Page 31 - Swatantrata to Atmanirbharta : Lokmanya Tilak’s legacy

Lokmanya tiLak

and Lucknow Pact

of 1916

By Prof. Dilip Ranadive

Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak (or Tilak as he is commonly
and fondly referred to) the champion of India`s freedom
movement, was also known for his fierce patriotism and towering
intelligence. He was one of those rare breed of patriots who had
mastery over multiple intellectual disciplines. He had profound
study of all 4 Vedas apart from being a mathematician and an
Astronomist. Tilak came under a certain degree of criticism for
his conservative views on Hindu society but little is appreciated
or even understood about his reasons behind those. Same is
the case aboutLucknow Pact inked in 1916 between Tilak and
Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

A recent article by well known intellectual Sudhindra Kulkarni
sheds light on many unfamiliar aspects related to this pact and
the logical connect between the situation and events which took
place then. This writer expresses his gratitude to him for the
invaluable information made available through his article.
After his release from Mandalay in 1914 Tilak`s stature in
country and in congress had risen. During his imprisonment
Tilak had actually come to conclude that Hindu Muslim unity
was centric to establishing self-rule and making it successful
29 Swatantrata to Atmanirbharata