BOOK REVIEW-

LOKAMANYA TILAK

BY GP PRADHAN

SUBMITTED BY:- SUBMITTED TO:-

VARUN SHEKHAR SAWANT Dr. OMPRAKASH

BALLB(hons.) Semester 1 (Faculty of History)

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Author: GP Pradhan

Chapter 1: Student & teacher

Chapter 2: Dedicated Journalist & Radical Nationalist

Chapter 3: Four-point programme for Swarajya

Chapter 4: An Ordeal

Chapter 5: Broad based Political Movement

Chapter 6: Scholar and Unique leader

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: GP PRADHAN

GP Pradhan was a socialist leader who took part in the Indian freedom struggle. He was an
English teacher at the Fergusson College, which was started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He had
also been a member of the Maharashtra legislative council representing graduates and the
leader of opposition from 1980 to 1982. He took part in the Quit India movement in 1942 and
was imprisoned during the emergency in 1975. He was considered a gentleman politician
amongst his colleagues. He has written books in English & Marathi. He died in 2010 at the
age of 88.

The book entails Bal Gandgadhar Tilak’s pioneering role in India’s freedom struggle and
nearly four decades of his life, which he dedicated to the struggle for Swarajya, in its entirety.
It talks about his entire life of sacrifice and political integrity that earned him a place in the
hearts of his countrymen and he came to be known as ‘Lokmanya Tilak’.
CHAPTER 1- STUDENT AND TEACHER

SUMMARY:

Chapter begins by introducing two friends, Tilak and Agarkar. They were
intelligent and wanted to serve their motherland. Tilak strived for political independence
while Agarkar first wanted to reform the society. Though they differed sharply on their
views, they felt that to achieve any of their goals, it was necessary to spread education.
During this time, they read an article by Chiplunkar, highlighting the importance of
education. They decided to meet him and Started the New English College in Poona. Their
school was very successful and garnered praise from everyone. Next they decided to establish
the Fergusson college in Poona. Though they enjoyed teaching, they realized that newspaper
was the best tool to educate the masses. The author then tells how the British went from
traders to ruling India. They launched Kesari in Marathi and Maratha in English. Kesari
became financially stable but Maratha went into losses. Tilak and Agarkar, being
inexperienced journalists, were tricked into publishing bogus letters about the diwan of
Kolhapur conspiring to declare the Ruler as ‘mad’. The defamation suit which followed led to
them being in jail for 4 months. In the days they spent in jail, they clashed over the
government passing a law against child marriage. The rift between them grew such that
Agarkar resigned from Kesari. Tilak resigned from the Deccan Education Society. Agarkar
died at the age of 39. Tilak opened law exam coaching and concentrated on political work
through kesari.

ANALYSIS:

The main characters of the chapter are the 2 friends, Tilak and Agarkar, their
backgrounds and struggles in life and their selfless aims. Tilak was an intelligent student who
wanted liberation of India while Agarkar was a philosopher who first wanted to reform the
society. They were dedicated individuals who setup successful institutions, the New English
College and Fergusson College. In the chapter the author gives a brief overview of how the
British came as traders and ended up controlling India. They further realize that in order to
increase their reach, they must setup a newspaper to educate the masses. This gives the reader
the impression of them being entrepreneurial. As they were inexperienced, it wasn’t
surprising to the reader that they were duped by a fake letter and then landed in legal trouble
which sent them to jail. In jail the reader is witness to how their ideas were rigid. Tilak’s soft
side is seen when he wrote a heartfelt tribute on the death of Agarkar.
CHAPTER 2- DEDICATED JOURNALIST AND RADICAL NATIONALIST

SUMMARY:

The chapter talks about how Tilak carried out his political and journalistic work.
He grew in stature as a social worker due to his clear vision, fearlessness and conviction. He
was opposed to the progressive ideas of social reform and was against the British interfering
in social matters. When Hindu-Muslim riots broke out, he visited the affected areas and
criticised the British for their partial role. He was for religious freedom and wanted people to
forget their differences and be loyal to the nation. Politically he participated in the INC
session of 1889. He wanted congress members to work actively among the masses. He
undertook organizing events like Ganesh Jayanti, Shivaji Jayanti and cultural fairs. Tilak was
elected to the Poona Municipality and the Bombay legislative council. Justice Ranade had
started a social institution called Sarvajanik Sabha to voice the aspirations of the people.
Tilak was elected as its secretary in 1895. Tilak felt that social reform could be attained after
independence. Tilak wanted Indians to feel proud of their culture and advocated nationalism
on its basis. Tilak thought of liberalism as an alien ideology and felt that it wont take root in
India. In his journal, Kesari, he distributed the Marathi translations of the famine code to the
farmers during a famine. With this he wanted to ensure that the government abides by its own
provisions. This angered the britishers. He even established the weaver’s guild in Sholapur
with the help of merchants to help in times of distress. He was a great admirer of Dadabhai
Naroji and his drain of wealth theory explaining how the british were responsible for India’s
poverty. In 1897, there was a plague in Poona. The government launched a cleanliness
programme and a plague hospital. In undertaking relief activities, Mr Rand, the assistant
collector and the British soldiers hurt the feelings of people and acted carelessly. Following
the incident, a secret organization called Chapekar Club shot Mr Rand and Lt Iyerst at a
function. They wanted to take revenge of the misdeeds committed by them. The government
appointed Mr Bruin to investigate and try to link Tilak to the murder. He was unsuccessful in
doing so. Tilak had condemned the murder, but also criticised the british for their excesses, in
Kesari. In an article titled ‘Is the government in its senses’ he criticised the states repressive
measures. Following this he was charged with sedition. A Tilak defence fund was setup and
had collections of 47000 rupees to fund his bail plea. Even though his lawyers fought a
logical trial, he was found guilty and sentenced for 18 months in prison. His lawyers wanted
to appeal to the privy council and started drafting a petition only to find that Tilak had
already done so. Tilak had written a book called ‘Orion’ which earned him praise from Prof.
Max Muller. Muller sent him an annotated copy of the Rigveda. Muller sent a memorandum
to the british requesting his release from prison. The request bore fruit when tilak was
released after 11 months. After being released, he restarted his work in kesari. The Anglo-
Indian press was unhappy with Tilaks release from prison. The Times Of India published an
srticle from the Globe which falsely connected Tilak to the murder of Mr Rand. To this Tilak
filed a libel suit which forced the editor to issue an apology. During 1900 and 1905, Tilak
wrote extensive reviews on the Mahabharata and the Ramayana followed by scholarly
discussion on its aspects. In 1903, he wrote a book ‘The Arctic Home of the Vedas’ where he
said that the aryans were originally from the Arctic region. He substantiated his claims from
the Zed Avesta. Though not all scholars agreed with him, they did applaud his research which
was based on anthropology. On the economic front, he was against regulations on
moneylenders and land revenues. This was because he was from a family of moneylenders
and favoured them instead of the farmers tilling the land. After 1900, he wanted to spread
political activity in every corner of the country. He disaprooved of the moderate stand of the
INC. He wanted revolutionary action but within legal frameworks. During this time also
Tilak was going through turbulent times in his personal life. He lost his eldest son to plague
at the age of 21. He also faced legal issues regarding the custody of an adopted child, though
after much legal struggle he managed to emerge victorious.

ANALYSIS:

This chapter, the author has described in a very detailed manner Tilak’s
experiences in the fields of journalism, politics, activism, academia and in prison. In social
activism, his position as a conservative has been clearly shown to readers. It has also been
shown how social reform was the least of his concerns and independence was his aim through
nationalism. In journalism, it has been shown how he regularly angered the britishers by
showing the ground realities. They held him liable for sedition. It’s also shown how he took
part in INC sessions and wanted to bring his efforts for swaraj to the masses. He was against
the moderate approach of the congress and wanted to start a revolution. He was also elected
to various legislative councils where he didn’t shy away from bringing up people’s issues.
The author has in a very detailed manner also revealed his arduous personal troubles from
losing his son to fighting an adoption battle which was a blot on his career. In academia, tilak
has contributed to historical research in epics like Ramayana, the vedas, etc. The author by
this chapter wanted to communicate the base of Tilaks ideology and how he intended to
achieve his goal of swarajya via political activism throughout the nation.
CHAPTER 3- FOUR-POINT PROGRAMME FOR SWARAJYA

SUMMARY:

