Bal Gangadhar Tilak, byname Lokamanya, (born July 23, 1856, Ratnagiri [now in Maharashtra state], India—died August 1, 1920, Bombay [now Mumbai]), scholar, mathematician, philosopher, and ardent nationalist who helped lay the foundation for India ’s independence by building his own defiance of British rule into a national movement.
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- Why is Bal Gangadhar Tilak significant?Bal Gangadhar Tilak, called “Maker of Modern India” by Mahatma Gandhi and “Father of the Indian Revolution” by Jawaharlal Nehru, helped lay the fou...
- What were Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s beliefs?Bal Gangadhar Tilak looked to orthodox Hinduism and Maratha history as sources for nationalist inspiration against the British raj. While this alie...
- How was Bal Gangadhar Tilak educated?Bal Gangadhar Tilak was educated at Deccan College in Poona (now Pune), where he earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and Sanskrit. He then stu...
- How did Bal Gangadhar Tilak become important?Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s activism, appealing to Hindu symbolism and Maratha history, excited the populace and brought him into conflict with the Briti...
Keshav Gangadhar Tilak was born on 23 July 1856 in an Marathi Hindu Chitpavan Brahmin family in Ratnagiri, the headquarters of the Ratnagiri district of present-day Maharashtra (then Bombay Presidency ). [1] His ancestral village was Chikhali. His father, Gangadhar Tilak was a school teacher and a Sanskrit scholar who died when Tilak was sixteen.
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- Satyabhamabai Tilak
- Author, politician, freedom fighter
- Indian National Congress
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, (born July 23, 1856, Ratnagiri, India—died Aug. 1, 1920, Bombay), Indian scholar and nationalist. Born to a middle-class Brahman family, Tilak taught mathematics and in 1884 founded the Deccan Education Society to help educate the masses.
Date of Birth: 23 July 1856. Place of Birth: Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. Parents: GangadharTilak (father) and Parvatibai (mother) Spouse: Tapibai renamed Satyabhamabai. Children: Ramabai Vaidya, Parvatibai Kelkar, Vishwanath Balwant Tilak, Rambhau Balwant Tilak, Shridhar Balwant Tilak, and Ramabai Sane. Education: Deccan College, Government Law College.
- Political Career
- Political Legacy
- Social and Cultural Influence
- References
In 1880, Tilak founded two daily newspapers, the Marathi Kesari (Lion), and The Mahratta, published in English. Within two years, Kesariwas attracting more readers than any other language newspaper in India. The editorials vividly portrayed the suffering of the people, and reported on actual events, calling on every Indian to fight for his rights. ...
Tilak, who had started his political life as a Maratha Protagonist, evolved into a nationalist during the later part of his life, after associating himself closely with Bengal nationalists following the partition of Bengal. When asked in Kolkatawhether he envisioned a Maratha type of government for Free India, Tilak replied that the Maratha-dominat...
Tilak’s writings on Indian culture, history, and Hinduism spread a sense of heritage and pride amongst Indians for India's ancient civilization and glory as a nation. He was the first leader in Congress to suggest that Hindi, written in the devanagari script, should be accepted as the sole national language of India, a policy that was later strongl...
Bakshi, S. R. Bal Gangadhar Tilak struggle for Swaraj. New Delhi: Anmol Publications, 1990. ISBN 8170412625Brown, Robert L. Ganesh: Studies of an Asian God. Albany, NY: State University of New York, 1991. ISBN 978-0791406571Grover, Verinder, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Political Thinkers of Modern India. New Delhi: Deep & Deep Publications, 1990. ISBN 8171002463Jog, Narayan Gopal. Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak.Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1962.