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Savarkar issue

Sir, — V.D. Savarkar is accused of offering support to the British in return for his release from imprisonment. Riding on this, some argue that he does not deserve to be treated on a par with other greats of our freedom struggle. Savarkar's rightful place should not be held ransom to this incident. An objective historian should be able to de-deify even the national icons, if need be. In the same vein, Savarkar's ideology might have been radically different from the zeitgeist and questionable at times, but give him his due.

Hari Thampi,
Thiruvananthapuram

Sir, — Only the cell used by Savarkar gets mentioned whenever the Cellular Jail is in news. There are 689 other cells, where hundreds and thousands of freedom fighters bore the brunt of British jailors. Why cannot the Sangh Parivar fight for the recognition of those freedom fighters? Why does Savarkar remain its hero and poll plank? The RSS may believe that the Cellular Jail was constructed to hold Savarkars, but it is a fact that more lives had been lost before them. And they never petitioned the British to spare their lives.

Zubair Ahmed,
Port Blair

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