The Free India Society was an organization of Indian students in London, founded by

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (28 May 1883 – 26 February 1966 ), was an Indian politician, activist and writer. Savarkar developed the Hindu nationalist political ideology of Hindutva while confined at Ratnagiri in 1922. The prefix "Veer" (mea ...

in 1906, who drew inspiration from the thoughts of Italian nationalist

Giuseppe Mazzini Giuseppe Mazzini (, ; ; 22 June 1805 – 10 March 1872) was an Italian politician, journalist, and activist for the unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and spearhead of the Italian revolutionary movement. His efforts helped bring about the ...

. The Society was committed to promoting the cause of Indian independence from the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. It functioned effectively as the London branch of the Abhinav Bharat Society.

History and activities

The Free India Society was founded by

, drawing inspiration from the thoughts of Italian nationalist

. It was established in 1906 in London by Savarkar and his associates as a counterpart to the Abhinav Bharat Society established earlier in

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

. Envisioned as a nationalist organisation, it soon became a centre for political activism among Indian nationalist students residing in London. The Society invited prominent nationalist leaders from India and organised lectures and interactive sessions. In addition to nationalist meetings, the Society also celebrated Indian cultural festivals and commemorated prominent figures of the Indian freedom struggle. Among its notable members and revolutionaries were

Bhai Parmanand Bhai Parmanand (4 November 1876 – 8 December 1947) was an Indian nationalist and a prominent leader of the Ghadar Party and Hindu Mahasabha. Early life Parmanand was born on 4 November 1876 in Karyala (Punjab, Pakistan) to Bhai Tara Chand C ...

, Pandurang Mahadev Bapat, Madan Lal Dhingra,

Har Dayal Lala Rudra Dayal Mathur ( Punjabi: ਲਾਲਾ ਹਰਦਿਆਲ; 14 October 1884 – 4 March 1939) was an Indian nationalist revolutionary and freedom fighter. He was a polymath who turned down a career in the Indian Civil Service. His si ...

, and Harnam Singh. The Free India Society also functioned as a recruiting ground for the Abhinav Bharat Society in London, where Savarkar organised Indian students. Among those who were attracted to his ideological visions also included Madam Cama. In 1907,

Shyamji Krishna Varma Shyamji Krishna Varma (1 October 1857 – 30 March 1930) was an Indian revolutionary fighter, an Indian patriot, lawyer and journalist who founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and '' The Indian Sociologist'' in London. A graduate ...

, the founder of

India House India House was a student residence that existed between 1905 and 1910 at Cromwell Avenue in Highgate, North London. With the patronage of lawyer Shyamji Krishna Varma, it was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Brita ...

and Indian Home Rule Society, entrusted the management of India House to Savarkar, having developed a paternal affection for him. After Savarkar took charge of India House, the Society became increasingly active, hosting frequent debates and discourses. V. V. S. Aiyar was Savarkar's chief aide during this period. The Society gradually replaced the Indian Home Rule Society and functioned effectively as the London branch of the Abhinav Bharat Society. Savarkar often read passages from his book '' The Indian War of Independence'' during its meetings, using it as a tool for political education and motivation. By late 1908, the Society's activities increased significantly. Prominent Indian nationalists such as

Lala Lajpat Rai Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 — 17 November 1928) was an Indian revolutionary, politician, and author, popularly known as ''Punjab Kesari (Lion of Punjab).'' He was one of the three members of the Lal Bal Pal trio. He died of severe tra ...

, Gokul Chand Narang, B. P. Pal,

Gopal Krishna Gokhale Gopal Krishna Gokhale ( International Phonetic Alphabet, �ɡoːpaːl ˈkrɪʂɳə ˈɡoːkʰleː9 May 1866 – 19 February 1915) was an Indian political leader and a social reformer during the Indian independence movement, and political me ...

Romesh Chunder Dutt Romesh Chunder Dutt (; 13 August 1848 – 30 November 1909) was an Indian civil servant, economic history, economic historian, translator of ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata''. He was one of the prominent proponents of Indian economic nationalis ...

, G. B. Khaparde, and R. V. Karandikar visited London and participated in events organised by the Society, where they presented their views before the British public. In July 1909, one of its member, Madan Lal Dhingra, assassinated Curzon Wyllie, a senior British official associated with the

India Office The India Office was a British government department in London established in 1858 to oversee the administration of the Provinces of India, through the British viceroy and other officials. The administered territories comprised most of the mo ...

. The act, reportedly inspired by Savarkar's revolutionary philosophy, led to Dhingra's arrest, trial, and death sentence.

References

{{India House Revolutionary movement for Indian independence India House Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 1906 establishments in British India Defunct English-language newspapers published in India Student societies in India Student societies in the United Kingdom Assassinations in India Nonviolent resistance movements Nonviolence organisations based in the United Kingdom Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom Student newspapers published in India Student newspapers published in the United Kingdom