Image Courtesy:Twitter| M Venkaiah Naidu Bal Gangadhar Tilak was an independence activist who was also a journalist, teacher, social activist and lawyer. He was born on July 23, 1856, and died on August 1 in the year 1920. He is famously known for the quote, “Swarajya is my birthright, and I shall have it!”
Here are some facts that you should know about Bal Gangadhar Tilar:
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the first leader of the Indian Independence Movement and led to the rise of Indian nationalism.
- The Britishers called Bal Gangadhar Tilak, ‘The Father of the Indian unrest.’
- He was also given the honorary title of ‘Lokmanya’, which means admired (or accepted) by the people.
- Tilak is known as the ‘Father of Swarajya’ as he was one of the first independence activists to advocate ‘Swaraj’ and make it a part of the independence movement.
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in the year 1890 and started the fight for self-rule.
- He was one of the first activists who came up with the concept of ‘Swaraj.’
- In 1880, Bal Gangadhar Tilak started his own newspaper, Kesari, which is still published to this day.
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the Swadeshi movement in India. Jamshed Tata and Tilak found Bombay Swadeshi Co-op Stores to promote the movement.
- Tilak had a political regime with Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai and they were referred as the ‘Lal-Bal-Pal triumvirate.’
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak was against the Age of Consent Act, 1891. He opposed and protested at every level so that the government would regulate the Act
- In 2007, the Government of India released a coin to commemorate Tilak on his 150th birth anniversary.
- Om Raut directed the film Lokmanya: Ek Yug Purush, which was released on January 2, 2015.
- Tilak also started another weekly such called Mahratta, which was an English weekly.
- He was also jailed during his struggle for freedom. During this time, Tilak wrote a book titled ‘Gita-Rahasya’.
