Page 79 - Swatantrata to Atmanirbharta : Lokmanya Tilak’s legacy

unfolded the topic like mathematical steps, then countered all
the arguments of the opposite side making them ineffective and
then presented his say.
These types of articles Tilak wrote, spread across several
areas like religion, social issues, agriculture, industry, education,
obituaries and many more. Some important areas that need to
be mentioned are

1. Economics, commerce, industry, agriculture, tax system,
and similar issues around the economy
2. Articles critical of British colonialism, consequent
exploitation and related injustice.

3. English and Marathi languages and their literatures.
4. Informative articles about the western social, political,
scientific and technical matters
5. Articles about the importance of ancient Indian thought
and knowledge

Article Wording and Titles
The language of the article was simple with words of common
usage and references to the Mahabharata and Puranas. His
thoughts had no ambiguity, the clarity appealed to the readers.
The language had the capacity to influence the thinking of the
readers. It was rugged and robust but not rough.

He did not write his articles but dictated them instead,
walking in his study and cutting betel nuts. This could be one of
the reasons why the articles reflected clarity of thought. Apart
from serious topics Tilak did indulge in humour and wit when
the occasion demanded.

Lokmanya Tilak titled his article in very simple words. A
quick example is, when he was released from Mandalay after
six year term, the then editor of Kesari wrote a lead article
titled “Tilak released from imprisonment”. When the draft was
shown to Tilak, he scratched a few words and it read “Tilak is
Free”
Some of these straight forward titles that created an impact
were
77 Swatantrata to Atmanirbharata