Lokmanya Tilak

Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856 – 1920) was born in Ratnagiri district of the present day Maharashtra. After completing his BA degree in Mathematics from the Deccan College, he started teaching. Tilak soon started Kesari in Marathi and Maharatta in English which became leading newspapers of the Deccan and the mouthpiece of Indian Nationalist movements. He along with Ganesh Agarkar set up the Deccan Educational Society. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1880 and formed close relationships with Lala Lajpat Rai, and Bipin Chandra Pal. Tilak popularised the concepts of Swadeshi, Boycott and Swaraj much before Mahatma Gandhi. He was referred to as the ‘Father of Indian Unrest’ and was arrested multiple times on charges of sedition.