Tilak, Bal Gangadhar (1856-1920), an Indian politician and journalist, was an early leader in the campaign for Indian independence from British rule.
Tilak was born on July 23, 1856, in the Ratnagiri district on the west coast of India. He was educated at Deccan College in Pune and Elphinstone College in Bombay (now Mumbai). He obtained degrees in arts and law. Tilak was one of the founding teachers at the New English School. He also started and wrote regularly in the newspapers Kesari (The Lion), published in the Marathi language, and The Mahratta, published in English.
Tilak tried to help the people suffering during a famine and a plague epidemic in 1896 and 1897. He criticized the British government’s methods for combating the plague. The British imprisoned him for 18 months on charges that his editorials inspired two men to kill a British official.
In 1905, he criticized the government strongly over its decision to divide Bengal, and in 1911, the decision was reversed. Also in 1905, Tilak set out a plan to help India achieve swaraj (self-rule). The plan included buying only Indian-made goods and refusing to buy British-manufactured articles. He proclaimed, “Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it,” which became a slogan for the independence movement. The British again imprisoned him from 1908 to 1914. Tilak formed the Indian Home Rule League in 1916. He died in Bombay on Aug. 1, 1920.
