Exactly one hundred years ago today, i.e. on 8th July 1910, one of the greatest - and most certainly unique - champions of India's freedom from the British Rule made history by leaping out of a tiny porthole on the merchant vessel S.S. Morea that was carrying him back to India from England to stand trial for sedition and other serious charges. The ship had developed some mechanical trouble en route and was ''parked'' off the coast of Marseilles (France) for repairs. The prisoner took this chance to escape and managed to squeeze out of the small window. He leapt into the sea and swam ashore but even as he was trying to catch his breath, French cops caught him and handed him back to the British men who had noticed this leap and had come in hot pursuit. His name was Vinyak Damodar Savarkar. A poet and a scholar. A fierce revolutionary. His attempt to escape had failed but the international waves the leap created on that day have made him immortal. Swatantryaveer Savarkar (as he is known today) is not liked by many of India's modern politicians and intellectuals for a number of reasons. This is not the place to discuss them. But whatever the view, nobody can deny his patriotism and his contribution to India's freedom struggle. And the Leap he made one hundred years ago has no parallel in history. You can read about the Great Leap here - 1 THE SAVARKAR CASE between FRANCE and GREAT BRITAIN Decided February 24, 1911 ["The Hague court reports[1st]-2d series: comprising the awards ..., Volume 1" ], online at http://www.archive.org/stream/haguecourtrepor01lawgoog/haguecourtrepor01lawgoog_djvu.txt http://www.archive.org/details/haguecourtrepor01lawgoog (pdf) 2 Savarkar's potted biography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinayak_Damodar_Savarkar 3 A Centenary of that marvellous leap to freedom Savarkar made history by his adventurous feat http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=351&page=9 --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar