Lokmanya Tilak Jayanti, July 23 - the Ultimate Role Model

July 30, 2012

I have recently been reading "Lokmanya Tilak, A Biography" by AK Bhagwat and GP Pradhan published by Jaico Publishing House. I felt really bad when I realized today that I had missed his Jayanti (birth anniversary) on July 23 when I was on vacation. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, respectfully called, Lokmanya Tilak, was a giant among the early Indian nationalists, who gave India the dynamic call to freedom: "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it."

When you hear it in Marathi, "स्वराज्य हा माझा जन्मसिद्ध अधिकार आहे आणि तो मी मिळवणारच!" or in Hindi, स्वराज हमारा जन्मसिद्ध अधिकार है और हम इसे लेकर रहेंगे (translation as above...)! You realize what a Vedantic declaration this is and it could just as easily have been said by a Swami Vivekananda.

Until now, I felt I owed a personal debt of gratitude to Lokmanya Tilak since he was the genius who launched the celebration of Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav that has grown into such a sacred source of joy for millions of people in India. The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi as a social event marked a shrewd political move by a leader.

Yet, that was not all. Tilak is especially a man after my own heart because of what he did to commemorate Shivaji as a role model. Following an article regarding the neglected state of Chattrapati Shivaji's samadhi at Raigadh fort near Pune, Lokmanya Tilak got to work and organized the Shivaji festival. Shri Tilak presented his rationale in "The Mahratta" newspaper dated 24th June 1906 (sourced from the biography):

Hero-worship is a feeling deeply implanted in human nature and our political aspirations need all the strength which the worship of a Swadeshi hero is likely to inspire in our minds. For this purpose Shivaji is the only hero to be found in Indian history. He was born at a time when the whole nation required relief from misrule; and by his self-sacrifice and courage, he proved to the world that India was not a country forsaken by providence. It is true that the Mahomedans and the Hindus were then divided; and Shivaji, who respected the religious scruples of the Mahomedans, had to fight against the Mogul rule that had become unbearable to the people.

Thanks to Shri Tilak, the Shiv Jayanti Utsav continues to be celebrated every year in Maharashtra. I do hope that every library in India has a copy of this biography of Lokmanya Tilak. I personally found that the fiery love of India that coursed through this great man's blood and his clear headed thinking on how to gain freedom for India kept me awake many a night!

Click for my other posts on role models and श्रेष्ठ पुरुष.

Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post

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Everyday Geeta

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