The freedom fighter, Keshav Gangadhar Tilak who is popularly known as Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born 165 years ago today on July 23 in 1856. During his era he became the first leader of Indian independence movement. Not just a freedom fighter but he was also a social thinker, a lawyer, a philosopher an educator who shaped the freedom movements in many ways.
Tilak was born in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Deccan College in Pune in 1877. Tilak graduated with an L.L.B degree from Government Law College in 1879.
During the freedom struggle Gangadhar Tilak inspired many people and educated them by speaking on Purna Swaraj, telling them the importance of Indian independent movement. He was given the title of “The father of the Indian unrest”, conferred by Lokmanya, which means “accepted by the people as a leader”.
Before Indian indepence, two popular weekly newspapers were started by Tilak that served in the best way during the freedom struggle against British colonials. The first weekly was Kesari in Marathi, while Mahratta was an English weekly.
There are some inspirational slogans delivered by Tilak during the freedom struggle. These slogans largely impacted people and served in Indian independence movement.
- Swaraj is my birth right, and I shall have it.
- If God is put up with untouchability, I will not call him God
- Life is all about a card game. Choosing the right cards is not in our hand. But playing well with the cards in hand determines our success.
- After all, our Killers are our …Brothers!!??
- If we trace the history of any nation backwards into the past, we come at last to a period of myths and traditions which eventually fade away into impenetrable darkness.
- The problem is not the lack of resources or capability, but the lack of will.
- The most practical teaching of the Gita, and one for which it is of abiding interest and value to the men of the world with whom life is a series of struggles is not to give way to any morbid sentimentality when duty demands sternness, and the boldness to face terrible things.
- It may be providence’s will that the cause I represent may prosper more by my suffering than by my remaining free.
- Religion and practical life are not different. To take sanyas (renunciation) is not to abandon life. The real spirit is to make the country, your family, and work together instead of working only for your own. The step beyond is to serve humanity and the next step is to serve God.
- The geologist takes up the history of the earth at the point where the archaeologist leaves it and carries it further back into remote antiquity.
