Bal Gangadhar Tilak

For other people named Bal Gangadhar Tilak, see Bal After graduating, Tilak started teaching mathematics at
Gangadhar Tilak (disambiguation).
a private school in Pune. Later due to ideological dierLokmanya Tilak redirects here. For other uses, see ences with the colleagues in the new school, he withdrew
Lokmanya Tilak (disambiguation).
and became a journalist later. Tilak actively participated
in public aairs.[4] He stated:
Bal Gangadhar Tilak (or Lokmanya Tilak,
Religion and practical life are not dierent.
pronunciation ; 23 July 1856 1 August 1920), born
To take Sanyasa (renunciation) is not to abanas Keshav Gangadhar Tilak, was an Indian nationalist,
don life. The real spirit is to make the country
journalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and an indeyour family work together instead of working
pendence activist. He was the rst leader of the Indian Inonly for your own. The step beyond is to serve
dependence Movement. The British colonial authorities
humanity and the next step is to serve God.
called him 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)".[2] He organised the Deccan Education Society with a few
Tilak was one of the rst and strongest advocates of of his college friends, including Gopal Ganesh Agarkar,
"Swaraj" (self-rule) and a strong radical in Indian con- Mahadev Ballal Namjoshi and Vishnushastri Chiplunkar.
sciousness. He is known for his quote in Marathi, Their goal was to improve the quality of education for
" Indias youth. The Deccan Education Society was set
" (Swarajya is my birthright, and I shall have up to create a new system that taught young Indians na[5]
it!") in India. He formed a close alliance with many In- tionalist ideas through an emphasis on Indian culture.
dian National Congress leaders including Bipin Chandra The Society established the New English School for secPal, Lala Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo Ghose and Muhammad ondary education and Fergusson College in 1885 for postAli Jinnah. Tilak being a strong vocal advocate of Swaraj, secondary studies. Tilak taught mathematics at Fergusson
did not see eye to eye with Mahatma Gandhi on the means College. He began a mass movement towards indepen[6]
of achieving independence. He was against Gandhis pol- dence by an emphasis on a religious and cultural revival.
icy of Total-ahimsa and advocated to use force wherever
necessary.

2 Political career

Early life

2.1 Indian National Congress

Tilak joined the Indian National Congress in 1890. He
opposed its moderate attitude, especially towards the ght
for self-government. He was one of the most-eminent
radicals at the time. Despite being personally opposed to
early marriage, Tilak was against the 1891 Age of Consent bill, seeing it as interference with Hinduism and a
dangerous precedent. The act raised the age at which a
girl could get married from 10 to 12 years. During late
1896, a Bubonic plague spread from Bombay to Pune,
and by January 1897, it reached epidemic proportions.
British troops were brought in to deal with the emergency
and harsh measures were employed including forced entry into private houses, examination of occupants, evacuation to hospitals and segregation camps, removing and
destroying personal possessions, and preventing patients
from entering or leaving the city. By the end of May, the
epidemic was under control.

Tilak was born in a Chitpavan Brahmin family in

Ratnagiri, headquarters of the eponymous district of
present day Maharashtra (then British India) on 23 July
1856.[1] His ancestral village was Chikhali. His father,
Gangadhar Tilak was a school teacher and a Sanskrit
scholar who died when Tilak was sixteen. Tilak graduated from Deccan College, Pune in 1877. Tilak was
amongst one of the rst generation of Indians to receive a
college education. In 1871 Tilak was married to Tapibai
(a women belonging to Bal family) when he was sixteen
before few months of his fathers death. After marriage,
her name was changed to Satyabhamabai. He obtained
his matriculation in 1872. He obtained his Bachelor of
Arts in rst class in Mathematics from Deccan College
of Pune in 1877. In 1879 he obtained his LL.B degree
from Government Law College of University of Mumbai.[3] Despite two attempts he did not succeed in qualifying in his M. A.

Even if, though the British authorities measures were

1

2 POLITICAL CAREER

well-meant, they were widely regarded as acts of tyranny

and oppression. Tilak took up this issue by publishing inammatory articles in his paper Kesari (Kesari was written in Marathi, and Mahratta was written in English),
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 1897, Commissioner Rand and another
British ocer, Lt. Ayerst were shot and killed by the
Chapekar brothers and their other associates. According to Barbara and Thomas R. Metcalf, Tilak almost
surely concealed the identities of the perpetrators.[7]:154
Tilak was charged with incitement to murder and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. When he emerged
from prison in present-day Mumbai, he was revered as
a martyr and a national hero. He adopted a new slogan
coined by his associate Kaka Baptista,[8] "Swaraj (selfrule) is my birthright and I shall have it.

