Context: Union Home Minister and Defence Minister paid national tributes to the iconic freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak on his birth anniversary.
About Bal Gangadhar Tilak:
Who He Was?
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak was an Indian nationalist, educator, journalist, and social reformer. Revered as the Father of the Indian Unrest by British colonial authorities and the Father of India’s Revolution by Jawaharlal Nehru, he was a key leader of the extremist/nationalist faction within the Indian National Congress prior to the Gandhian era.
Early Life & Social Reforms:
- Birth: Born on July 23, 1856, in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, to a middle-class family.
- Educational Reforms: Believing that modern, nationalistic education was vital for political awakening, he co-founded the Deccan Education Society in 1884 to establish schools like Fergusson College in Pune.
- Social Stance: Advocated passionate social reforms while prioritizing political liberation. He vehemently opposed untouchability, famously declaring: I would not recognise even God if he said that untouchability was ordained by him.
Contributions to the Freedom Movement:
- Champion of Swaraj and Swadeshi: Tilak transformed the freedom struggle into a mass movement and coined the slogan, Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it! He led the Extremist (Lal-Bal-Pal) movement against Moderate politics after the Partition of Bengal (1905).
- Sedition Trials and Mandalay Exile:
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- 1897: Convicted of sedition for writings in Kesari, emerging as a national leader.
- 1908–1914: Sentenced to six years in Mandalay Prison (Burma), where he authored important scholarly works.
- Home Rule League and Lucknow Pact: Founded the Indian Home Rule League (1916) at Pune to demand self-government. He also helped unite Moderates and Extremists and played a key role in the Lucknow Pact (1916) between the Congress and the Muslim League.
Literary Works & Journalism:
- Journalistic Organs: Founded two influential newspapers to educate the masses and critique British misrule:
- Kesari: A Marathi daily newspaper through which he preached nationalist doctrines.
- Mahratta: An English weekly newspaper.
- Major Books:
- Gita Rahasya (1915): Written during his imprisonment in Mandalay, it is a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita emphasizing Karma Yoga (the philosophy of selfless action).
- The Arctic Home in the Vedas (1903): Proposed a novel origin theory regarding the ancestral home of the Aryans.
Key Organizations Associated With Tilak:
- Deccan Education Society (1884): Co-founded to promote nationalist education in Maharashtra.
- Indian National Congress (INC): Joined in 1889; led its Nationalist/Extremist wing.
- Indian Home Rule League (1916): Established to demand self-rule across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Central Provinces, and Berar.
- Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav & Shivaji Jayanti: Re-organized community festivals into public cultural gatherings to build national unity and circumvent British bans on political assemblies.
Last Days and Legacy:
- Passing: Passed away on August 1, 1920, in Bombay (now Mumbai) at the age of 64.
- Historical Transition: His death coincided with the launch of Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement on the exact same day, marking the transition from the Tilak Era to the Gandhian Era of India’s freedom struggle.
