Bal Gangadhar Tilak
(Marathi: बाळ गंगाधर टिळक Born as Keshav Gangadhar Tilak) 23 July 1856–1
August 1920 (aged 64), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer and independence fighter who
was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. The British colonial authorities
derogatorily called the great leader as "Father of the Indian unrest". He was also conferred with the
honorary title of Lokmanya, which literally means "Accepted by the people (as their leader)". Tilak was
one of the first and strongest advocates of "Swaraj" (self-rule) in Indian consciousness. His famous
quote, "Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it!" is well-remembered in India even today.
Contents
[hide]
1 Early life
2 Political career
o 2.1 Indian National
Congress
o 2.2 Arrest
o 2.3 Life after prison
o 2.4 All India Home
Rule League
3 Social contribution
4 Later years and legacy
5 Books
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links
[edit]Early life
Tilak was born at Chummakachu Lane (Ranjani Aalee) in Chikhalgaon, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra to
a Chitpavan Brahmin family. His father was a famous schoolteacher and a Sanskrit scholar who died
when Tilak was sixteen. His brilliance rubbed off on young Tilak, who graduated fromDeccan College,
Pune in 1877. Tilak was among one of the first generation of Indians to receive a college education.[1]
Tilak was expected, as was the tradition then, to actively participate in public affairs. He believed that
“Religion and practical life are not different. To take to Sanyasa (renunciation) is not to abandon life. The
real spirit is to make the country your family instead of working only for your own. The step beyond is to
serve humanity and the next step is to serve God.” This dedication to humanity would be a fundamental
element in the Indian Nationalist movement.[2]
After graduating, Tilak began teaching mathematics in a private school in Pune. Later due to some
ideological differences with the colleagues in the New School, he decided to withdraw from that activity.
About that time he became a journalist. He was a strong critic of the Western education system, feeling it
demeaned the Indian students and disrespected India's heritage. He organized the Deccan Education
Society with a few of his college friends, including Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Mahadev Ballal
Namjoshi and Vishnu Krishna Chiplunkar whose goal was to improve the quality of education for India's
youth. The Deccan Education Society was set up to create a new system that taught young Indians
nationalist ideas through an emphasis on Indian culture.[3] Tilak began a mass movement towards
independence that was camouflaged by an emphasis on a religious and cultural revival.[4] He
taught Mathematics at Fergusson College.
[edit]Political career
[edit]Indian National Congress
Tilak joined the Indian National Congress in 1890. He opposed its moderate attitude, especially towards
the fight for self government. He was one of the most eminent radicals at the time.
In 1891 Tilak opposed the Age of Consent bill. The act raised the age at which a girl could get married
from 10 to 12. The Congress and other liberals supported it, but Tilak was set against it, terming it an
interference with Hinduism. A plague epidemic spread from Mumbai to Pune in late 1896, and by January
1897, it reached epidemic proportions. In order to suppress the epidemic and prevent its spread, it was
decided to take drastic action, accordingly a Special Plague Committee, with jurisdiction over Pune city,
its suburbs and Pune cantonment was appointed under the Chairmanship of W. C. Ranade, I. C. S,
Assistant Collector of Pune by way of a government order dated 8 March 1897. On 12 March 1897, 893
officers and men both British and native, under command of a Major Paget of the Durham Light
Infantry were placed on plague duty. By the end of May the epidemic had ebbed and the military action
was gradually ended. In his report on the administration of the Pune plague, Rand wrote, "It is a matter of
great satisfaction to the members of the Plague Committee that no credible complaint that the modesty of
a woman had been intentionally insulted was made either to themselves or to the officers under whom
the troops worked". He also writes that closest watch was kept on the troops employed on plague duty
and utmost consideration was shown for the customs and traditions of the people.An account based on
local Indian sources writes that the appointment of military officers introduced an element of severity and
coercion in the house searches, the highhandedness of the government provoked the people of Pune and
some soldiers were beaten in Rastapeth locality. It quotes Kelkar[nb 1] on the conduct of British soldiers,
"Either, through ignorance or impudence, they would mock, indulge in monkey tricks, talk foolishly,
intimidate, touch innocent people, shove them, enter any place without justification, pocket valuable
items, etc.."[6] Tilak took up the people's cause by publishing inflammatory articles in his paper Kesari,
quoting the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, to say that no blame could be attached to anyone who
killed an oppressor without any thought of reward. Following this, on 22 June, Rand and another British
officer Lt. Ayerst were shot and killed by the Chapekar brothers and their other associates. Tilak was
charged with incitement to murder and sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment. When he emerged from
prison, he was revered as a martyr and a national hero and adopted a new slogan, "Swaraj (Self-Rule) is
my birth right and I shall have it."