The chapter begins by showing how when a nation loses its independence, the
nation loses self-respect and feels inferior. During the 1890s, Swami Vivekananda was
travelling the world and giving speeches about India and Hinduism. He wanted to remove
inequalities and spread unity to build a new India. Tilak who was a great admirer of Swami
Vivekananda, felt that India’s glory could be revived if people followed his message. In
1904, the INC decided to send Gopal Krishna Gokhale to England to explain the political
aspirations of Indians. He explained that if their political aspirations aren’t met, Indians might
start an uprising. Tilak praised his speech in Kesari. Tilak knew the significance of Gokhale’s
and Vivekananda’s efforts in shaping the worlds opinion on India and its freedom. Tilak
believed that a nation striving for freedom had the right to use all moral means to do so. Tilak
was eager to give a radical push to the political movement in India. He felt it necessary
because Lord Curzon was ruling India like an autocrat and wished to divide Bengal. He said
that signing petitions was of no avail and he wanted a National boycott. Before the partition,
in a public meeting it was decided to boycott British goods in order to protest. But this time
the leaders decided to give the movement an all India reach. These protests helped forge a
strong tie between Bengal and Maharashtra. Aurobindo Ghosh was an inspiration for the
Bengali youth at the time. He joined the congress and felt the need to give it a radical
orientation. He soon drew the attention of Tilak. They first met in 1902 where they had
lengthy discussions on swarajya. Like Tilak, he had also launched a journal called Vande
Mataram which became very popular. Tilak had come up with a 4-point plan of ‘swadeshi,
boycott, national education and swarajya. Although Ghosh didn’t fully agree with him, they
chose to ignore their differences. The 4-point programme soon became popular due to Lal,
Bal and Pal during the anti-partition agitation. Institutions to impart national education
promoted patriotism. In the swadeshi movement, domestic industries were promoted and
foreign goods like clothes were burnt. During all this, he didn’t lose sight of the political
climate. Morley had just been appointed as secretary of state, this move was hailed by
liberals. Tilak regarded this trust as being naïve when Morley demanded the partition of
Bengal for administrative purposes. He feared that the weak-kneed policy of the moderates
would destroy the anti-partition movement. Tilak wanted the INC to be led by a radical. As a
compromise move between the moderates and radicals, Dadabhai Naroji was chosen as the
new Congress president, who pushed for swarajya. Tilak didn’t stretch his differences too far
as he didn’t want to split the congress. However, he felt that it was necessary to form a
pressure group within the congress for the radicals. Tilak differed from Gokhale when
Gokhale said that the political movement in India should be constitutional. He said that the
government in India was unconstitutional and against the will of the people thus no political
movement could be constitutional. The ideals of Tilak were seen in the Satyagraha movement
by Gandhi. After Curzon, Fuller was appointed to crush the anti-partition movement and to
foment trouble between Hindus and Muslims. After a long struggle, the Britishers finally
revoked the Partition order of Bengal.

ANALYSIS:

This chapter deals with how Tilak helped shape the political movement in India
with the aim of swarajya. It tells the readers about the ideological rigidity of Tilak. It showed
how Tilak opposed the view of the moderates in the congress and him feeling that they were
an obstacle to independence. He resented the proposal of the Britishers to partition Bengal.
His enterprising skills are seen when he launched the 4-point plan for swarajya. During the
movement, he met with many leaders from Bengal like Aurobindo Ghosh, who forged
alliances, showing how he wanted to reach out to the whole nation. The readers are told that
he wanted the INC to play a more radical role in the freedom struggle. He wanted the
congress president to be a radical and push for swarajya. As a compromise with the
moderates, Dadabhai Naroji, whom Tilak admired was chosen as president. Tilak wished to
form an internal radical pressure group in the INC again bringing forward his independent
attitude. Many moderates wanted the political movement to be constitutional. He felt that the
British were illegitimate rulers.
CHAPTER 4- AN ORDEAL

SUMMARY:

