98th Death Anniversary of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and independence activist, passed away on 1 August 1920. Horrified by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Tilak’s health started declining and he passed away soon after. He was also conferred with the title of ‘Lokmanya’ and is often regarded as the first leader of the Indian Independence movement. In view of this over 2 lakh people had gathered at his home in Bombay to pay their respects. Dubbed the ‘father of Indian unrest’ by the British, he was one of the first and strongest advocates of Swaraj. After his death, Gandhi paid tribute to him by calling him ‘ The Maker of Modern India’, while Jawaharlal Nehru described him as ‘The father of the Indian Revolution’.