Greetings and very good morning to everyone present. Today on this auspicious day I am going to speak about Bal Gangadhar Tilak. In the Maharashtra area of Ratnagiri, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born on July 23, 1856, under the name Keshav Gangadhar Tilak. Chikhali, his ancestral village, was situated in the Sangameshwar taluk. When Tilak was only 16 years old, his father Gangadhar Tilak, a teacher, passed away.
Tilak has been an ardent patriot and supporting or taken part in revolutionary actions since he was a teenager. His viewpoint was mostly radical and called for Purna Swaraj to reign alone.
He publicly backed anti-British agitation and activities, which resulted in his being imprisoned multiple times. After the 1916 Lucknow Pact, he joined the Indian National Congress, albeit he believed that Congress should take a more radical stance to demand freedom.
Tilak was a well-known figure in the Indian freedom struggle while serving in congress and worked frequently with Mahatma Gandhi. Together with Annie Besant and G.S. Khaparde, Tilak created the All India Home Rule League between 1916 and 1918.
Tilak was not only a nationalist and a patriot, but he also promoted numerous social reforms. He is credited with giving the Ganeshotsava holiday its current grandeur; before this, only Ganesha worship was practiced in homes. Tilak alone deserves all the credit for enhancing the occasion with a procession, music, and food.
To conclude, At the age of 64, Bal Gangadhar Tilak passed away in Bombay, British India, on August 1, 1920. Tilak was such a popular leader that he earned the epithet “Lokmanya,” which refers to someone who has the people’s support or stands in their place.
