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A social reformer and mass leader— Lokmanya Tilak
Highlights
For the first time in the history of the freedom struggle the one who guided the nation socially, religiously and politically all alike him the country know by the name of Lokmanya Tilak. His arrival on the national scene was at such crucial time when British had firmly set its tentacles on the Indian soil.
For the first time in the history of the freedom struggle the one who guided the nation socially, religiously and politically all alike him the country know by the name of Lokmanya Tilak. His arrival on the national scene was at such crucial time when British had firmly set its tentacles on the Indian soil.
And the condition of countrymen was such that they had confined themselves with world of drawbacks in all tenacity. In the name of Dharma where they knew nothing beyond false-beliefs and ill-practices; then in the name of Moksha [renunciation] there were many who embraced non-action, and felt fulfilled in spiritlessness.
Besides, also was there such a section of English educated people whom outward glittering of pleasure seeking culture of whites had so mesmerized that they began to take everything indigenous as the thing of no use or, worst, worthless! As such the need for social reformation was felt by many a social leader, result of which came in the form of different social movements run by them to have come up in the country.
These movements indeed did a great deal of job to shake the people from the slumber of self forgetfulness through their onslaughts on the false-beliefs, and the ill-practices born out of it.
Yet what are the true glorious ideals of dharma are, instead of what is being practiced in the name of faith, this they failed to reveal to them. And, after Swami Vivekanand, the one whose attention drew to this essential aspect of reformation was none other than Lokmanya Tilak.
Continuously since many centuries back whomsoever, shankracharyas or saint of any cult, the people held their master, that master sang the praise of renunciation. So limitless was this done that not only Sanyasin but also well-to-do Grihasta looked upon moksha or renunciation as the only mode of life, and preferred giving up mundane life for the one that of ascetic.
But through his granthas (literary works) ‘Karmyoga- shastra’ and ‘Gita rahasya’ Lokmanya Tilak put forth before the people the very elements from Geeta which inspire the man to lead cheerful and vigorous life along with performing action within the code of Dharma. This proved to be the elixir for the prevailing social ailments.
Where it changed the outlook of those who mistook the renunciation for inaction then it also opened the eyes of English educated Indians who so far held their paternal religion as nothing but at all retrogressive, outdated and spiritless.
But this alone was not enough to Tilak’s satisfaction; for he knew without bringing about the mass awakening politically self-rule was not possible. Those were the days, when the freedom- movement was in its inceptive stage, Press played a pivotal role in the fight against the misdeeds of British govt.
Through his paper ‘Kesri’ Lokmanya Tilak gave his bold contribution in this field as well. Besides, in dealing with the British where other leaders of Congress took the peaceful recourse of discussion, meeting and appeasement, Tilak adopted tough stand.
Self-rule was his creed, with which he compromised never all his life. That through passing the resolution in big meetings and giving lengthy speeches in the legislative councils alone will not serve the goal of Self-rule was his firm opinion.
For that the movement would have to be taken among the common people. And to bring into action what he preached he began tours village to village, and organized small sabhas place to place. As the people were so badly divided on the issues of cast, creed and several others that far from expecting them to fight shoulder to shoulder, even in the normal condition they were unwilling to come meeting on one place.
To deal with such situation Tilak worked upon an idea of starting the tradition of celebrating the festivals of Ganesh-utsav and Shivaji-utsava. These festivals proved to be the shear miracles. Before their attraction all the barriers, social and religious, demolished, and people began to throng there with full zeal.
Tilak used these festivals as the platform for social and political awakening. Through his fiery speeches, patriotic songs and through telling the inspiring events in the lives of great men, he reminded the people of their duties toward the nation. It is because of these efforts made by Tilak that on the call of non-cooperation movement people in full spirit threw themselves in it and made the boycott of everything foreign an unprecendentedly successful.
Before Gandhiji, one who transformed freedom movement into the mass movement for the first time then it was none other than Lokmanya Tilak. Behind the movement were many leaders, but the wisdom of assessing the situation and, thereby, executing the programmes which Tilak had none could be held comparable to him.
This only was the reason that when due to internal differences Tilak was expelled from the Congress party the movement abruptly relapsed into inertia. And it could come into the life only when he was taken back into the party.
By-Er.Rajesh Pathak
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