One of the stalwarts of India’s freedom
movement, Balagangadhar Tilak also known as Lokmanya Tilak was born in
Ratnagiri, Maharashtra on July 23, 1856. He is known for his famous quote “Self
Rule is our birthright, and We shall have it!” He was reverently addressed as
Lokmanya (or “Beloved of the people” or “Revered by the world”).
After completing his graduation, Tilak began
teaching in a private school in Pune and went on to become a journalist. He was
very vocal in his criticism of the Western education system and set up the
Deccan Education Society to educate India’s youth. Tilak founded the Marathi
daily Kesari (Lion), in the pages of which he actively propagated the cause of
freedom. He joined the Indian National Congress. He was known for his hardcore
Hindu views. In 1907, the Congress Party split into the two factions.
The British authorities charged Tilak with
sedition and he was imprisoned from 1908 to 1914 in Mandalay, Burma. He
re-joined the Indian National Congress in 1916 and helped to found the All
India Home Rule League in 1916-18.
He wrote many books on Indian culture, history and Hinduism like The Orion or Researches into the antiquities of the Vedas (1893), Arctic Home in the Vedas, Geetarahasya and others. He passed away on August 1, 1920.