Following the partition of Bengal in 1905, which was a strategy set out by Lord Curzon to weaken the
nationalist movement, Tilak encouraged a boycott, regarded as the Swadeshi movement.[7]
Tilak opposed the moderate views of Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and was supported by fellow Indian
nationalists Bipin Chandra Pal in Bengaland Lala Lajpat Rai in Punjab. They were referred to as the Lal-
Bal-Pal triumvirate. In 1907, the annual session of the Congress Party was held at Surat (Gujarat).
Trouble broke out between the moderate and the extremist factions of the party over the selection of the
new president of the Congress. The party split into the "Jahal matavadi" ("Hot Faction," or extremists), led
by Tilak, Pal and Lajpat Rai, and the "Maval matavadi"("Soft Faction," or moderates). The radicals like
Aurobindo Ghose were Tilak supporters.
[edit]Arrest
On 30 April 1908 two Bengali youths, Prafulla Chaki and Khudiram Bose, threw a bomb on a carriage at
Muzzafarpur in order to kill the Chief Presidency Magistrate Douglas Kingsford of Calcutta fame, but
erroneously killed some women travelling in it. While Chaki committed suicide when caught, Bose was
tied and hanged. Tilak in his paper Kesari defended the revolutionaries and called for immediate Swaraj
or Self-rule. The Government swiftly arrested him for sedition. He asked a young Muhammad Ali
Jinnah to represent him. But the British judge convicted him and he was imprisoned from 1908 to 1914 in
the Mandalay Prison, Burma.[8] While imprisoned, he continued to read and write, further developing his
ideas on the Indian Nationalist movement. While in the prison he wrote the famous "Gita Rahasya". Lots
of copies of which were sold and the money was donated for the freedom fighting.
Sardar Griha Lodge, Tilak stayed here when in Mumbai
Much has been said of his trial of 1908, it being the most historic trial. His last words on the verdict of the
Jury were such: "In spite of the verdict of the Jury, I maintain that I am innocent. There are higher powers
that rule the destiny of men and nations and it may be the will of providence that the cause which I
represent may prosper more by my suffering than by my remaining free". These words now can be seen
imprinted on the wall of Room. No. 46 at Bombay High Court.
[edit]Life after prison
Tilak had mellowed after his release in June 1914, more because of the diabetes and hardship in
Mandalay prison. When World war I started in August, Tilak, cabled the King-Emperor in Britain of his
support and turned his oratory to find new recruits for war efforts. He welcomed The Indian Councils Act,
popularly known as Minto-Morley Reforms which had been passed by British parliament in May 1909
terming it as ‘a marked increase of confidence between the Rulers and the Ruled’. Acts of violence
actually retarded than hastened the pace of political reforms, he felt. He was eager for reconciliation with
Congress and had abandoned his demand for direct action and settled for agitations ‘strictly by
constitutional means’ - a line advocated by his rival Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Tilak saw the spark in Gandhi
and tried his best to convince Gandhi to leave the idea of "total Ahimsa" and try to get "Swarajya" by all
means. Gandhi though looked upon him as his guru, did not change his mind.
[edit]All India Home Rule League
Later, Tilak re-united with his fellow nationalists and re-joined the Indian National Congress in 1916. He
also helped found the All India Home Rule League in 1916-18 with Joseph Baptista, Annie Besant, G. S.
Khaparde and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. After years of trying to reunite the moderate and radical factions,
he gave up and focused on the Home Rule League, which sought self-rule. Tilak travelled from village to
village trying to conjure up support from farmers and locals to join the movement towards self-rule.[8] Tilak
was impressed by the Russian Revolution, and expressed his admiration for Lenin.[9]
Tilak, who started his political life as a Maratha protagonist, during his later part of life progressed into a
prominent nationalist after his close association with Indian nationalists following the partition of Bengal.
When asked in Calcutta whether he envisioned a Maratha type of government for Free India, Tilak replied
that the Maratha dominated Governments of 17th and 18th centuries were outmoded in 20th century and
he wanted a genuine federal system for Free India where every religion and race were equal partners. He
added that only such a form of Government would be able to safeguard India's freedom. He was the first
Congress leader to suggest that Hindi written in the devanagari script, should be accepted as the sole
national language of India.