thing to say, Tilak said:

All that I wish to say is that, in spite of the
verdict of the jury, I still maintain that I am innocent. There are higher powers that rule the
destinies of men and nations; and I think, it
may be the will of Providence that the cause
I represent may be beneted more by my suffering than by my pen and tongue.
In passing sentence, the judge indulged in some scathing
strictures against Tilaks conduct. He threw o the judicial restraint which, to some extent, was observable in
his charge to the jury. He condemned the articles as
seething with sedition, as preaching violence, speaking of murders with approval. You hail the advent of
the bomb in India as if something had come to India for
its good. I say, such journalism is a curse to the country. Tilak was sent to Mandalay, Burma from 1908 to
1914.[12] While imprisoned, he continued to read and
write, further developing his ideas on the Indian nationalist movement. While in the prison he wrote the Gita Rahasya. Many copies of which were sold, and the money
was donated for the Indian Independence movement..

Following the Partition of Bengal, which was a strategy

set out by Lord Curzon to weaken the nationalist movement, Tilak encouraged the Swadeshi movement and the
Boycott movement.[9] The movement consisted of the
boycott of foreign goods and also the social boycott of any
Indian who used foreign goods. The Swadeshi movement
consisted of the usage of natively produced goods. Once
foreign goods were boycotted, there was a gap which had
to be lled by the production of those goods in India it- 2.3 Life after prison
self. Tilak said that the Swadeshi and Boycott movements
are two sides of the same coin.
Tilak had mellowed after his release on 16 June 1914,
Tilak opposed the moderate views of Gopal Krishna because of having diabetes and also the ordeals faced
Gokhale, and was supported by fellow Indian national- in Mandalay prison. When World War I started in Auists Bipin Chandra Pal in Bengal and Lala Lajpat Rai gust, Tilak cabled the King-Emperor in Britain of his supin Punjab. They were referred to as the "Lal-Bal-Pal port and turned his oratory to nd new recruits for war
triumvirate". In 1907, the annual session of the Congress eorts. He welcomed The Indian Councils Act, popuParty was held at Surat, Gujarat. Trouble broke out over larly known as Minto-Morley Reforms, which had been
the selection of the new president of the Congress be- passed by British Parliament in May 1909, terming it as
tween the moderate and the radical sections of the party . a marked increase of condence between the Rulers and
The party split into the radicals faction, led by Tilak, Pal the Ruled. Acts of violence actually retarded, than hasand Lajpat Rai, and the moderate faction. Nationalists tened, the pace of political reforms, he felt. He was ealike Aurobindo Ghose, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai were ger for reconciliation with Congress and had abandoned
his demand for direct action and settled for agitations
Tilak supporters.[10]
strictly by constitutional means a line advocated by
his rival Gokhale.

2.2

Imprisonment in Mandalay

Tilak tried to convince Mohandas Gandhi to leave the

On 30 April 1908, two Bengali youths, Prafulla Chaki idea of Total non-violence (Total Ahimsa) and try to
and Khudiram Bose, threw a bomb on a carriage at get Selfrule (Swarajya) by all means. Gandhi, though
Muzzafarpur, to kill the Chief Presidency Magistrate respected him as his guru, did not change his mind.
Douglas Kingsford of Calcutta fame, but erroneously
killed two women travelling in it. While Chaki commit2.4 All India Home Rule League
ted suicide when caught, Bose was hanged. Tilak, in his
paper Kesari, defended the revolutionaries and called for
immediate Swaraj or self-rule. The Government swiftly Main article: All India Home Rule League
arrested him for sedition. But a special jury convicted
him, and the judge Dinshaw D. Davar[11] gave him the Later, Tilak re-united with his fellow nationalists and recontroversial sentence of six years transportation and a joined the Indian National Congress in 1916. He also
ne of Rs 1,000. The jury by a majority of 7:2 convicted helped found the All India Home Rule League in 1916
him. On being asked by the judge whether he had any- 18, with G. S. Khaparde and Muhammad Ali Jinnah and

3
Annie Besant. 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 for support from farmers and
locals to join the movement towards self-rule.[12] Tilak
was impressed by the Russian Revolution, and expressed
his admiration for Vladimir Lenin.[13] There were total
of 1400 members in April 1916 and in 1917 there were
approximately of about 32,000 members in the league.
Tilak started his Home Rule League in Maharashtra,
Central Provinces, and Karnataka and Berar region. Besants League was active in the rest part of India.[14]
Tilak, who started his political life as a Maratha propagandist, 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 independent India, Tilak replied that the Maratha-dominated governments of 17th and 18th centuries were outmoded in
the 20th century, and he wanted a genuine federal system for Free India where every religion and race was an
equal partner. He added that only such a form of government would be able to safeguard Indias freedom. He
was the rst Congress leader to suggest that Hindi written
in the Devanagari script be accepted as the sole national
language of India.[15]

