Page 1 of 5

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 09

October 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 388

“Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak's Ideology of Nationalism

and Swaraj: A Historical Study”

Dr. Dilbag Singh Bisla

Director, Centre for Rajiv Gandhi Research & Study Centre, Aryan’s Institute Ratibad, Bhopal

Abstract

“Swaraj is my birthright and I shall

have it” were the fiery motivating words of

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, which aroused a

sleeping nation to action, making Indians

aware of their political plight under an

imperialist rule.1 That way, Tilak may

arguably be credited to be first of the Indian

nationalists who lit the indomitable light of

radical nationalism in the hearts of common

people of India. He had multifaceted

personality and devoted his energies to

diverse types of activities. As an great

champion of the Poona temperance and

educationist, he played significant role in

establishing Poona New English School in

1880, apart from the Decean Education

Society and the Fergussoan College.

During the days of Swadeshi

Movement, he was the main leader, mover

and also patron of the Samartha Vidyalaya.

As a fighter against economic injustice, he

played an important role in making the

people conscious of their rights during the

famine of 1896.2 He was opposed to any

kind of economic discriminatiosn and

moved an important resolutions pertaining

to economic affairs from the nationalist

platforms such as the resolution on

permanent settlement, decentralization of

finances, etc. Swadeshi movement and its

cult is closely associated with Tilak. As a

political leader, Tilak played very

significant role in activities having

profound impact on the life of common

men. He infused the spirit of political

assertiveness and patriotism among the

people of the country through his

aggressive nationalist policies.

He was keen to see that the public

should not remain unaware about numerous

happening in the region and in the

subcontinent as a whole. He had the desire

to give vent to his feeling in the press with

the sense of complete responsibility and

freedom. Therefore, he started two news

papers Keshri and Maratha in 1881.3 To

inject the spirit of nationalism and

awareness among the people, he started the

Ganapati Puja and Shivaji Mahotsva in

1896. These festivals were instrumental in

bringing people together culturally

irrespective of their caste and creed. He

believed that independence is the foremost

necessity for the well being of a nation and

its people. In India perhaps he was the first

leader to understand the importance of

mass support and subsequently became the

first mass leader of India. He realized that

the constitutional agitation in itself have

been futile against the Colonial rule but

without venturing with the revolutionaries.

He created and marshaled the extremist

wing of the Indian National Congress

which he joined in 1889 His movement was

based on the principles of Swadeshi,

Boycott and Education.

Believing that the imparting

education is the best policy to serve the

nation and its people, he and his friend

Gopal Ganesh Agarkar who became the,

Principal of the Ferguson College, decided

to devote their lives to the cause of

education. To impart affordable and healthy

education to younger generation,4

they

established the New English School at

Pune, in and Deccan Society in 1885. They

started their carrier as school teachers.

Page 2 of 5

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 09

October 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 389

However, Tilak felt that only educating

young generation was not enough and that

the elderly people also needed to he

exposed to the socio-political and economic

realities of Indian society and started two

weeklies Maratha and Keshri in English

and Marathi respectively. According to

Tilak enriching the Indian society and its

cultural values is only possible with the

development of education. Tilak had great

respect and love for Indian civilization. He

analyzed the situation of the country and

concluded that the freedom of the Nation

cannot be achieved without the active

support of the masses. In order to enthuse

the masses to participate in the on going

freedom struggle actively it was essential to

revive their pride in the glorious past of the

country and make them awake of the

misdeeds of the foreign rule. Ganpati and

Shivaji Mahotsava became highly

successful in this regard and became a mile

stone in the history of our freedom

movement.

Tilak was the first political Leader

to break through the routine of its

somewhat academic methods, to bridge the

gulf between the present and the past and to

restore continuity to the political life of the

nation. He developed a language and a

spirit and used methods which indianized

the movement and brought into the masses.

Tilak had not faith in the constitutional

method adopted by Gokhle and others to

achieve their goal.5 He pointed out that the

constitutional method might be very

appropriate in a country like Britain where

there is a constitution and a responsible

government for the public. But it is totally

inapplicable to a country like India where

the penal code is the constitution and the

people have no democratic means to

change the government. He asserted that

Indian could not base their agitation on law

because the law could be changed by the

irresponsible and autocratic government at

any point of time and in any manner it like.

