मेरा आजीवन कारावास / माझी जन्मठेप (स्वातंत्र्यवीर सावरकर - काले पानी का ऐतिहासिक संस्मरण)

A Hater of Books
There were many reasons why Mr. Barrie hated books. One of them was that he
had himself very poor education and was smitten with jealousy for the political prisoners
who were better educated than himself. Secondly, these did not bend their knees to this
demi-God of Port Blair; they burnt no incense before him. Some of the Superintendents
also objected strongly to any kind of reading. A prisoner may chew tobacco before him
and many tames Mr. Barrie did not mind it, and he called it kindness and leniency But if
a prisoner was found with a slate or pencil or with a book, Mr. Carrie would fly into
rage and burst out, "You scoundrel, you want to read and write. This is no school. Why
did you not learn it at your father's? Send him on to the oil-mill, put him on 'Kolu',
confiscate his book, his slate and pencil."
Their Effect
In a sense and from his point of view, Mr. Barrie was right. We know how in their
exile, the Pandavas used to be down-pressed, how they would pity and condemn
themselves. They were tortured by their mends for what they had brought upon
themselves; despair and melancholy overcast their souls, and they forgot their own valour
and greatness. Then Dhaumya and other sages narrated to them stories of Nala and Rama
to put courage in their hearts and teach them to defy misfortune and cruelties of fate. And
these stories from the past put a new hope in their hearts. Similarly, stirring ants of
former heroes in history, poetry and romance, or discourses on the immortality of the soul
from the Upanishads and the Bhagwatgita would prove a tonic to the shattered hearts of
our political prisoners. That would Imbue them with the spirit of defiance. That would
fortify them against all onslaughts of the severest persecutions of prison-life. Was it for
this that they were incarcerated in the Andamans? How could, then, the doorkeeper of the
Silver Jail let in such incendiary stuff within its portals? Will he not be false to his
charge? Will he be true to himself and his calling if he allowed such matter to spread
among his prisoners and influence their mends?
But their argument against reading books was just our argument for reading them.
I began my work of teaching them without any books to start with. They learnt
and taught by word of mouth. We used to gather every evening on the reservoir of our
prison. I utilised this time to give them talks on history. Sometimes we were interrupted,
sometimes punished for disobedience, and sometimes we could go on with these evening
meetings with the connivance of our warders And on occasions, even if the political
prisoners were caught in the act, they told the warders boldly that they were having some
talk, of course they had to face the consequence of being hand-manacled. This way, week
after week, we continued to meet and I discoursed to the political prisoners on the History
of India from its early beginnings in the Vedas down to our own day. I drew their