Born: 23 July, 1856

Place of Birth: Ratnagiri, Maharashtra

Father's Name: Gangadhar Tilak
Mother's Name: Parvatibai
Spouse Name: Satyabhamabai
Children: Ramabai Vaidya, Parvatibai Kelkar, Vishwanath Balwant Tilak,
Rambhau Balwant Tilak, Shridhar Balwant Tilak, and Ramabai Sane.
Education: Deccan College, Pune, L.L.B degree from Government Law
College or University of Bombay (now Mumbai).
Famous as: Lokmanya Tilak
Associated as: Indian National Congress, Indian Home Rule League,
Deccan Educational Society
Political Ideology: Nationalism, Extremist
Publications: The Arctic Home in the Vedas (1903), Srimad Bhagvat Gita
Rahasya (1915)
Died on: 1 August, 1920
Memorial: Tilak Wada, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra
Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a social reformer, Indian nationalist and freedom
fighter. He was an ardent follower of Swaraj and died on 1 August, 1920.
He gave his speeches in Marathi or Hindi. No doubt, he helped in laying
the foundation for India's independence by building his own rule against
Britishers and converted it into a national movement. Let us find out
some amazing and unknown facts about Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Amazing and Unknown facts about Bal Gangadhar Tilak

1. He was born into a middle class-Brahman family. In 1876, he earned a
bachelor's degree from Deccan College in Poona in Mathematics and
Sanskrit. In 1879, he completed law from the University of Bombay (now
Mumbai). Further, he decided to teach mathematics in a private school in
Poona from where his political career began.

2. He founded the Deccan Education Society in 1884, to educate people

especially in the English language because at that time he and his
associates believed that English is a powerful force for liberal and
democratic ideals.

When and Why British first landed on Indian Territory

3. He started awakening people through newspapers like ‘Kesari’ ("The
Lion") in Marathi and in English ‘The Mahratta’. From these papers, he
became famous and criticise Britishers and methods of moderates who
advocate social reforms along Western lines and political reforms along
constitutional lines. 

4. Two important festivals were also organised by Bal Gangadhar Tilak

namely Ganesh in 1893 and Shivaji in 1895. Ganesha because the God is
headed by the elephant and worshipped by all Hindus and Shivaji because
he was the first Hindu ruler who fought against Muslim power in India and
established the Maratha Empire in the 17th century.

5. Bal Gangadhar Tilak joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1890
and started self-rule. He was the first nationalist freedom fighter who
brought the concept of 'Swaraj'.

6. In India, he started the Swadeshi movement. Jamshed Tata and Tilak

together established Bombay Swadeshi Stores to promote the national
movement.

7. Do you know together Bal Gangadhar Tilak,  Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala
Lajpat Rai are known as 'Lal-Bal-Pal'. Tilak was against the Age of
Consent Act of 1891.

8. To achieve the political aim, Tilak wanted to generate a mass

movement which is different from the opinion of moderates and so, in
1907 there was a split in moderates and extremist in Surat Session.
British took the benefit of the situation and send Bal Gangadhar Tilak to
the Mandalay jail in Burma (Myanmar) to serve a six-year prison
sentence.

9. In April 1916, Bal Gangadhar Tilak launched the Indian Home Rule
League with the rousing slogan “Swarajya is my birthright and I will have
it.” In September 1916, Annie Besant launched the Home Rule League at
Madras (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu). Bal Gangadhar Tilak died on 1
August, 1920.

10. He published The Arctic Home in the Vedas which represents the
origin of Aryans and Srimad Bhagvat Gita Rahasya (1915). Also, Om Raut
directed the film Lokmanya: Ek Yug Purush which was released on 2
January, 2015.

So, Bal Gangadhar Tilak or Lokmanya Tilak influenced people, spread the
message of Swaraj. He was a great orator and inspired several masses.
In Maharashtra, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on a huge scale and is
considered one of the main festivals which was started by the Tilak only.
He spent a lot of time reading Hindu religious books.