There was a time when a ‘plan’ was hatched carefully to free Vidarbha region (then referred to as Berar or Varhad) of the British Raj. Though the plan ultimately failed, it formed a crucial part of the anti-colonial freedom struggle. Unfortunately, many such real-life stories from the period of freedom struggle remain untold as they are relegated to the margins of 'national histories'. Thanks to the efforts of some sensitive people, the books that were published years ago shedding light on such forgotten chapters of Indian history, are being reprinted. One such reprinted book contains some of the works of Vishnu Keshav Palekar, popularly known as ‘Aprabuddha’.
He had written a book titled ‘Brahmarshi Annasaheb Patwardhan’. The book is dedicated to the extraordinary life of Annasaheb Patwardhan, who was treated by politicians of the like of Lokmanya Tilak as his guru, and who was contemporary of legendary revolutionary like Wasudeo Balwant Phadke. The book has a chapter ‘Salarjang Prakaran va Madras’, which sheds light on the lesser-known chapter of history linked intricately to Vidarbha region.
“Annasaheb Patwardhan was a legend. A Vedic scholar and a multi-faceted personality, he was committed to ensuring freedom of motherland. He had drawn up a daring plan and had the courage to act upon it. Though the plan failed, the details reveal what a towering and fearless person Annasaheb was,” says scholar Shreesh Halade, Editor-in-Chief of the critically acclaimed periodical ‘Pradnyalok’.
Annasaheb's strategy:
As has been mentioned by Aprabuddha in his book on Patwardhan, Annasaheb was of firm opinion that unless an entire province was fully in possession of Indians, going ahead with fight against the British occupants was difficult. He zeroed in on Berar province, which was mortgaged to Britishers by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It was the year 1880. The Nizam and his Chief Dewan Sir Salarjang both wanted the Berar province to be freed from the British.
However, they had no choice but to repay the massive loan. Annasaheb Patwardhan came up with a daring plan -- to start a bank in Hyderabad, grant loan of Rs 12 crore (at that time, it was a frightening amount) to the Nizam to enable him to get Berar freed of British possession. Once this happened, Annasaheb would take over and make Berar the centre of freedom activities. The entire plan was prepared with utmost secrecy. Salarjang had a condition that the loan through this bank should not have any association with the British -- either for security or for mediation. This made raising enough money difficult for Annasaheb. Still, a man of determination, Annasaheb kept working on it. He met different people. Meanwhile, Salarjang wanted to test this young High Court lawyer.
So, he moved the demand for Rs 2 crore on ‘urgent basis’ without British security, without waiting for the bank to be set up. Bhikajipant Deshpande and Bhaurao Nirulkar, who had deep faith in the ability of Annasaheb, assured Salarjang that he would get the money. When Annasaheb received a telegram in this regard, he was in Mumbai. Thinking for a few moments, he went to Prof Dr Smith, a Britisher, and sought the money through his mediation from French Bank. Prof Dr. Smith made necessary arrangements after securing assurance of his ‘charges’. Annasaheb Patwardhan then conveyed to Salarjang via telegram that the amount of Rs 2 crore was ‘ready’.
A satisfied Salarjang replied that the money was not needed for the time being. For him, it was a test. However, for Annasaheb, it created a liability he repaid till his last years. For, ‘charges’ to be paid to Prof Dr Smith and interest charged on the amount ran into around Rs 4 lakh! Still, he was happy then because his mind was fixated on the goal of freeing Berar province. Once the loan taken by the Nizam was cleared, Britishers would free Berar province and Annasaheb Patwardhan would simply purchase it and pursue his revolutionary plan.
Setbacks and Annasaheb's plan unravels
“This was his plan and to our surprise Patwardhan was able to raise the necessary funds for the proposed establishment of the Bank,” mentions a document from untitled record of the British. However, the plan received a big jolt. Salarjang died. Some say he died of cholera, and some say he was poisoned. Whatever might be the case, the mission of Annasaheb Patwardhan received a huge setback. Though he was disappointed, he started working on another plan pertaining to Madras province. But, there too, his aide Vyankat Parmal died.
This shook Annasaheb and he spent some time in solitude in Madras. Later on, reveals Aprabuddha’s book, Annasaheb took to spirituality. One can say in summary that the grand plan to free Berar of British possession and start the revolution from there failed. But, there are several incidents that took place during the entire exercise. On some occasions, Annasaheb had to make arrangements to receive the messenger of Salarjang within a span of a few hours to win confidence for the plan. Also, he had to get in touch with the foreign nationals to raise money, without informing them of the grand plan.
Spiritual life and legacy
All this while, he led his personal, family, social, and political life too. He also cured the patients who came to him. He tried to establish contacts with the princely states such as Hyderabad, Baroda, Wadhwan, and Limdi. He also planned to purchase some land in Portugese territories like Diu, Goa, to use the same and prepare for the armed revolution against the British Raj. The man, who lived till 1917, was instrumental- despite the failure of his plan- in motivating his countryment to combat the British forces.
