“Hooligans! Murderers! Enemy of the British Empire! Rascals! Listen carefully; I am your God, I own you, and everyone is now my slaves! This cellular jail is the strongest and most secure prison in the world. You all are under 24 x 7 surveillance of the guards, and if you even have thoughts of escaping. Even in dreams, then you will be shot dead. And listen to one more warning carefully…..”
Precisely 101 years ago (from the year this is I publish a post), this eventuality was taking place at Cellular jail, a colonial prison at Port Blair, Andaman Nicobar, India. This prison was often known as the “Kala Pani.” The principal city of the Andaman Nicobar islands. Barbarous and atrocious jailer Mr. David Berry was warning the group of 950+ prisoners gathered at the assembly area of the jail. David Barry, a person with towering height, around 150Kg (300 lbs.) Of weight, huge tummy, the face was like a ruthless demon, copperish skin, rogue eyes, khaki dress, and roaring scary voice. He was holding a baton in hand, and a holster with a scary revolver was dangling on his waist. Irish and among the most brutal jailers of the British empire! He continued, “Listen to my second and last warning carefully; some prisoners in this jail are new, and let me tell them one more thing; in this jail’s history, the most dangerous prisoner is Mr. Savarkar. No one should go near him, and He will instigate you and keep himself safe as he is smart. So whoever breaks this rule, he will have to suffer….”
Prisoners used to say that David Barry looks more human when he sleeps! But once he wakes up, he is a devil. The British government had deliberately made him a jailer because of his supreme ability and ruthless cruelty. He had thousands of creative ways to torture the prisoners and make them do whatever he wanted to.
Most of the prisoners in this jail were the revolutionaries of India. Some of them threw bombs at the Britishers, and some assassinated Britishers by chasing them and shooting them dead. One prisoner was Shree Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a pro-independence activist, reformist, and by profession, a trained lawyer born in the village of Bhagur, near Nashik, Maharashtra. Savarkar was accused of involvement in the assassination of a collector of Nashik (supplying arms and ammunition to the Bengali student revolutionaries). It also inspired Mr. Madan Lal Dhingra to murder Lord Curzon Wyllie, Viceroy of India. He was convicted and sentenced to 50 years imprisonment (25 years for each) and transported on 4 July 1911 to the infamous Cellular Jail with convict no 32778. Although he was a Lawyer and a patriot, He was fastened using heavy chains on his neck and hands. Authority had informed the jail that he was the most extensive and dangerous enemy of the world spread by the British Empire. No prison can accommodate Mr. Savarkar. Anyhow, you have to break him mentally and physically.
Many prisoners had committed suicide during the imprisonment of “Kala Pani.” Three suicides a month had become the norm in Andaman, and many lost their mental balance. Some of them were very unfortunate, and they died during the torture of the electric shock.
David Barry used to visit Mr. Savarkar’s cell twice a day and humiliate him by using abusive language. Lion in prison retorts him appropriately. This behavior was not the thing he deserved. He belongs to the landlord family with high education and possesses noble traits. Being a scholar, poet, writer, orator, he doesn’t deserve to be in the prisoner’s dress. Mr. Savarkar struggled in the harsh environment, forced to wake up at 5 am, tasks that included cutting trees and chopping wood and working at the oil mill under regimental strictness. Talking amid prisoners was strictly forbidden during mealtime. Frequently, he was brutally punished for offending jail rules. He was forced to eat grub and gruel riddled with white threads of worms. They often have semi-cooked dirty rice mixed with grass, soil, and water like lentil curry.
Months passed, and on one sunny day in the evening, one beautiful girl arrived at Port Blair via steamship. To receive her jailer was personally there because she was his beloved daughter. He welcomed her with a smile and said, “Welcome home, my Sweety! My lovely dolly! My Jinny! My Princess! Love you, my darling!” and warmly hugged her only daughter. He took her in his vehicle, which took them and headed to his bungalow. Mrs. Barry was so much happy to see her daughter after so long. When Mr. and Mrs. Barry were living there, it was a silent place; no one was there to make noise, but after the daughter’s arrival, this place had more Hustle and bustle. On the same day, Mr. Barry gave a welcome party and Mr. Barry had invited all the government officials for dinner. Guests were happy with the delicious food and exotic wine.