[edit]Social contribution
In 1894, Tilak transformed household worshipping of Ganesha into Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav and he also
made Shiva Jayanti(birth anniversary celebrations of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) as a social festival. It is
touted to be an effective demonstration of festival procession. Gopal Ganesh Agarkar was the first editor
of Kesari, a prominent Marathi weekly in his days which was started by Lokmanya Tilak in 1880-81. Gopal
Ganesh Agarkar subsequently left Kesari out of ideological differences with Bal Gangadhar Tilak
concerning the primacy of political reforms versus social reforms, and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar started his
own periodical Sudharak.He often said, "I regard India as my Motherland and my Goddess,the people in
India my kith and kin, and loyal and steadfast work for their political and social emancipation my highest
religion and duty"[10]
[edit]Later years and legacy
After Tilak’s death on August 1, 1920, on the first day of Gandhi’s first non-cooperation campaign,
[8]
Gandhi paid his respects at his cremation in Mumbai, along with 200 thousand people. Gandhi called
Tilak "The Maker of Modern India"[11]. To that effect, perhaps Tilak's personality bore resemblance to that
of Benjamin Franklin. Both were early activists in independence movements of their respective countries.
Both were multi-faceted (while Tilak was accomplished as a teacher, editor and dabbled in scientific
thought, Franklin's technological contributions besides political thought are well-known), talented and
contributed in shaping a modern identity of the group of people that they belonged to. It is conceivable
that Tilak was aware of Benjamin Franklin's contribution to the American Revolution and culture during his
time. Most importantly, both strove to achieve self-discipline, highly ethical and moral behavior deriving
from their religious and cultural backgrounds while also modifying the same to suit modern sensibilities of
the time. Franklin's thirteen virtues are well known. Tilak exhibited and worked towards achieving
personal, moral, ethical, mental and physical strength by practicing what seemed necessary to him at the
time.
The court which convicted Tilak bears a plaque that says, "The actions of Tilak has been justified as the
right of every individual to fight for his country. Those two convictions have gone into oblivion -- oblivion
reserved by history for all unworthy deeds".
[edit]Books
In 1903, he wrote the book The Arctic Home in the Vedas. In it he argued that the Vedas could only have
been composed in the Arctics, and the Aryan bards brought them south after the onset of the last Ice age.
He proposed the radically new way to determine the exact time ofVedas. He tried to calculate the time of
Vedas by using the position of different Nakshatras. Positions of Nakshtras were described in different
Vedas.
Tilak also authored 'Shrimadbhagwadgeetarahasya' - the analysis of 'Karmayoga' in the Bhagavadgita,
which is known to be gist of the Vedasand the Upanishads.
Other collections of his writings include:
The Hindu philosophy of life, ethics and religion (published in 1887).
Vedic chronology and vedanga jyotisha.
Letters of Lokamanya Tilak, edited by M. D. Vidwans.
Selected documents of Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, 1880–1920, edited by Ravindra Kumar.
Jedhe Shakawali (Editor)
[edit]Notes
1. ^ Sahityasamrat Narsimha Chintaman or Tatyasaheb Kelkar (24 August 1872 - 14 October 1947) Associate
of Tilak. Editor, trustee of Kesari. After the death of Tilak in 1920, he became one of the foremost leaders of
the Tilakites in the Congrss. Member of the Viceroy’s Council. Was president of Akhil Bharat Hindu
Mahasabha twice.[5]
[edit]References
1. ^ Bal Gangadhar Tilak Biography - Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak Indian Freedom Fighter - Bal
Gangadhar Tilak History - Information on Bal Gangadhar Tilak
2. ^ D. Mackenzie Brown. “The Philosophy of Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Karma vs. Jnana in the Gita
Rahasya.” Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 17, no. 3. (Ann Arbor: Association for Asian Studies, 1958), 204.
3. ^ D. D. Karve, “The Deccan Education Society” The Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 20, no. 2 (Ann
Arbor: Association for Asian Studies, 1961), 206-207.
4. ^ Michael Edwardes, A History of India (New York: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1961), 322.
5. ^ Savarkar.org team. "Associates in Hindutva Movement: Narsimha Chintaman or Tatyasaheb
Kelkar". Retrieved 2009, July 11.
6. ^ Joglekar, Jayawant D. (2006). Veer Savarkar Father of Hindu Nationalism. Lulu.com.
pp. 27. ISBN 1847283802.
7. ^ Ranbir Vohra, The Making of India: A Historical Survey (Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, Inc, 1997), 120
8. ^ a b c Encyclopedia of Asian History. “Tilak, Bal Gangadhar,” (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons
And Macmillian Publishing Company 1988), 98.
9. ^ M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. Communist Parties and United Front - Experience in Kerala and West
Bengal. Hyderabad: Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 82
10. ^ Minor Robert(1986) Modern Indian Interpreters of the Bhagavad Gita. State University of NY
press. ISBN 0-88706-298-9
11. ^ britannica biography of Tilak
[edit]External links
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to: Bal
Gangadhar Tilak
Wikisource has original
works written by or
about: Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Remembering Tilak Maharaj by Jyotsna Kamat
Full & authentic report of the Tilak trial (1908) being the only authorised verbatim account of the
whole proceedings with introduction and character sketch of Bal Gangadhar Tikak: Together with
press opinion, 1908, Narsinha Chintaman Kelkar
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