Date: 16 Jan 1954.
Place: Shivaji Mandir, Dadar, Mumbai

Savarkar was an accomplished playwright. During his internment at Ratnagiri, he composed musical dramas such as Ushaap (1927), Sanyastakhadga (1931) and Uttarkriya (1932-1933) in Marathi. The first enactment of Sangeet Sanyastakhadga was performed by Balwant Sangeet Mandali on Friday, 18 September 1931 at Elphinstone Theatre, Grant Road, Mumbai. Sangeet Sanyastakhadga is set in the time of Gautam Buddha. At the instance of Gautam Buddha, the commander of the Shakya army Vikramsingh renounces his sword (khadga) and becomes a monk (sanyasi). Under the influence of the Buddha’s philosophy of non-violence, the Shakya people bid farewell to arms and neglect the defence of their kingdom. When the neighbouring Kosala king invades the Shakya kingdom, the Shakya army now under the command of Vikramsingh’s son Vallabh seems incapable of repelling the foreign onslaught. Vikramsingh’s daughter-in-law Sulochana dresses as a soldier and enters the battlefield. Both meet their end. In the end, the beleaguered Shakyas turn to their erstwhile commander Vikramsingh. After a debate with Gautam Buddha on non-violence and ethics, Vikramsingh unsheathes his renunciate sword (sanyastakhadga) and leads the Shakyas to victory. The play is memorable for its discussion on the philosophy of non-violence as also for some memorable lyrics penned by Savarkar. Click here to hear Savarkar recounting the background of his own play Sangeet Sanyastakhadga.