SAVITRI DEVI Archive

Illustration: Savitri Devi's husband Asit Krishna Mukherji, 1943.

Dear Archivist,

In the "Letters to the Editor" section of the latest issue of National Vanguard magazine, #134, which I subscribe to, contains a letter from a reader in Virginia who exclaims that Savitri Devi was a race-mixer by marrying a non-Aryan, Mr. Mukherji and questions her National Socialist spirit. Included with the letter is a photo of him, I believe that comes from your archive. Indeed the man doesn't appear to be Aryan and is one of the photos of her husband on your site. Indeed, the reader may have deliberately picked the most unflattering photo of your collection to make his point.

Anyway, the description of Savitiri's husband in the book Hitler's Priestess versus the photos are not in sync to me. Also, many years ago, I thought I had seen another photograph of him in another publication as an elderly man and the hue of his complexion wasn't nearly as dark. Unfortunately, I am unable to remember where I saw that photograph.

Savitri's The Lightning and the Sun was one of the most important works I had ever read and made a profound impression upon me, lasting decades. Her philosophy became an integral part of my spiritual being. I am currently reading Gold in the Furnace. I have also read Impeachment of Man. That little book had made such an impact upon me that it was those pages that turned me to vegetarianism over this past quarter century.

I have gone all these years believing that Savitri's husband was a White man of the Brahmin caste. There are very few of these people. I have never heard anyone challenge that; not Dr. Pierce, not Matt Koehl not anyone, till now. Could you please shed some light on this subject for me. I would be so appreciative of it.

In closing, I think you have a beautiful website to acquaint the public to her life and works.

Sincerely,
JR

Thank you for your letter, which provides me with an opportunity to address an issue that has been raised again and again on various internet forums.

First of all, if the accusation of race-mixing is offered as an argument for dimissing Savitri Devi's ideas and avoiding her books, then it is a very bad argument, because even people who make bad decisions or suffer from character flaws might still have interesting and true things to say.

Second, Savitri Devi's husband was not of a different race. He really was a Brahmin from Bengal, and there is no reason to think that he was not of entirely Caucasian descent. I have met members of his family, and although they have dark hair and complexions, their features are Caucasian, although few if any of them could be taken for Europeans. If the Aryans who settled India originally resembled Europeans (which is probable, but not certain), they have become mixed to varying degrees with the dark Caucasoid Dravidian sub-race that established the first Indian civilization, the so-called "Indus Valley" civilization (which probably embraced the whole sub-continent).

Of course this might not be "good enough" for some, who do not consider Indians to be "White enough" even though many are perfectly Caucasian. But then their objection should be not to "race-mixing" but to "sub-racial mixing," and no matter how much one might deplore sub-racial mixing, it is clearly not as bad as race-mixing.

Third, it is worth noting that both Savitri Devi and her husband thought that sub-racial mixing is a bad idea, thus that they were not appropriate marriage partners. Indeed, the Indian caste-system prohibits Brahmins from marrying even other Brahmins if they are from different regions of India (i.e., if they are too different genetically). (See And Time Rolls On: The Savitri Devi Interviews, pp. 30-31 and 154-55.)

Fourth, the genetic differences between Savitri Devi and her husband did not matter to them, since they did not intend to have children. And since Savitri and her husband thought that the sole purpose of sex is procreation, theirs was a completely celibate marriage. (Savitri claimed as late as 1968 that she had never in her life had sexual intercourse, and there is no reason to think that she ever did.)

Fifth, Savitri Devi did not choose to marry just any Indian, but a comrade in faith and struggle. A.K. Mukherji was a highly valued ally and agent of the three main Axis Powers. Publicly he was the editor of The New Mercury, the only pro-Fascist and pro-National Socialist publication in India, from 1935-1937, when it was closed by the British government. From 1937-1941, he was editor of The Eastern Economist, in collaboration with the Japanese. This publication was also shut down by the British after Japan entered the war. Behind the scenes, it was Mukherji who introduced Subhas Chandra Bose to the Japanese (and Savitri Devi who introduced Bose to Mukherji). Mukherji also spied on the British and Americans in Calcutta on behalf of the Japanese. Savitri proudly quoted a letter from Eduard von Selzam, German Counsel-General in Calcutta, who claimed that nobody in India had rendered greater service to the Third Reich than A.K. Mukherji (see Souvenirs, p. 275 and And Time Rolls On, p. 23, n38).

Sixth, although both Savitri and Mr. Mukherji thought that the main purpose of marriage is procreation, and they probably would have agreed that mixed marriages (racial or otherwise) set a bad example even if they remain childless, such considerations were outweighed by a compelling practical reason: At the beginning of the Second World War, Savitri was a known Axis sympathizer with Greek nationality. The British rounded up and interned citizens of Axis nations and foreign sympathizers. By marrying Mr. Mukherji, Savitri obtained British Indian citizenship, by which she hoped to avoid internment, on the assumption that the British would not intern their own citizens for Axis sympathies. This assumption, of course, turned out to be mistaken, as around 1,000 British Axis-sympathizers were eventually detained under Defence Regulation 18B. Mr. Mukherji himself was detained, questioned, and released a short time later. Nevertheless, Savitri Devi remained free for the duration of the war and aided her husband in spying for the Japanese.

After the war, Savitri and Mr. Mukherji stayed married, apparently because they believed that marriage should be indissoluble. Other probable factors were friendship and shared values. But they spent very little time together. In the fall of 1945, Savitri returned to Europe for almost twelve years. During this time, however, Mr. Mukherji gave Savitri financial support, helped publish her books, aided in her defense when she was arrested in Occupied Germany in 1949, and eventually secured her release from prison by obtaining the aid of the Indian government. When Savitri lived again in India from 1957-1960, she spent only part of the time with Mr. Mukherji in Calcutta, then she returned to Europe for eleven more years. When she returned to India in 1971, Savitri settled in New Delhi, while Mr. Mukherji remained in Calcutta. They did, however, visit one another occasionally until Mr. Mukherji's death in 1977. When he was facing his final illness, Mr. Mukherji traveled to New Delhi and stayed with Savitri, who made him comfortable while he fasted to death and then made arrangements for his cremation.

For these reasons, I think the accusation that Savitri Devi was a race-mixer is misguided. It is not true, since Mr. Mukherji was not of a different race. Even if it were true, it would not make the truths she proclaimed any less true (or the errors she made any more false). Furthermore, even if it were true, it is beside the point, because they had a sexless and childless marriage. Finally, they had compelling practical reasons for a marriage of convenience.

I would be most interested to see the photograph of Mr. Mukherji that you mentioned. Please inform me if it ever comes to light.

Thank you for your kind words about the Archive. Hearing from people whose lives Savitri has touched makes it all worthwhile.

—R. G. Fowler