About the ineffectiveness of the

Constitutional method he wrote in Kesari,

"We will get nothing by appealing to or

shouting hoarse in the ears of the British

bureaucracy in India. It is like breaking our

heads against a stone wall. He was off the

opinion that the British government is

unresponsive to the demands of the

Congress leaders, because it was convinced

that they could 'only bark and had no teeth

to bite.’ Thus he adopted a method of

agitation which must heart the Britist

govenrment.6

His political thought represents a

synthesis of some of the dominent

conception of Indian thought and the

nationalistic and democratic ideas of the

modern west. He was a Vendantist which

taught him the supremeacy of the concept

of freedom : According to him freedom

was the soul of the Home rule movement.

The divine instinct of freedom rave aged

freedom is the “freedom was the soul of the

home rule movement.7

Nationalism

Lokmanya Tilak as a political

philosopher has given us a theory of

Nationalism. His theory of nationalism is a

synthesis of both the teachings eastern and

western thinkers.

Tilak’s nationalism had a revivalist

orientation. He wanted to bring to the

forefront the message of the Vedas and the

Gita for providing spiritual energy and

moral enthusiasm to the nation. According

to him, “a recovery of the healthy and vital

traditions of the old culture of India was

essential a true nationalist desires to build

on old foundation.”

8 Reforms based onutter

disrespect for the old does not appeal to

him as constructive work.” He said that we

do not want to anglicize our institutions and

so denationlize them in the name of social

and political reforms.9 M.N.Ray pointed

out that Shivaji and Ganpati festivals had

Page 3 of 5

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 09

October 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 390

been encouraged by Tilak to link

contemporary events and movements with

historical traditions.10

Because of his spiritual approach,

Tilak regarded that Swarajaya not only a

right but a dharam.11 He also gave a moral

and spiritual meaning of Swarajya.

Politically meant Home Rule. Morally it

meant the attainment of the perfection of

self control, which is essential for

performing "one's duty" (Swadharma). It

also had a spiritual significance because it

meant the realization of spiritual inner

freedom and contemplative delight. Tilak

wanted both political and spiritual freedom.

Tilak's nationalism was also influenced by

the western theories of national

independence and self determination. His

philosophy of nationalism was a synthesis

of the Vedantic idea of the spirit as self

contained freedom and western conception

of the Mazzani and Burke, Mill and later on

of Wilson. This synthesis he expresscdin- teims of swarajya, a Vedantic term, which

was used in Maharashtra to indicate the

Maratha policy of Shivaji. According to

Tilak nationalism is not a visible and

concrete entity but is a kind of sentiment

and idea and in generating this idea the

historical memories of the great figure of a

country play a significant part.

Nationalism is essentially a

psychological and spiritual conception.

Tilak had a systematic philosophy'of

nationalism. He rightly felt that the roots of

Indian nationalism must lie not in the mere

intellectual appeals to the theories of the

western liberal writers but in the sentiments

and emotions of the Indian masses. He felt

that the memories of Shivaji would serve to

reinvigorate nationalistic emotions of the

common people. Shivaji became the

symbol of the resentment and resistance of

the people against oppression and injustice.

Tilak tried several times to repute the

changes of anti Muslimism against this

festival. He pointed out carefully that he

wanted revival of his foundations and

spirits. During Bengal partition day Tilak

said that both Hindus and Muslims should

assert their rights against the bureaucracy

that was trying to crush all.

Tilak wanted to substantiate the

nationalistic movement in India by a strong

cultural and religious revival of Hindusim

but he also accepted the economic

arguments for nationalism.12 Dadabhai

Nauroji made famous the 'Drain theory' in

Indian economies. Both Tilak and Gokhale

accepted the foreign imperialism resulted in

the enormous 'drain' of India's resources.

In-1897 Tilak wrote three articles in the

Kesari at the time of Diamond Jublee

Celebration of Queen Victoria on 22nd

June. He started that India's arts and

industries had declined under the British

rule. He wrote that various economic

enterprises and investment in India, of the

foreign capitalists only created evidence

given by Dadabhai, before the Welby

commission.13 He also emphasized the

economic dimension of the swadeshi

movement, which indicates his awareness

of the economic roots of Indian

nationalism. The swadeshi movement in

India assumed a spiritual and a political

character. It becomes a movement for the

liberation of spiritual energies of the nation

for the sake of the political emancipation of

the land. In a speech in January 1907 at

Allahabad, Tilak pleaded for a protective

tariff of our own by the boycott of foreign

goods.... The salvation of the country could

be attained not by waiting on the

bureaucracy and sending petitions to them

containing appeals to logic and reason but

only by the concerted efforts of the people

themselves. He therefore exhorted the

nation to work for the concrete realization

of the resolutions on Swadeshi, Boycott

and national education which had been

passed at the congress session of 1906 at

Calcutta.14