Social contributions and legacy

were used by Tilak to build a national spirit beyond the

circle of educated elite in opposition to colonial rule. But
it also exacerbated Hindu-Muslim dierences. The festival organizers would urge Hindus to protect cows and
boycott the Muharram celebrations organized by Shi'a
Muslims, in which Hindus had formerly often participated. Thus, although the celebrations were meant to be
a way to oppose colonial rule, they also contributed to religious tensions.[7]:152 Contemporary Marathi Hindu nationalist parties like the Shivsena took up his reverence
for Shivaji.
The Deccan Education Society that Tilak founded with
others in the 1880s still runs Institutions in Pune like the
Fergusson College.
The Swadeshi movement started by Tilak at the beginning of the 20th century became part of the Independence
movement until that goal was achieved in 1947. One can
even say Swadeshi remained part of Indian Government
policy until the 1990s when the Congress Government
liberalised the economy.[17]
Tilak Smarak Ranga Mandir, a theatre auditorium in
Pune is dedicated to him. In 2007, the Government of
India released a coin to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Tilak.[18][19]
Tilak said, I regard India as my Motherland and my Goddess, the people in India are my kith and kin, and loyal
and steadfast work for their political and social emancipation is my highest religion and duty.[20]

Swami Vivekananda reached Pune by train during

Further information: Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav and Kesari September 1892. Tilak happened to be his fellow passen(newspaper)
ger. Vivekananda stayed in his house Vinchurkar Wada
in Pune.[21]
Tilak started two weeklies, Kesari (The Lion) in Lokmanya: Ek Yug Purush is a lm released on January
Marathi and Mahratta in English[16] in 188081 with 2, 2015 based on his life. Directed by Om Raut, Tilak is
Gopal Ganesh Agarkar as the rst editor. By this he was played by actor Subodh Bhave.
recognized as 'awakener of India'. As Kesari later became a daily and continues publication to this day.
In 1894, Tilak transformed the household worshipping of
Ganesha into a grand public event (Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav) in that house. The celebrations consisted of several days of processions, music and food. They were
organized by the means of subscriptions by neighbourhood, caste, or occupation. Students often would celebrate Hindu and national glory and address political issues; including patronage of Swadeshi goods.[7]:152
In 1895, Tilak founded the Shri Shivaji Fund Committee
for celebration of "Shiv Jayanti", the birth anniversary of
Chhatrapati Shivaji, the founder of 17th century Maratha
Empire. The project also had the objective of funding
the reconstruction of the tomb (Samadhi) of Shivaji at
Raigad Fort. For this second objective, Tilak established
the Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarak Mandal along with Senapati Khanderao Dabhade II of Talegaon Dabhade, who
became the founder President of the Mandal.
The events like the Ganapati festival and Shiv Jayanti

4 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 a new way to determine the
exact time of the Vedas.[22] He tried to calculate
the time of Vedas by using the position of dierent
Nakshatras. Positions of Nakshtras were described
in dierent Vedas.
Tilak authored "Shrimadh Bhagvad Gita Rahasya"
in prison at Mandalay the analysis of 'Karma Yoga'
in the Bhagavad Gita, which is known to be gift of
the Vedas and the Upanishads.
Being a devotee of Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon,
many reference texts of his are available in the epic.

5
[1]

References
Maharashtra Gazetteer

EXTERNAL LINKS

[20] Minor Robert (1986). Modern Indian Interpreters of the

Bhagavad Gita. State University of NY press. ISBN 088706-298-9

Ocial Ratnagiri website

[21] http://www.rkmpune.org/rkm_pune/history.html

Lokmanya Tilak A Biography

[22] Bal Gangadhar Thilak, Orion, or Researches into the Antiquities of the Vedas, 1893

Britannica
[2] D. V. Tahmankar (1956). Lokamany Tilak: Father of Indian Unrest and Maker of Modern India. John Murray;
1st Edition (1956). Retrieved 5 February 2013.

6 Further reading

[3] Political Thought and Leadership of Lokmanya Tilak - N

R. Inamdar

Lokmanya Tilak: A Biography, by A K Bhagwat and

G P Pradhan (Publisher JAICO)

[4] The Political Thought of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar

Tilak, By K. S. Bharathi, page 38

Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta: Geeta Rahasya by Lokmanya Tilak (Sharda Prakashan)

[5] D. D. Karve, The Deccan Education Society The Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 20, no. 2 (Ann Arbor: Association for Asian Studies, 1961), 206207.

