Death Centenary of Bal Gangadhar Tilak – 5 Things That Made ‘Lokmanya’ the Maker of Modern India
- Sankalp Mishra
- Aug 17, 2020
- 3 min read
No nation attains greatness without pride in its history. And pride comes with self-knowledge. Knowledge about the great moments, great achievements and great personalities in a nation’s history. Knowledge about its cultural and spiritual traditions which give the nation its unique identity. And also knowledge about developments in the past that weakened the nation, robbed it of its freedom, fractured its unity and sapped its vitality.
A largely forgotten name today, before the advent of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi era, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the foremost leader of India’s freedom struggles. As a philosopher turned politician, his contribution is immense in India’s freedom struggle as he pioneered the ideas of ‘Swaraj’ and ‘Swadeshi’ amongst the masses. He gave the Tri-Sutri Programme – Swadeshi, Swaraj and Nationalist Education.
He emphasised on unity through cultural values and cultural revival
Lokmanya Tilak ignited patriotic consciousness among the crowds during one of the most difficult times of freedom struggle. In 1870, out of fear of seditious assemblies, British had imposed ban on public assembly of more than 20 people, but exempted religious assembly of Friday mosque prayers due to pressure of Indian Muslim leaders. Tilak believed it effectively blocked assembly of Hindus whose religion did not mandate daily prayers or weekly gatherings, and leveraged exemption of Ganesh Utsav to circumvent the colonial law. He recognised Ganesh’s appeal as “the god for everybody” and bridged the gap between various castes and communities. The compatriots of other religions also participated in these processions, including Muslims.
He emphasised on Swadeshi
Before the modern ‘Make in India’ initiative, principles of Swadeshi were well-accentuated by Lokmanya Tilak. His concept of swadeshi was not only limited to boycotting the foreign goods, but was focused on promoting indigenous entrepreneurship. He also established Bombay Swadeshi Co-operative Stores along with Jamshedji Tata to promote his ideologies.
He emphasised on Swabhasha and Swabhusha
The New Education Policy 2020 which lays emphasis on mother tongue as the medium of instruction, is a not new and rather, a long-fostered idea. Tilak had been its strong proponent, stressing that merely speaking a foreign language is not true education, and that education can be obtained easily when taught in local vernacular. He was also one of the first leaders who envisioned the formation of linguistic states.
He emphasised on Swarajya
The Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan which is aimed at making India a self-reliant economy has its roots to the idea of Swarajya. Swarajya or Self-rule was not restricted to liberation from political domination but also meant economic sovereignty. Tilak believed in the principles of economic nationalism and was well conscious of the need for cultural and economic independence for India to be truly independent.
He emphasised harmony between various faiths
Tilak was a man of many facets. A man of oceanic intellect, unflinching courage and a mass mobiliser. Gandhi in his obituary wrote, “No man of our times had the hold on the masses that Mr. Tilak had”. Tilak never minced words while criticising the oppression of Hindus under the Mughals and the bigotry of the Britishers. But he was of the view that reconciliation and unity between the two communities was absolutely necessary for India’s liberation and future progress. When he was arrested in a sedition case of 1897, Hajee Abdel wrote,”The moment the Government arrested him, Mr Tilak ceased to be a leader of the Hindu community. He is now above all castes, creeds, and religions. He is going to be prosecuted for his fight for India, the common motherland of the Muslims and Hindus.”.
Tilak in his speech at Ajmer said, “Hindu-Muslim unity is a matter for rejoicing. Before the English came to India, the Hindu and the Muslims lived together as brethren. The British rulers felt that if the unity between the two communities will continue it would be impossible for the British to rule. They helped, the Hindus against Muslims, and the Muslims against the Hindus. Their policy has been to divide and rule. Now the people have realised that they must live together and fall together. Hindus and Muslims are brothers and India is their mother.”
Featured image credits: Wikipedia Commons
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