Born: 23 July 1856
Passed Away: 1 August 1920
Contributions:
Bal
Gangadhar Tilak was a social reformer and freedom fighter. He
was one of
the prime architects of modern India and strongest advocates of
Swaraj
(Self Rule). He was universally recognized as the "Father of
Indian
Movement". Tilak was a brilliant politician as well as a
profound
scholar who believed that independence is the foremost necessity
for the
well being of a nation.
Life: Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born on July 22, 1856 in a middle class
family in Ratnagiri, a small coastal town in southwestern
Maharashtra.
Tilak's father, Gangadhar Shastri, was a noted Sanskrit scholar
and
school teacher at Ratnagiri. His mother's name was Paravti Bai
Gangadhar. In 1886, following his father's transfer, the entire
family
shifted to Poona.
Tilak was a brilliant student and also very good in mathematics. Since
his childhood, Tilak had an intolerant attitude towards
injustice and he
was truthful and straightforward in nature. Though, he was among
the
India's first generation of youth to receive a modern, college
education
Tilak was a critic of the educational system, the British had
provided
for the Indians. According to him, the education was not at all
adequate. After graduating from Deccan College, Pune in 1877,
Tilak also
cleared the L.L.B. from the Elphinston College, Mumbai. Later,
he helped
found a school that laid emphasis on nationalism.
Social Reforms
After completing his education, Tilak spurned the lucrative
offers of
government service and decided to devote himself to the larger
cause of
national awakening. He was a great reformer and throughout his
life he
emphasized on the concepts of women education and women
empowerment.
Tilak educated all of his daughters and did not marry them till
they
were over 16. To inspire a sense of unity, he introduced the
festivals
like 'Ganesh Chaturthi' and Shivaji Jayanti'. Today, Ganesh
Chaturthi is
considered as the prime festival of the Marathis. It is a sheer
tragedy
that for his allegiance towards extremism, Tilak and his
contribution
were not given the recognition, he actually deserved.
Newspapers
Towards his goal, Bal Gangadhar Tilak launched two newspapers
called
'Mahratta' (English) and 'Kesari' (Marathi). Both the newspaper
stressed
on making the Indians aware of the glorious past and empowered
them to
be self reliant. In other words, the newspaper actively
propagated the
cause of national freedom.
In 1896, When the entire nation was gripped by the famine and
plague,
the British government declared that there was no cause for
anxiety. The
government also rejected the need to start a 'Famine Relief
Fund'. The
attitude of the government was severely criticized by both the
newspapers. Tilak fearlessly published reports about the havoc
caused by
famine and plague and government's utter irresponsibility and
indifference.
Extremism:
Bal
Gangadhar Tilak joined the Indian National Congress Party in
1890.
Realizing that the constitutional agitation in itself was futile
against
the British, Tilak opposed the moderate views of the party. This
subsequently made him stand against the prominent leaders like
Gopal
Krishna Gokhale. He was waiting for an armed revolt to
broom-away the
British. His movement was based on the principles of Swadeshi
(Indigenous), Boycott and Education. But his methods also raised
bitter
controversies within the Indian National Congress Party and the
movement
itself.
As a result, Tilak formed the extremist wing of Indian National
Congress Party. Tilak was well supported by fellow nationalists
Bipin
Chandra Pal in Bengal and Lala Lajpat Rai in Punjab. The trio
was
referred to as the Lal-Bal-Pal. A massive trouble broke out
between the
moderate and extremist factions of the Indian National Congress
Party in
the 1907 session of the Congress Party. As a result of which,
the
Congress split into two factions
During 1908-1914, Bal Gangadhar Tilak spent six years rigorous
imprisonment in Mandalay Jail, Burma. He was deported because of
his
alleged support to the Indian revolutionaries, who had killed
some
British people. Following his growing fame and popularity, the
British
government also tried to stop the publication of his newspapers.
His
wife died in Pune while he was languishing in Mandalay prison.
Tilak returned to India in 1915 when the political situation
was fast
changing under the shadow of World War I. There was
unprecedented
jubilation in India after Tilak was free and back in India.
After seeing
such a grand welcome, Tilak decided to re-unite with his fellow
nationalists and founded the All India Home Rule League in 1916
with
Joseph Baptista, Annie Besant and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Death
Tilak was so disappointed by the brutal incident of Jalianwala
Bagh
massacre that his health started declining. Despite his illness,
Tilak
issued a call to the Indians not to stop their movement no
matter what
happened. He was raring to lead the movement but his health did
not
permit that. Tilak had become very weak by this time. In
mid-July 1920,
his condition worsened and on August 1, he passed away.
Even as this sad news was spreading, a veritable ocean of
people surged
to his house. Over 2 lakh people gathered at his residence in
Bombay
(now, Mumbai) to have the last glimpse of their beloved leader.
