The revolution of 1857 had shaken the foundation of British rule. The British did not want this type of incident to occur again. In 1907, there was a stir in London around the colonial developments in India. At the same time, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (popularly known as Veer Savarkar) was studying at the Gregion College in London and was living in the India House. India House was the secret base of the revolutionaries residing abroad at that time, where the action plan of Abhinav Bharat was going on under the leadership of Veer Savarkar. He organized a ceremony in India House on the 50th anniversary of the 1857 revolt and paid tribute to the revolutionaries.
Veer Savarkar wrote a 550-page book in the Marathi language, titled, "Indian Independence Summer: 1857," based on contemporary documents and reports. In a fiery speech at the India House, he called upon the revolutionaries to fight for independence again. This impassioned speech stirred the British government, and two constables of Scotland Yard took off two chapters from this manuscript. Savarkar somehow managed to send the manuscript to India, but due to the vigil of the government, it could not be printed and was returned back to Savarkar, from where he sent it to Germany due to the unavailability of the Marathi language translators. Thereafter, he himself translated the manuscript into English. Finally, somehow the manuscript was printed in Holland after many difficulties. Thousands of copies were sent to India via London, throwing dust in the eyes of the British. Before the publication of this book, the government became so scared that the book was banned from publication. This development was condemned by Veer Savarkar in the London Times.
The original book of the historical revolution of 1857 was welcomed by many countries of the world, including India. The more the British colonial government opposed the book, the more popular it became, and it became a kind of Bhagwad Gita among the revolutionaries. Its second and third editions were printed by Madam Cama and Lala Hardayal and were distributed among the Gadar Party members, which ignited the flame of revolution in them, and these soldiers revolted against the British government. Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh printed this book in Lahore in the year 1928 and widely publicized it; it was its fourth edition.
The fifth edition of "Indian Independence Summer: 1857" was published in Japan by Shri Rash Behari Bose and distributed amongst the members of the Indian National Army. It is said that the inspiration from this book lay behind the formation of the Rani Lakshmi Bai Regiment.
The journey of this book by Veer Savarkar, despite all the difficulties, inspired the revolutionaries for the freedom struggle, and finally, the dream of an independent India was fulfilled.
Source: Manglesh Lata Yadav, DRP, CCRT