Lokmanya Tilak preached Gandhian non-violence

Sai Baba restrained the Father of Freedom Movement from any bloodshed

Dr Hari Desai Tuesday 03rd January 2017 07:04 EST
 

The history of any event or personality can be coloured by the presenter unless one is keen on having the factual picture. Still none can deny twisting of the facts. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak (23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920 ), the Father of Indian Freedom struggle, leaves misgivings about many facets of his life even today. Known for his efforts for mass awakening of Indian masses to obtain Swaraj (Self-rule or Home Rule), he was leading the Extremist group of Indian National Congress but never ever favoured split in Congress despite sad chronology of events at Surat in 1907. Tilak was the firebrand Editor of “Kesari” (Marathi) and “Marhatta” (English) newspapers and had to face sedition cases leading to sentencing him for years. Though a predecessor of Mahatma Gandhi, he did not mind calling Gandhi a “Mahatma” (Great soul) even in 1918 while writing the preface of a Marathi biography of M K Gandhi by Avantikabai Gokhale.

One may be surprised when Tarkteerth Laxman Shastri Joshi, Chief Editor of Marathi Vishwakosh (Encyclopaedia), states: “The Gandhian era began with Tilak era itself.” Tilak was a supporter of armed revolution is a myth. Tarkteerth, while editing Editorials by Tilak for Sahitya Akademi of India, calls him a Revolutionary who never favoured armed struggle. It may surprise many since many biographers, including Dhanjay Keer, Y D Phadke and Gayatri Pagdi, presented Lokmanya as one “thinking of organising an armed revolt against British rule” and “wanted Lord Curzon dead”. The political Guru of both Gandhi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Gopal Krishna Gokhale was always at loggerheads with Tilak. He is quoted from his memoirs by Pagdi as “both Tilak and Shivram Paranjape wanted Curzon dead. Tilak also provided financial help. However, the plan did not succeed”. He reportedly maintained close relations with extremist armed revolutionaries like those belonging to Chaphekar Club and Shivaji club.

Misconception about Tilak needs to be removed or analysed. Though both Tilak (“Gita Rahashya”) and Gandhi (“Anasakti yog”) had faith in Bhagawad Gita, their interpretation differed. The ideal of Tilak was Sri Krishna but Gandhi’s ideals were Jesus Christ and Buddha. Quite often Lokmanya justified killing of Afzal Khan by Shivaji. Tilak even started celebration of Ganesh festival and Shiv Jayanti for mass awakening. Such an orthodox Hindu leader of Congress was mostly seen in Barrister Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s chamber at leisure time. Not only that Jinnah appeared for him in various cases when Lokmanya was facing sedition and other cases. Jinnah even boycotted the dinner hosted by the Bombay Bar Association for Justice Davar on receiving a knighthood as the very judge of Bombay High Court had sentenced Tilak to jail for six years recording nasty comments for the great patriot. This very Davar had earlier appeared for Tilak when he was practising as a lawyer.

During the Christmas week in 1907, Jinnah attended the Congress session at Surat and witnessed the tumultuous scenes which led to the split between the Moderates and Extremists. It is a curious fact that, though Jinnah was Pherozshah Mehta’s blue-eyed boy, an admirer of Gokhale and aligned with the Moderate Party, he also developed great respect for Bal Gangadhar Tilak, notes B R Nanda in “Road to Pakistan: The Life and Times of M A Jinnah”.

When Tilak started Ganesh and Shivaji festivals, an impression was created that he was anti-Mohammedan. But he was prepared to start even Akbar festival! To win the support of Muslims in the struggle for Swaraj, he sought the co-operation of leaders like Jinnah, who according to him was a genuine Nationalist Muslim of his day. Even when Dr B S Munje and Tej Bahadur Sapru criticised Tilak, he preferred to proceed and a historical Lucknow Pact was signed between the Congress and the Muslim League in 1916. The Muslim League on behalf of the Muslims agreed to the demand for Swaraj, and the Hindu leaders headed by Tilak agreed to separate electorates for the Muslims and weightages in bargain. The Lucknow Pact laid down that one-third of the Indian elected Members in the Central Legislature should be Muslims elected by separate Muslim electorates. Tilak, who in the 1890s had berated Justice Ranade and G K Gokhale for not standing up to Muslim communalism, lent his powerful support to separate electorates in 1916! Here in Lucknow while addressing Home Rule League meeting on 30 December 1916, his well-known slogan “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it” was uttered for the first time and it became synonymous with his name.

Even when Congress leaders of Nagpur Dr Munje and Dr K B Hedgewar went to Puducherry in 1920 to convince Sri Aurobindo to accept the Presidentship of Indian National Congress after Tilak’s demise, he refused it point-blank. According to the official figures of Congress, the Nagpur session of Congress in 1920 had the maximum number of registered delegates (14,582) so far. In fact Tilak was to be the President of Congress at Nagpur in December 1920 but he died in August 1920. Aurobindo refused to take up the Presidentship. Despite the opposition by Dr Hedgewar, who established Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1925, Vijayraghavariar was elected the President. Tilak could not be the President in Delhi in 1918 since he had to extend his stay in England. Instead Madan Mohan Malaviya presided and did not mention Tilak’s name even for once!

Tilak was of the firm belief that an armed revolution in India is not a pragmatic way for gaining Swaraj. As Tarkteerth analysed, Lokmanya did maintain sympathy for the armed revolutionaries but it was crystal clear that he never favoured that option. Hence in a way he was the first one to preach Gandhian way. Tilak was always for bloodless revolution. But some people do analyse him the way it is convenient to them. This is unfortunate. It causes injustice to the character of the great nationalist. Even when Gayatri Pagdi presents Tilak as an armed revolutionary in the biography, she does record Lokmanya’s meeting with Sai Baba of Shirdi with his associate Ganesh Khaparde, after his release from Mandalay Jail. “Baba is said to have told him that the goal of independence would be achieved but not through violence of any sort. Baba also advised him to tone down any kind of aggression.”

Next Column: Swami Vivekananda and his Religion

(The writer is a Socio-political Historian. E-mail: [email protected])


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