Mr. David Barry loudly announced, “Ladies and gentlemen! Today my lovely daughter arrived at my home; she has been pursuing a doctorate in Japan’s university for the last four years, she is having a vacation, and hence she came here to spend her time with us. Let us toast for her studies and health! Cheers!”.
The next day, Mr. Barry wakes up with a hangover from the whisky and goes to her daughter to discuss her studies. He asked how your Ph.D. was going on? She replied instantaneously, “Everything is not going as per my plan. My thesis subject is very complicated, and no guide is available there. My guide is a bumpkin person. I don’t know what to do!”
He asked, “what is your subject.” She replied, “History of the world with religion, war, and the law of a different county.” Mr. Barry replied, “let me think! I know a person who can help you with this. He is a genius. He is an insurgent of the British empire and my enemy too. But I have seen none knowledgeable person like him who has a great grip on all subjects.”
Instantaneously she asked, “who is he? What is his name?” Mr. Barry replied, “He is in jail; in my prison, he has a life sentence. I have tortured him brutally, so I can not ask him for the favor to help you, but you may try. We will also know what this culprit has in his mind.”
In the evening, Mr. Savarkar was cleaning his utensils in the sink. And he listened to the sweet voice of a girl asking, “Hello! Am I talking with Mr. Savarkar?” Mr. Savarkar turns around. Watching a sweet girl, more like an angel wearing a floral-printed dress, he was astonished. He replied, “Yes, I am Savarkar. This area is even restricted for woman prisoners. How did you come here? No one stopped you?”. “Who will dare to stop the jailer’s daughter?”. She smiled and took her right hand to shake and said, “I am Ms. Barry.”
Mr. Savarkar looked at his hand, which had coal ash! So instead of shaking hands, he folded both hands and said, “Namaste.” Both of them sit below the tree on the veranda. She told him her every problem and at the end asked him, “According to my daddy, you have more knowledge on this subject than any other person! Will you teach me, Mr. Savarkar?”.
“Why Not! I am Chitpavan Brahmin, and for thousands of years, we have been into sharing knowledge with society and our offspring for prosperity and harmony. But may I ask one question, Ms. Barry? According to your ruthless father, I am a stupid person, fanatic, mislead, sanguinary and dangerous offender.”
She replied with a captivating smile, “I understood your question. Now you listen to my answer! My father has an obligation with his designation. He got an order to break you mentally. Hence occasionally, he uses it to humiliate you. But you might be wondering what he used to say. Mr. Savarkar is a mixer of 20 different subject experts, and if Ireland had one nationalist like him, then we would get independence from the British Empire.”
“Is this true? My extreme enemy is parsing me in his personal life.”
“Yes! Mr. Savarkar! Trust me, my mother had made confectionery and sent it for you, and my father handpicks these flowers for you. I have heard that in your country we have to come with something to Meet the Teacher. Will you accept this? Will you teach me?”
Veer Savarkar forgot all his misery and pain, which were given by Mr. Barry’s torture. He kept the flowers with him and distributed sweets among other prisoners. He held his hand on the girl’s head and said, “I will teach you with a condition then you have to call me Uncle instead of Mr. Savarkar.”
“Accepted!” Ms. Barry smiled and said, “You also have to call me my Sweety! My lovely dolly! My Jinny! My Princess! Instead of Ms. Barry Accord?”
After listening to this, Mr. Savarkar’s eyes were fluttering. The world’s most significant and dangerous revolutionary was not having an answer to the question of a daughter!
Yet there are some people who still putting the question on Mr. Savarkar’s potential and his doings. Critics used to keep asking questions about his loyalty, but fact is altered and hidden because some political party wanted cheap publicity.
what source of this artice sir? thank you.