Rassegna storica del Risorgimento

328
Gita Srivastava
The book in its preface contained a strong exhortìon to the young men of India. He wrote in its preface that there are few people who get happiness in others and feel sorrow with others and sacrifice their lives and stick to their duties with strength, courage and conviction. These persons do not belong to one country and are born to serve the people of the whole worid.25* Mazzini was such a person who regarde service to humanity as the highest deed a person can perform. His only aim in life was to free his country from clutches of Austria. Lajpat Rai mentioned about an article on Mazzini which appeared on page 59 of the Review of Reviews of 15th June 1864.
The century that is going to end has only few names in its list which shines as Mazzini's name ... although there may be twenty names who occupy high places in their own country but these names may be forgotten after some time but Mazzini's will be remembered for ever by millions of men of ali countries. Mazzini was follower of high principles with such devotion and sincerity that it is difficult to find another such example in this wrongful and insincere world .26
Lajpat Rai further exhorted his countrymen to emulate the high principles of Mazzini and Garibaldi for he felt that he would feel justified in writing these books if he is able to arouse the feeling of sacrifice among Indians.27*
Biographies of Italian Nationalists in Hindi Literature
Study of the Western history, especially the history of Italian Risorgi­mento, attracted the attention of Hindi writers also. Biographies of different historical personalities were written to inspire men and women of India in their tight for freedom. In a span of about first two decades of the present century at least seven books were published in Hindi language on Italian leaders, more particularly on Mazzini and Garibaldi.
The first biography of Mazzini in Hindi was written by G. D. Sharma and was published28* in 1900. This was followed by Laxmidhar Bajpai's Mazzini in 1914; Indravachaspati's Garibaldi Ka Jeevan (Life of Garibaldi)
25> Ibid., pp. 1-2.
20 Ibid., p. 5.
27) Ibid., p. 16.
2S) HARI SHANKAH. SRIVASTAVA, Historical Biographies in Hindi Uterature, p. 132, in S.P. SEN, op. cit.