Parimala V. Rao (2011). Foundations of Tilaks Nationalism: Discrimination, Education and Hindutva.
Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-81-250-4268-6.

[6] Michael Edwardes, A History of India (New York: Farrar,

Straus and Cudahy, 1961), 322.
[7] Barbara D. Metcalf; Thomas R. Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of India (2nd ed.). Cambridge University
Press. ISBN 978-0521682251.
[8] Kaka Baptista. East Indian Community. Retrieved 19
October 2014.
[9] Ranbir Vohra, The Making of India: A Historical Survey
(Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, Inc, 1997), 120
[10] Stanley A. Wolpert, Tilak and Gokhale: revolution and
reform in the making of modern India (1962) p 67
[11] Remove portrait of judge who sentenced Bal Gangadhar
Tilak. Mumbai: Indian Express. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
[12] Encyclopedia of Asian History. Tilak, Bal Gangadhar
(New York: Charles Scribners Sons and Macmillan Publishing Company, 1988), 98.
[13] M.V.S. Koteswara Rao. Communist Parties and United
Front Experience in Kerala and West Bengal. Hyderabad:
Prajasakti Book House, 2003. p. 82
[14] Mohammad Tarique. Modern Indian History. Tata McGraw Hill.
[15] Prof R.P. Chaturvedi. "Great Personalities" , Upkars, p.
144R
[16] The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Solovyov - Truck,
Volume 11. p. 772.
[17]
[18] Tilak family awaits 3 lakh coins. Pune: Indian Express.
5 August 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
[19] Flawed 'Tilak coin' upsets many. Pune: Zee News. 2
August 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2013.

7 External links
Bal Gangadhar Tilak materials in the South Asian
American Digital Archive (SAADA)
Full and 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
Antiquity of the Hindu Calendar, an interactive aid
to understanding The Orion by Bal Gangadhar
Thilak by Kishore S Kumar
"Tilak, Bal Gangadhar". Encyclopdia Britannica
(12th ed.). 1922.

