LOKMANYA TILAK (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – History)

Context: The Prime Minister of India  recently paid tributes to Lokmanya Tilak on his birth anniversary.

Lokmanya Tilak

• About: He widely known as Lokmanya Tilak, was a leading Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, social reformer, and political leader in the Indian independence movement.
• Advocate of Swaraj: Tilak was a key proponent of Swaraj (Self Rule) for India and is renowned for his slogan, "Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it."
• Title: He was honored with the title ‘Lokmanya’, meaning ‘revered by the people’, by his followers.
• Radical Nationalist: Tilak was recognized as a radical nationalist and was labeled by the British Government as the "Father of Indian Unrest."
• Contributions:

oIndian National Congress: He joined the INC Party in 1890.

oAll India Home Rule League: Tilak co-founded the All India Home Rule League in 1916-18 with G. S. Khaparde and Annie Besant.

oHe established his Home Rule League in Maharashtra, Central Provinces, Karnataka, and Berar, while Besant’s League was active throughout the rest of India, focusing on self-rule and public awareness.

• Literary Contributions: Tilak was a distinguished writer and journalist, utilizing his newspapers "Kesari" (Lion) in Marathi and "Maratha" in English to spread nationalist ideas.
• Notable Works: His key literary works include "The Arctic Home in the Vedas," proposing the Vedic origin in the Arctic, and "Shrimad Bhagavad Gita Rahasya," a nationalist interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita.
• Educational Initiatives: Tilak established the Deccan Education Society in Pune in 1884, which founded Fergusson College and the New English School, promoting modern education in Maharashtra.
• Social Reforms: Tilak supported the eradication of social evils like untouchability and child marriage and promoted women's education.
• Lal-Bal-Pal Triumvirate: Tilak worked with Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai, collectively known as the ‘Lal-Bal-Pal triumvirate.’
• Lucknow Pact: In 1916, he played a crucial role in concluding the Lucknow Pact with Mohammed Ali Jinnah, which aimed at Hindu-Muslim unity in the nationalist cause.