The chapter talks about how the revolutionary movement went through an
ordeal by the British government and the effects on it after the split fron the Congress. It
begins by showing how the divide between the moderates and radicals in the INC had
widened. The government had arrested radicals which the moderates attributed to the reckless
actions of the radicals. The moderates believed that they alone had effective measures. Tilak
felt that the INC served as a platform of national unity and thus didn’t want to break it up. In
the next congress session at Surat, Tilak suggested the name of Lala Lajpat Rai for president.
Tilak in his ideology wanted to draw strength from the nationalist sentiment. In the surat
session, matters between internal factions turned violent and came to an end without any
conclusion. The moderates however called a convention where only moderates were allowed.
Tilak called for reconciliation, but, Aurobindo and Tilak’s supporters didn’t want so. He
warned against splitting the INC as that would invite harsh measures against the radicals by
the government. Tilak had a selfless attitude and acted against his own desire to not attend the
convention and also save the revolution at the same time. Aurobindo and Tilak wanted
swarajya but had different approaches. Aurobindo wanted immediate rash action while Tilak
warned against any such misadventure. Tilak wanted to promote nationalism and work
amongst the masses to launch a revolution. Violent action however ensued as in Bengal, an
infamous judge Kingsford was targeted in a bomb attack. Though he survived, it killed 2
women. This enraged the government who set out to crush all revolutionary activities. Tilak
was soon arrested on charges of sedition due to his works in Kesari. He refused the help of
MA Jinnah as he wanted to defend himself in court. He gave a sharp speech to the judges that
the articles were only criticisms and not a wish to overthrow the government. Regardless, he
was held guilty and sent to Burma for 6 years. This news gave rise to strikes and protests
around the nation which the police had to lathi-charge. In prison he reflected great concern
for his family in the letters he wrote. In prison, he met Vasudeo Kulkarni who was his cook
and soon became his devotee. He spent most of his time reading and meditating to forget his
solitary confinement. He was concerned about nhis family and frequently contacted them by
letters. His wife, Satyabhamabai died due to diabetes in 1912. In prison he wrote a book
explaining the message of the Gita, titled ‘Gita-Rahasya’. In 1914, he was released from
prison. On arriving, he was met with “Tilak Maharaj ki jai” from the crowds. The new
political situation he was confronted with was very different from 1908. The government had
gone on a suppression drive against the revolutionary movement and Kesari had lost his
radical tone. It was all quiet on the political front.

ANALYSIS:

This chapter is descriptive and analytical in nature. It talks about how the
revolutionary movement faced tough challenges after the Calcutta INC session. It tells us
about how the congress moderates felt threatened by the radicals and then supressed them by
isolation. This split the congress and stripped it of the tag of a national unifier. Though Tilak,
very selflessly wanted reconciliation, nobody paid heed to his idea. He also warned against
the misadventure of violent action but despite that, bombings were carried out. The violence
had a fallout with the Britishers finding a reason to crush the radicals, just as Tilak feared,
showing his foresight. Tilak was arrested during this time and sent to jail for 6 years in
Rangoon. This dawned a period of huge losses to Tilak on both the personal and the political
front. Personally, he lost his wife and he himself struggled with diabetes. In jail, he kept
himself occupied by meditation and studying. He wrote a book on the message of the Gita
while in jail. When he came out of jail, he saw a very quiet political landscape with all
revolutionary voices silenced. Even his own Kesari had lost its radical touch. The
imprisonment left a huge impact on the freedom struggle in the absence of a radical force.
This makes the readers sympathise with him.
CHAPTER 5- BROAD-BASED POLITICAL MOVEMENT

SUMMARY:

This chapter talks about the last phase of Tilaks life. Once he was released from
jail, he had many restrictions on him. The revolutionaries were happy at his release and
wanted to garner support from outside sources with Tilaks help for swarajya. However, such
plans failed. When world war 1 started, the British were in dire straits. Tilak in that situation
supported the British on the condition to pressure them into giving political rights to India
and bring swarajya a step closer. Tilak had a good understanding of the international situation
and didn’t support the Germans. In the time Tilak was imprisoned, the moderates didn’t deem
it necessary to demand political rights from the British. At that time, Annie Besant had
appeared on the freedom struggle. She was Irish and very critical of England’s expansionist
policy. She played a leading role in trying to bridge the gap between Tilak and Gokhale, but
misunderstandings between them made her efforts unsuccessful. However, when Gokhale
died in 1915, he paid glowing tributes to his loyalty to the nation. In 1916, Tilak said that
time had come for them to state their expectations. He started the Indian Home rule league
with barrister Bapista as the President. To spread his message, he toured the nation and that is
where his famous slogan of “swarajya is my birth right and I shall have it” came from. His
efforts of awareness made the people enthusiastic and enraged the Britishers. They decided to
curb his and Ms Besant’s activities. On his 61st birthday, he received many laudatory
messages. Though his happiness was short-lived as he was sent a sedition notice for his
speeches the same day. This time he took the services of MA Jinnah to successfully fight the
case. The Lucknow session of the INC in 1916, was the first time after 9 years that people
from all over the political spectrum came and joined. This included the radicals, moderates
and the Muslim League. Tilak pushed for religious unity as he supported the Muslim’s in the
Khilafat movement and their right to self-governance for separate electorates. The demand
for swarajya was supported by all. Such was the outcome of the Lucknow pact. Tilak also
appealed to the youth to join the army in order to serve the motherland. While the Home rule
movement was in full swing, Gandhi launched the satyagraha movement in Champaran to
support the indigo plantations. In 1917, Montague became the Secretary of State for India. He
laid down the demands of the Queen for gradual movement to self-governance in India. Tilak
also worked towards the removal of untouchability and encouraged scheduled cast
representation in the INC. But he had a dubious stand on the issue where he didn’t prioritise
it, leading to its reduced effectiveness. Tilak had come across a book by Valentine Chirol
called ‘Indian Unrest’. It represented Tilak as a terrorist. In a response, Tilak filed a libel suit
against her and had to go to England for the same. He also wanted to meet Montague. Tilak
read the Reforms bill by Montague for India’s future but wasn’t satisfied with it. He thought
a step by step approach to self-governance was an insult to India’s abilities. Though he didn’t
fully reject it. The same approach was taken by the INC. In the libel suit, Tilak lost and the
financial costs he incurred were huge. While in England, he gained the support of the Labour
party, which was sympathetic to India. It was also ironically a liberal party. Though in the
next elections, the labour party lost heavily. The Britishers passed the Rowlatt act in 1919.
This drew strong condemnation from the labour party as it was a repressive measure. In 1919,
he was invited to the Joint Parliamentary Committee where he pointed out the flaws in the
Reforms bill. Tilak felt the need to get support from the USA as he wanted the world to
understand the Indian cause. As an effect of the Rowlatt act, there was a sharp reaction and
Gandhi decided to go on a satyagraha. The repressive measures culminated in the Jallianwala
bagh massacre. Following the happenings of the year, it was decided to hold the INC session
in Amritsar. Tilak believed that Satyagraha was one of the means to be adopted for swarajya
and saw it as a noble method. He praised Gandhi as an ideal to be followed by all. Both had
enormous faith in the common mans sacrifice for the freedom struggle. In a meeting of the
Home Rule League in Poona, he launched the Congress democratic party, which was to stay
loyal to the Congress, but also support the Muslims for their cause. In 1920, when Gandhi
launched the Non-cooperation movement, Tilak approved of it as he saw great potential in it.
Gandhi regarded Gokhale as his political guru, but despite that, respected Tilak. Tilak
breathed his last on 1st august 1920, passing on the torch of freedom struggle to Gandhi.

ANALYSIS:

This chapter gives a descriptive analysis of the way Tilak and his associates
rebuilt the freedom movement which had fallen silent after his arrest. It then takes us through
how he wanted to arbitrate, by starting the home rule league during the first world war to
pressure the Britishers to grant self-governance to India. This he felt was in return for the
support Indians would extend to them in the war. The chapter informs the readers of the
success of Tilak’s efforts, how the divides between the leaders of the Congress was bridged
and culminated in the Lucknow session of the INC where leaders across the political
spectrum met. We are also told about how Tilak spread his message of swarajya in the
country by touring and giving speeches. They also gained political support from the Labour
Party in UK. Here it’s also showed how Tilak appealed for social inclusion of the
untouchables and unity among religions. In the same time, we see the entry of Montague as
the secretary of state for India who proposed the reforms bill. This bill was seen as a middle
road between the demands of the british and those of the home rule league. Though not
satisfied, Tilak didn’t reject it completely, which was surprising to the readers given his rigid
stance. Now the author introduces us to Gandhi and how he carried out satyagraha in
Champaran. Tilak applauded his efforts though didn’t see it as a single solution for swarajya.
Though he respected Gandhi for his principles. In 1919, the Rowlatt act was passed, in
response Gandhi started the non-cooperation movement, to which Tilak extended his full
support. Though he was a radical, Tilak surprising to the reader, advocated for Gandhi during
the movement. Tilak died in 1920.
CHAPTER 6- SCHOLAR AND UNIQUE LEADER