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Bal Gangadhar Tilak Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bal_Gangadhar_Tilak?oldid=675982986 Contributors: Clasqm, Eclecticology, Gaurav, Yann, Angela, Kingturtle, Pizza Puzzle, Charles Matthews, Chuunen Baka, Bearcat, Robbot, NightCrawler, Chancemill,
Auric, Alan Liefting, David Gerard, Nichalp, Tom Radulovich, Everyking, Utcursch, Andycjp, Quadell, Quarl, Soman, Shahab, D6,
Rich Farmbrough, Agnistus, Guanabot, Dbachmann, Alren, IndianCow, Art LaPella, Smalljim, Shenme, Nicke Lilltroll~enwiki, Kingsindian, Knucmo2, Arthena, Riana, Echuck215, Varungarde, Woohookitty, Ganeshk, Ackulkarni, Ruud Koot, WadeSimMiser, Tabletop,
Dangerous-Boy,
, Machaon, Srichrome, Chirags, Wikirao, Bhadani, Vijaykrishna, FlaBot, Ground Zero, Mskadu, Matt314,
Dboyk, DaGizza, Banaticus, Siddhant, Amithchandhran, Gaius Cornelius, Welsh, Moe Epsilon, Supten, Mitchell k dwyer, Closedmouth,
Nirav.maurya, Katieh5584, NoDigiSig, Sardanaphalus, SmackBot, YellowMonkey, Nikhilsa, Commander Keane bot, Gilliam, Hmains,
Getramkumar, Akanksh, Bluebot, TimBentley, Ankurjain, DHN-bot~enwiki, Colonies Chris, Ramas Arrow, Mark philip, Khalil Sawant,
Shivap, OrphanBot, New Rock Star, Ged UK, Ohconfucius, Nishkid64, Eliyak, Heimstern, Gobonobo, Rahulsahgal~enwiki, Yogesh
Khandke, Ex nihil, MarcAurel, Mets501, Sharnak, Ginkgo100, Tatvamasi, Aristotle1990, Ganeshbot, Randhirreddy, WhatDidIDoNow,
Govindk, BobClive, Psohoni, Yaris678, Cydebot, Ibroy00, Babub, Viscious81, Doug Weller, DumbBOT, Lo2u, Wikid77, Mohsinwaheed, Mereda, Pgkkumar, Dmitri Lytov, Porqin, Luna Santin, Kishorekumar 62, IndianGeneralist, Kedarg6500, Wahabijaz, Mikenorton,
JAnDbot, Bakasuprman, Sanketj, Rueben lys, PhilKnight, Longhairandabeard, Sachinjoshi, Magioladitis, Navadnav, TinaSparkle, Pnr26j,
Tuncrypt, Dharmadhyaksha, Bondego, Vaidilute, Arjun01, Satya Venugopal, J.delanoy, Abecedare, Rugved1989, Mike.lifeguard, Skier
Dude, Jon Ascton, Kraftlos, Rajendraa, Gr8white, Hindushudra, Redtigerxyz, VolkovBot, JL12~enwiki, TXiKiBoT, Vipinhari, Butterscotch, Imdonatello, Synthebot, Ayengar, Chenzw, Logan, Sudhir h, Hsarpotdar1, Rockstone35, KnowledgeHegemony, PookeyMaster,
Flyer22, Monegasque, Electronz, Rosiestep, Mystiqueknowz, Mausam k2002, Sitush, Vivo78, Swaraj001, Atif.t2, ClueBot, Podzemnik,
Aj rock, Star Garnet, Niceguyedc, Dongare, DragonBot, Tripping Nambiar, Vinaybavdekar, Jotterbot, Olbia merda, Shj95, Belasd, DumZiBoT, Dsvyas, Indu, MystBot, Airplaneman, Harshupadhye, Lliberal, Addbot, Narayansg, Dheerajshah, Fluernutter, Cst17, Morning277,
Glane23, CarTick, George Sharma, Nizil Shah, Numbo3-bot, Megaman en m, Legobot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, AnomieBOT, AmritasyaPutra, Jim1138, Lostartist, Bob Burkhardt, Devdattam, Xqbot, Raafael, SB Dev, , Omnipaedista, Kaustubh1000, FrescoBot,
Gopaljirai, DrilBot, HIS33809AnthonyP, SpacemanSpi, Nirupam279, RedBot, Heavycoder, Plasticspork, Tim1357, ArbitUsername,
Dinamik-bot, Altonego, Ansumang, Dagna29, Satdeep Gill, Sirkablaam, Tbhotch, RjwilmsiBot, EmausBot, John of Reading, Swaminworld, Jasvantsingh, Adityajedhe, NovelMystere, Wikipelli, K6ka, Kkm010, PBS-AWB, South Asia Democracy, Bollyje, Trinidade,
P.taruniitm, Alpha Quadrant (alt), Jonathansammy, Sri0soma, Jay-Sebastos, TyA, Sachinvenga, Vishnuharih, Mentibot, Bill william compton, Jmcheerful, TYelliot, SAMMYAK, ClueBot NG, Meetvikramgupta, Rooneywayne17, Mmavkvba, Sheeptotherescue, AgniKalpa,
O.Koslowski, Sishir1234, Widr, Swazmo, Prabhat1729, Secret of success, Titodutta, DBigXray, Lowercase sigmabot, BG19bot, Nitsakh,
Joshua Jonathan, Sbblr geervaanee, Wikiercomer, Pcgwiki, Shubhabangalore, Jagansrinivas, Tutelary, Sreepaul, Mrt3366, Dexbot, Hmainsbot1, Webclient101, Mogism, Smishra.1996, Aymankamelwiki, Svpnikhil, VIAFbot, WBRSin, TheAtulMishra, Wienermensch, M.R.V
model, Trphierth, Vanamonde93, Pink dragon with polka dots, Viruwankhede, Cmckain14, Coolgama, Ugog Nizdast, Notthebestusername, Aalapmhatre, Noyster, Bladesmulti, Skr15081997, Mahusha, C.g.s.pande, CatcherStorm, Melcous, Babajikatullu, Kuzhali.india,
Hemantmalav88, Grace Lulu, Kautilya3, Saket.Ranade, Aniket1khadilkar, Harish Nemade, Suhas.chatekar, Arihant Brahmane, Ankush
89, KasparBot, T angent17 and Anonymous: 411

8.2

Images

File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original

artist: ?
File:Flag_of_India.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg License: Public domain Contributors:
? Original artist: ?
File:Loudspeaker.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Loudspeaker.svg License: Public domain Contributors: New version of Image:Loudspeaker.png, by AzaToth and compressed by Hautala Original artist: Nethac DIU, waves corrected by
Zoid
File:Om.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Om_symbol.svg License: Public domain Contributors: ?
Original artist: ?
File:Question_book-new.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Question_book-new.svg License: Cc-by-sa-3.0
Contributors:
Created from scratch in Adobe Illustrator. Based on Image:Question book.png created by User:Equazcion Original artist:
Tkgd2007
File:Wikisource-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: Rei-artur Original artist: Nicholas Moreau

8.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0