Top 14 unknown & interesting facts about Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was an independence activist who was also a journalist, teacher, social activist and lawyer. He was born on July 23, 1856, and died on August 1 in the year 1920.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was an independence activist who was also a journalist, teacher, social activist and lawyer. He was born on July 23, 1856, and died on August 1 in the year 1920. He is famously known for the quote, “Swarajya is my birthright, and I shall have it!”

Here are some facts that you should know about Bal Gangadhar Tilar:

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  1. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was the first leader of the Indian Independence Movement and led to the rise of Indian nationalism.
  2. The Britishers called Bal Gangadhar Tilak, ‘The Father of the Indian unrest.’
  3. He was also given the honorary title of ‘Lokmanya’, which means admired (or accepted) by the people.
  4. Tilak is known as the ‘Father of Swarajya’ as he was one of the first independence activists to advocate ‘Swaraj’ and make it a part of the independence movement.
  5. Bal Gangadhar Tilak joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in the year 1890 and started the fight for self-rule.
  6. He was one of the first activists who came up with the concept of ‘Swaraj.’
  7. In 1880, Bal Gangadhar Tilak started his own newspaper, Kesari, which is still published to this day.
  8. Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the Swadeshi movement in India. Jamshed Tata and Tilak found Bombay Swadeshi Co-op Stores to promote the movement.
  9. Tilak had a political regime with Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai and they were referred as the ‘Lal-Bal-Pal triumvirate.’
  10. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was against the Age of Consent Act, 1891. He opposed and protested at every level so that the government would regulate the Act
  11. In 2007, the Government of India released a coin to commemorate Tilak on his 150th birth anniversary.
  12. Om Raut directed the film Lokmanya: Ek Yug Purush, which was released on January 2, 2015.
  13. Tilak also started another weekly such called Mahratta, which was an English weekly.
  14.  He was also jailed during his struggle for freedom. During this time, Tilak wrote a book titled ‘Gita-Rahasya’.