3277
Kale,  Madhav  & Sunita         (713) 977-7589 Shah,  Ramesh
(713) 933-6169
Paripatyadar,  Shirish & Radhika    (713) 561-9364  Rajguru,
Anil & Uma     (713) 772-2347
Sathe, Shantaram & Alka       (713) 541-4565
Mangesh Karandikar        mkarandi@bobcat.ent.ohiou.edu	       
	       
	
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________________________________________________________________
Mangesh Karandikar     mkarandi@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu
Ohio University        mkarandi@bobcat.ent.ohiou.edu 
Athens                 mangesh@cubix.ent.ohiou.edu(NeXT Mail)