Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lord Ganesh Festival

Subject :History

Section: Modern India

What is Lord Ganesh Festival:

Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Ganesha, who is a symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
It is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavithi.
It is a ten-day festival, starting on the fourth day of the hindu lunar calendar i.e Shukla Paksha and ends on Anant Chaturdashi

History of Ganesh Festival and Bal Gangadhar Tilak:

Before 1893, the Ganesh festival was a one-day event, primarily celebrated privately and was mainly observed by Brahmins and upper castes within their households.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak played a pivotal role in reshaping the Ganesh festival.
He aimed to mobilize the Indian populace against British colonial rule
In 1893, Tilak introduced a new tradition by turning Ganesh Chaturthi into a community festival.
The festival was no longer confined to private homes but became a public event.
During this transformed Ganesh festival, patriotic songs were sung, and nationalist ideas were promoted.
Tilak used to believe that invoking Indian heroes and using Hindu imagery would help galvanize the people against British rule.
Tilak’s writings, impassioned speeches, and organizational skills were instrumental in advocating for the public celebration of the Ganesh festival.

Some facts about Bal Gangadhar Tilak:

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born on 23rd July 1856 in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.
He founded the Deccan Education Society (1884) along with his associate Gopal Ganesh Agarkar and others.
He was also one of the founders of the Fergusson College (1885) in Pune through the Deccan Education Society.
A book ‘Indian Unrest’ written by Valentine Chirol, an English journalist, stated Tilak the ‘father of Indian unrest’.
The All India Home Rule League was founded by Tilak in April 1916 at Belgaum.It worked in Maharashtra (except Bombay), the Central Provinces, Karnataka and Berar.
Newspapers: Weeklies Kesari (Marathi) and Mahratta (English)
Books: Gita Rhasya and Arctic Home of the Vedas