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

The same was the case with our meetings. Some of the prominent prisoners
among us used to hold meetings in the settlement outside to create an awakening and to
educate people in politics by lectures and discussions. Of course, to do so was to run a
great risk and we had to pro-cautiously. For prisoners were forbidden to go from one
district to another. In these meetings about a hundred prisoners used to come together,
and they came from all parts of the settlement. This was possible because the officers
and the prisoners were in alliance with us. But, at times, the plan would fail and the
whole batch exposed itself to be caught. And that was the occasion when the leaders
were put on their severest trial. A stampede followed, and then rallying the men back
was a matter of great tact and prudent management. I may quote one episode by way of
illustration. There was one district in the Andamans known as Pinnsbeg. We decided to
hold a meeting in that district. Prisoners came there from distant localities on one
excuse or another. And we had to watch and ward at strategic points so that the meeting
should pass off safely and without detection by the authorities. While the meeting was
getting into full swing one of the men on the watch discovered a police officer, known to
all, approaching the place. And the result was a rout. Every one tried to hide himself and
escape from the place as he could. The speakers, the listeners, and the national fervour—
all vanished in a moment. Some hid themselves behind tall grass, others behind boulders
of stone, some jumped across the fences and went into their respective chawls from their
rear. Most of them had made their escape. Only two of them were caught while
jumping across. The officer was our friend. He had come there because the higher
authorities, informed of our projected meeting by interested persons, had sent him.
Otherwise, of himself he would never have turned his steps in that direction or been
found in its near vicinity. Those who happened to be caught by him belonged to the
same district. He only rebuked them, and as it was a Sunday when prisoners could meet
freely, he let them go with a warning. He did not ask them for other names and reported
to the headquarters that there was nothing like a meeting in the place where he was sent
to look into the matter. But the episode did not end there. One Maratha prisoner who
had attended the meeting and who was one of our leading men, was degraded from his
job as a writer and put on hard labour by way of punishment. Within two weeks we
were able to restore him to his old job through the influence we had with the authorities.
Inter-Caste Dinners and Dassera and Divali in the Andamans
As in India so in the Andamans the Hindus celebrate Dassera Divali and Holi with
great eclat. There are three Hindu temples in that place well-known to all, One belongs
to the Hindus, another to the Sikhs, and the third to the Arya Samajists. All prisoners
have a holiday on these three days in the year. And they are allowed to move as free men
from morn till eve in its thorough fares. The prisoners in the Silver Jail had the holidays
but were not allowed so far to leave the prison. I used these holidays and the fairs
connected with them, for purposes of our propaganda among the people. Those outside
used these occasions for organising lectures and conversations on subjects of national
importance. In the temples, the priest and the Puranik were often persuaded to help us in
the task. We arranged inter-caste dinners in connection with these celebrations. And the
dinners always began with a national prayer. The prisoners were induced to arrange