Page 163 - Swatantrata to Atmanirbharta : Lokmanya Tilak’s legacy

a moraL Legacy

Prof. Rasika Datar

This article is an endeavour to study the life history of Shri
Bal Gangadhar Tilak and to understand his perspectives about
politics, his social views, and his philosophy of life at large. It is
an effort to comprehend the true meaning of ethics and morality
and to understand Tilak’s thinking in this context.

Ethics and Morality

Let us first try to understand the meaning of the word ‘Ethics’.
Ethics is concerned with an individual & a society, often
described as moral philosophy. It has its origin in the Greek
word ‘ethos.’ It refers to customs, habits, or character. Three
kinds of ethics are often discussed. Ethics may be understood as
deontological, teleological, and virtue-based ethics.

Mortality has its essence in the rights and wrongs of human
behaviour. Morality essentially refers to a belief. Be it ethics or be
it morality, both serve as guiding principles to every individual
throughout life.

Life journey of Lokmanya Tilak
It is important at this stage to understand the life history of
Bal Gangadhar Tilak. The moulding of his thoughts and his
philosophy date back to his childhood days. His thoughts were

161 Swatantrata to Atmanirbharata