Today is the birth anniversary of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a well-known scholar of Indian freedom fighter, social reformer, Indian history, Sanskrit, Hinduism, mathematics, and astronomy. Born on July 23, 1856, in a Brahmin family in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, Tilak fought a decisive battle against the British. He was among the first Indian generation to receive a modern college education. His followers gave him the title of 'Lokmanya,' which means to be considered prestigious by the people.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak had said, 'Swaraj is my birthright and I will take it.' These were not just a few words for the freedom permits, but a passion, a passion through which millions of people made their sacrifices and freed the country from the grasps of the British. Tilak brought out two daily newspapers in Marathi called 'Maratha Darpan' and 'Kesari,' which were well received by the people. Tilak used to strongly criticize the brutality of English rule and inferiority complex towards Indian culture in his newspaper. He was sometimes jailed for his articles appearing in the newspaper Kesari. He published magazines to improve the condition of the people of India. He wanted people to be aware. Therefore, he also established education centers. Bal Gangadhar was jailed by the British government on July 3, 1908, on charges of treason. In fact, he defended two revolutionaries in his newspaper Kesari and called for swaraj. As a result, he was jailed in Mandle, Burma for 6 years, and a fine of 1,000 rupees was imposed.
During his imprisonment, his views on the Indian nationalist movement were further fuelled and he also wrote a 400-year book, Gita Rahasya. When he was released from jail, he started the Home Rule League and gave the slogan 'Swaraj is my birthright and I will take it.' In 1908, Tilak supported the bomb attack by revolutionaries Praful Chaki and Khudiram Bose, which led to his imprisonment in Mandali in Burma (now Myanmar). After being released from jail, he again became a member of Congress. Tilak was a double graduate, if he wanted to, he could easily get a government job and live his life, but he gave his first priority to the service of the country. On August 1, 1920, this great freedom fighter passed away in Mumbai, and another son of Mother India was sacrificed on the path of freedom.
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