LOKAMANYA TILAK - ArvindGuptaToys

LOKAMANYA TILAKG. P. PRADHANForeword1. Student and Teacher2. Dedicated Journalist and Radical Nationalist3. Four-Point Programme for Swarajya4. An Ordeal

5. Broad-Based Political Movement6. Scholar and Unique Leader IndexForewordThe conquest of a nation by an alien power does not mean merely the loss of politicalfreedom; it means the loss of one’s self-confidence too. Due to economic exploitation bythe ruling power, the conquered nation is deprived of its natural resources and the peoplelose their sense of self-respect. Slavery leads to moral degradation and it thus becomesessential to restore self-confidence in the people so that they become fearless enough toparticipate in the struggle for freedom. In this respect Tilak played a pioneering role inIndia’s freedom struggle. For nearly four decades, he directed his energies to the task ofcreating the consciousness in the people that swarajya was their birthright. As editor ofthe Kesafy he opposed the tyrannical British rule and raised his voice against theinjustices perpetrated on the Indians. With Chhatrapati Shivaji as his perennial source ofinspiration, Tilak appealed to the people to emulate the great Maratha warrior and revivethe glorious past.During the famine of 1896, Tilak made a fervent plea that the government mustprovide relief to the peasants, as stipulated in the Famine Relief Code. When LordCurzon, the Viceroy of India, partitioned Bengal, the people of Bengal were enraged.Tilak, alongwith Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal, made the issue of partition anational cause and appealed to the people to assert their rights. In 1908, after the bombblast in Muzaffarpore, Tilak, through the Kesari, warned the British government that theIndian youth would rise in revolt if the legitimate and just demands of the people werenot acceded to. The government responded by arresting him and prosecuting him forsedition. He was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment and transported to the Mandalayprison in Burma. Tilak suffered the punishment stoically, carried on his pursuit ofknowledge even in prison, and wrote the Gita-Rahasya —a monumental philosophicaltreatise containing the message of the Bhagazvad-Gita and his own interpretation of thetext.On his release from prison in 1914, Tilak resumed his struggle for the freedom of thecountry. His entire life of sacrifice and political integrity earned him a place in the heartsof his countrymen who came to refer to him as ‘Lokamanya Tilak’. He toured differentparts of India, spoke to the people in his simple and direct style and aroused them to fightfor swarajya. He succeeded in awakening them from their stupor and paved the way forreaching the goal of swarajya.Though many books have been written on Lokamanya Tilak, here in this book, I havemade an humble effort to present some of the lesser known aspects of his personality.Prof. A.K. Bhagwat and I had co-authored a biography on Tilak at the time of his birthcentenary celebrations in 1956 for which, I am grateful to him. I started studying the lifeand works of Lokamanya Tilak in 1954; yet, even after four decades, I feel that myefforts to probe the depths of his personality are still incomplete.PuneG. P. PRADHAN

1. STUDENT AND TEACHERYouth is the springtime of life. During this happy period spirits soar high, eager toaccept any challenge, face any danger.Two young students, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, both studyingat the Deccan College in Poona, sat engrossed with thoughts on the present and the futurein an optimistic and self-confident frame of mind. Both had impressed their teachers withtheir intelligence and desire to acquire knowledge. While most students wove rosydreams about their personal life, Tilak and Agarkar thought of their society and the futureof their country. They were idealists prepared to dedicate their lives to a noble cause.Their favourite pastime was to go for walks on a hillock nearby and hold discussions onvaried subjects. At times they would get involved in heated arguments particularly whenthe two differed sharply in their views. However, these differences did not come in theway of their friendship as each was aware of the other’s sincerity and earnestness.Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born on 23rd July 1856, in a middle-class family atRatnagiri. His father Gangadhar Pant worked in the Education Department of thegovernment. Bal lost his mother at an early age and was, therefore, brought up by hispaternal aunt. He had his primary education at Ratnagiri. His father was then transferredto Poona as Assistant Deputy Educational Inspector. During Bal’s school days, his fatherregularly made him recite the sub-hashitas, shlokas and other verses in Sanskrit andMarathi.As was customary in those days, Bal got married at a young age in 1871. A year laterhe lost his father. His uncle Govindrao took charge of the household. On completing hismatriculation at the age of sixteen, Bal joined the Deccan College at Poona. Since hisfather had made adequate provision for him, Tilak could complete his college educationwithout being burdened by economic constraints. He secured a first class in his B.A.examination with mathematics as the main subject. As a student Tilak was known for hisrazor-sharp intelligence and love for reading.Agarkar came from a poor family. He had to pass through many hardships, bothduring his high school as well as college days, that is, while studying at the DeccanCollege. But that did not deter him in any way. In a letter to his mother, Agarkar wrote:“Dear Mother, I know you must be hoping now that your son has passed his high schoolexamination, he would get an officer’s job which would enable you to lead a happy life.However, let me tell you frankly, I have decided to earn just as much as is required forsustenance; I shall be satisfied with modest means of livelihood and will spend the rest ofmy life for the good of the society.”These two young friends had diametrically opposite views regarding the manner inwhich they would serve their country. Tilak was of the opinion that they ought to devotetheir energies to the task of liberating their motherland from the British yoke. Agarkar, onthe other hand, felt that though political independence was important, it was necessaryfirst to reform the society through social work and then turn one’s attention to politicalwork. Tilak, being a student of mathematics, was forthright in his approach and clear inhis perception. Agarkar, a student of philosophy, with a rare sensitive mind, was keen tolaunch a battle against the evils and injustices perpetrated in Indian society. One thing

