Bal Gangadhar Tilak — "Lokmanya", the one respected by the people — was a mathematician, Sanskrit scholar, editor and political leader who turned the demand for self-rule into a mass movement. The British called him the "father of Indian unrest". He used festivals, newspapers and education to awaken national feeling, and in a Burmese prison he wrote Gita Rahasya, a commentary that reads the Gita as a call to action.
Life
- 1856Born on 23 July at Ratnagiri.
- 1880–85With Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar and others, founds the New English School (1880), the Deccan Education Society (1884) and Fergusson College (1885) in Pune.
- 1881Begins the newspapers Kesari (Marathi) and The Mahratta (English).
- 1893–95Popularises Ganesh Chaturthi as a public festival and starts the Shivaji festival.
- 1897Imprisoned for sedition for articles in Kesari.
- 1903Publishes "The Arctic Home in the Vedas" (after "The Orion", 1893).
- 1908–14Sentenced to six years for sedition; imprisoned at Mandalay, Burma, where he writes Gita Rahasya.
- 1916Founds the Indian Home Rule League; helps bring about the Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the Muslim League.
- 1920Dies in Bombay on 1 August.
"Swaraj is my birthright"
Tilak was the leading figure of the "extremist" wing of the Congress, with Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal — the trio known as Lal-Bal-Pal. Against the petitioning politics of the moderates he called for swaraj (self-rule), swadeshi, boycott and national education. His declaration, made in Marathi in 1916 and remembered as "Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it", became one of the great slogans of the freedom struggle.
Festivals as national awakening
Tilak turned Ganesh Chaturthi from a family observance into a ten-day public festival with music, lectures and processions, and began a festival in honour of Shivaji. These brought people of different castes together in public and gave the national movement a cultural form at a time when political meetings were restricted.
Gita Rahasya
Written in prison at Mandalay and published in 1915, Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Rahasya (also called Karmayoga Shastra) argued that the central teaching of the Gita is karma yoga — selfless, energetic action in the world — rather than renunciation. It inspired a generation of freedom fighters to see political work as a spiritual duty.
Criticism and debate
Tilak opposed the Age of Consent Bill of 1891, which raised the age of consent for girls, arguing that a foreign government should not legislate on Hindu social customs; social reformers such as his former colleague Agarkar sharply criticised him for putting political considerations above the welfare of girls. Historians also debate whether his use of Hindu festivals and symbols, while powerful in mobilising people, distanced some Muslims from the national movement.
Legacy
Gandhi called Tilak "the maker of modern India". The institutions he helped found in Pune still educate thousands, Kesari is still published, and the public Ganeshotsav he championed has become one of India's largest festivals.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is Tilak called Lokmanya?
"Lokmanya" means "respected and accepted by the people" — a title given to him by the public.
Where did Tilak write Gita Rahasya?
In Mandalay prison, Burma, where he was imprisoned from 1908 to 1914; it was published in 1915.
Who started public Ganeshotsav?
Lokmanya Tilak popularised Ganesh Chaturthi as a public festival in Pune from 1893.
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Read nextRabindranath Tagore on Civilization and NationSources & copyright status
- B. G. Tilak, Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Rahasya (1915) — public domain
- B. G. Tilak, The Arctic Home in the Vedas (1903) — public domain
- Kesari and The Mahratta (1881 onwards) — historical record
- Stanley Wolpert, Tilak and Gokhale (1962) — scholarly history; facts only
- Historical facts: not subject to copyright.
- Commentary and translations on this page: original to The Hindu Book. © The Hindu Book, all rights reserved.
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