Lokmanya Tilak- The Man and His Mission - S R Kakade

Lokmanya Tilak was born on July 23, 1856, at Ratnagiri in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. His father, Gangadharshastri Tilak, was a scholar proficient in Sanskrit and Mathematics. He named his son Balwant, meaning ‘a strong person’. This proved to be appropriate as the young Tilak grew from strength to strength, whether as a scholar or as a political leader, espousing both scholarship and the politics of freedom as his mission in life. He received his initial education in Ratnagiri but when his father was transferred to Pune as Assistant Deputy Educational Inspector, he could undertake further studies in this well-known center of learning. After matriculation in 1872, he joined the Deccan College for higher studies, as a resident student.

During his studies in the Deccan College the professors who made a deep impression on young Tilak were Prof. Kero Laxman Chhatre whose command over Sanskrit and Mathematics was outstanding and Prof. William Wordsworth, grandsons of the famous British poet William Wordsworth, who taught English. In 1875, Tilak transferred to the Elphinstone College in Bombay but not being able to adjust there, returned to Pune after just one term. After passing his BA examination in the first class in 1876, Tilak obtained his law degree

During his stay in the Deccan College, Tilak came in contact with another young student Gopal Ganesh Agarkar. Agarkar was doing his MA and was interested in Philosophy and Logic. He was progressive in his views on religion and fought fearlessly against conservatism. He waged a relentless war against age-old customs like the Sati, child-marriage and the caste system. The plight of Hindu widows was most pitiable. Agarkar had strong views on this subject and felt that the country could go ahead only after eliminating such evil customs and beliefs from the Hindu society. The works of Spencer and Mill had tremendously influenced him. He felt very strongly about India’s social and economic degeneration caused by the brutality of religious orthodoxy. He was of the opinion that the regeneration of the country could come about only by removing these evils from the Hindu society. Although Tilak generally agreed with Agarkar, he was more keenly disturbed by the foreign rule forced by the British on the Indian people. Political emancipation of his enslaved countrymen was, for Tilak, the major means for ending all social evils. Political freedom was his mission. He did not want the British to intervene in social reform. He felt that government intervention would increasingly divide the people only to the benefit of the colonial administration. But the urge for social reform was strongly felt by several other thinkers. However, Vishnushastri Chiplunkar who was an eminent scholar and one of the recognized leaders of the intellectual world in Pune during those days, vehemently criticized the role of Christian missionaries and the social reformers. He often defended the history and civilization of the Hindus and wished to awaken the people to their heritage. He pleaded that only because of a stroke of ill-luck that the Hindus were reduced to slavery. But there was another school of thought led by Mahadeo Govind Ranade who was a mighty intellect, a man of great wisdom, broad mind, prodigious industry and vast learning. He was an eminent economist and historian, and is still considered one of India’s greatest thinkers. He aimed at reorganizing the Hindu society on the basis of justice and reason, which implied freedom from the limitations of race, creed, caste and prejudices. He was insistent on social reform in Hindu society. Thus, Ranade and Chiplunkar were instructors and inspirers of these two opposite schools of thought which they founded. In this battle, Tilak sided with Chiplunkar whereas Agarkar with Ranade.

© "This article constitutes Chapter I of the book "Lokmanya Tilak as Educational Thinker", edited by Dr. Chitra Naik and published by Indian Institute of Education, Pune (2004) which has the copyright and has permitted its reprint in this issue of Splendour.

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