they had in common—both were voracious readers and admirers of two great Englishthinkers—Mill and Spencer, whose thoughts and ideas greatly influenced them.Both Tilak and Agarkar had no time for futile talks or sterile discussions. Both wereeager to act but according to each one’s own ideological convictions. For days togetherthey would discuss India’s problems and how these could be overcome. It was throughthese discussions that their ideas took shape and both came to the conclusion that beforeplunging into either the political or social field, it was necessary to spread education, anessential prerequisite for laying the foundation for their future work. This was no compromise, but a realistic decision taken after careful thought and serious deliberations.It was but natural for both Tilak and Agarkar to hold in great regard the then leaders ofthe society and be influenced by their ideas. Mahadeo Govind Ranade was the leader whoprofoundly influenced their thoughts and ideas. Ranade, ajudge in the High Court, was agreat scholar with wide vision and earnest desire to serve the society. Even though ingovernment service, Ranade had worked endlessly towards the enlightenment of hispeople through his words and deeds. He started institutions like the Sarvajanik Sabha,established libraries at different places and started a series of spring lectures, in Poona,for educating the people and making them aware of their rights and duties to the Indiansociety. Tilak and Agarkar held Justice Ranade in high esteem, but somehow felt thatthey could serve the society better only if, unlike Ranade, they kept themselves awayfrom the shackles of government service. Interestingly enough, it was during this periodthat Vishnu Shastri Chiplunkar resigned from his government job to start publishing hisinspiring writings. Chipiunkar had a powerful pen and edited a Marathi magazine, ShalaPatrak. In 1872 he wrote an article entitled, ‘The Mission of a Teacher’. In this inspiringarticle, Chiplunkar drew attention to the fact that in the hands of idealist teachers,education can become a powerful weapon like a sword—sharp, forceful and penetrating.When Tilak and Agarkar took the decision of devoting their energies to education, it wasthe ideas put forth by Chiplunkar that made them conscious of the nature of their mission.When these two young idealists came to know that Chiplunkar had decided to start a highschool in Poona, they met him in September 1879 and expressed their desire to join himin his mission by working as teachers in the proposed high school. This gave an impetusto Chiplunkar’s project and on 2nd January 1880 started the New English School inPoona. Among those to join the school was Vaman Shivaram Apte, an eminent Sanskritscholar who took charge as headmaster at the high school.Another very hard-working, dedicated and resourceful person, Madhavrao Namjoshi,also joined this team of teachers. In those days most students of the Deccan College, oncompleting graduation from the University of Bombay, preferred to enter intogovernment service or start practising as lawyers. But Tilak and Agarkar chose to shun astable and secure life and took to the thorny path of idealism. They wanted to createawareness in the young generation regarding the future of the society and inculcate inthem the noble values of patriotism. These idealists, scoffed at by the so-called successfulpersons in society, were determined to accept the challenge of their times. They paid noheed to criticism by the worldly wise because they held a strong belief in the words of therevolutionary Marathi poet Keshavsut, who had said, “There is great substance in the socalled futile ideals and those who seek this substance are generally dubbed as mad men.”