SUMMARY:

This chapter is acts as an overview to all of Tilak’s work in the literary and
political field. Tilak’s pursuit of joy was his source of joy. If he was born in independent
India, he would’ve wished to be a professor. He was an avid reader who also analysed books.
He was particularly impressed by the Vedas. He wrote his book ‘Orion’ based on the
‘Vedangjyotish’. It received many positive references in the ‘Oriental Conference’. Prof.
Muller had done extensive research on the Vedas and adopted a linguistic approach to study
its history. Tilak found his approach vague. Tilak based his approach on the Vedangjyotish
and in his research found resemblance between Greek and Indian mythology. He felt that his
political work might hinder his literary aspirations but in jail, he found ample time for the
same. Prof. Muller sent him an annotated copy of the Rigveda. While critically reading it, he
didn’t agree completely with it. He pondered long over the meaning of the ‘Richa’. He then
came to the conclusion that Aryans were the ones who lived near the north pole and wrote a
book on the same ‘Arctic Home of the Vedas’. Though his theory wasn’t accepted, his
research was applauded. Tilak was very proud of ancient Indian culture. The Gita also
influenced him a lot in life. He was interested in it from the early age of 16. He wrote a book
‘Gita-Rahasya’ to explain its inner meaning and to urge people to join the freedom struggle.
He emphasised on 3 aspects of the Gita, ‘karmayogya, lokasangraha and bhakti’. It was one
of his finest works in life. He even studied the ‘Sankhya Karika’ and even found a flaw in it.
He then went on to give a logical link to the flaw. In the political arena, Tilak was always
busy. His work turned much too strenuous to pursue literature after 60 years of age. To
relieve his stress, he turned to reading. He suppressed his academic urge to be devoted to
swarajya. He used to give speeches and write editorials in Kesari to make people think and be
politically conscious. He even criticised his political adversaries in them for their passive
approach. But he did pay them remarkable tributes in Kesari on their death. He was proactive
in criticising the Britishers and propagating his aim of Home Rule. He was also a people’s
person who organised peasants in the 1896 famine in Maharashtra and redressed their
grievances. He always urged people to work within legal frameworks and cautioned
revolutionaries against resorting to terrorist acts. During the last phase of his life, Gandhi
emerged in the political scene and propagated satyagraha. Tilak though appreciated his
efforts, saw satyagraha as one of the means to achieve satyagraha not the only way. Tilak
criticised western ideals which were being imposed on India to show Indians as inferiors. He
urged people’s unity between religions, castes, etc. to counter the ‘divide and rule policy’ of
the British. This culminated to a show of unity at the Lucknow session of the INC and the
Lucknow Pact. He was however in favour of linguistic provinces in the country. He was a
leader who rose up to the occasion to play a defining role in the nation’s history.

ANALYSIS:

This chapter acts as the authors tribute to Tilak’s life and work he did in his life.
It talks about his literary and academic achievements which were critically acclaimed the
world over and even by readers. Even if a person or the reader, disagreed with Tilak’s
writings, his research was always applauded by the person. When in jail, he found ample time
to pursue his passion. He also received books on Vedas from authors like Prof. Max Muller.
Tilak was deeply interested in ancient Indian culture since a young age which gives us the
explanation and origin of his nationalistic views later in life. He wished to work for and
amongst the masses, which is seen through his writings and speeches where he stimulates
people to think for themselves. The author highlights the best work of Tilak, the ‘Gita-
Rahasya’ where he explains the inner meaning of the Gita. In politics, Tilak was a tall figure
who worked tirelessly for swarajya. The chapter describes him as a person who believed in
people’s power and wanted them to be proud of Indian culture. He had strong values, which
was seen whenever he criticised his adversaries in politics. He had factual arguments on why
moderate and western policies would fail in India. However, despite his radical leanings, he
discouraged terrorist actions by revolutionaries, showing his level headedness in any
situation. He wanted the people to resist the ‘divide and rule’ policy of the British. Towards
the end, Gandhi appeared on the political scene and propagated satyagraha. Though Tilak
didn’t agree with him, he had immense respect for him. When Tilak died in 1920, the torch
for the fight for swarajya was passed on to Gandhi. Tilak had left a mark on the Indian
political scene through his invaluable political contributions. The reader sees this chapter as
an obituary to Tilak by the author highlighting all his achievements.