A Journal of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya

the consciousness of the colonized nation,
and moulds it for it’s own end. In his
book “A Glimpse at History” Hegel has
written, “Hindus have never possessed any
history of their own. Their development
has not taken place in a manner, so as
to attain a political stature. They never
could gain victory over their foreign
invaders, rather they have always been
subjugated by them.”This historical
perspective has greatly influenced
European historians who have dealt with
Indian History. A feeling of inferiority
complex crept into the Indian psyche,
which in turn was supremely essential for
the growth of national consciousness and
the determination to unshackle the chains
of bondage. It became imperative that
along with growth in the feeling of anticolonialism,
a new historical perspective
should be developed. Hence, in the 19th
Century, new inroads were made through
historical writings in the field of Indian
society, culture and literature giving it
a new dimension. This came to be known
as Nationalist History. Such historical
literature developed in different regions
and in different languages, of the country.
Although Madhav Rao Sapre has not written
any historical book, he has written a number
of articles and essays relating to them.
He holds the view that, ‘‘for the evolution
of human race, there is no better teacher
than history.’’ While dealing with any article
relating to history, he always keeps in
mind its political aspect. In 1907, he wrote
an essay titled “The Italian Patriot Mezzini”.
At that time the Swadeshi Movement had
gained foothold in India, and a large number
of youth were actively participating in
it. Whether the youth should participate
in politics or not, became a matter of
great controversy. In his book “Swadeshi
Movement and Boycott” Sapreji strongly
supported and approved of the
participation of youth in the political field.
Sapreji in his essay on Mezzini has
clearly written that in the national
awakening of Italy Mezzini had played a
key role in inducing Garibaldi to become
an active participant in the struggle. In
the context of the political situation existing
in India, the Italian revolution could serve
as the best example.During the Swadeshi
Movement, the glorious struggle of Mezzini
and Garibaldi gained immense popularity
across the country. Their highly
inspirational life history came to be written
in many Indian languages. In 1913, Sapreji
wrote a series of six essays based on
“Lessons to be learnt from European
History”, which were published in
‘Saraswati’. Besides examining and analyzing
the Greek and the Roman revolution, it
also dealt with the English and the French
Revolution, the Renaissance and the
religious history of Europe.In one of his
essays on Greece, he has written, “If the
people living in different regions of our
country, speaking different languages,
following different religions, customs and
cultures could draw inspiration from the
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