Bal Gangadhar Tilak born as Keshav Gangadhar Tilak was an Indian nationalist, journalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and an independence activist. He was the first leader of the Indian Independence Movement. The British colonial authorities called him “Father of the Indian unrest.” He was also conferred with the honorary title of “Lokmanya”, which literally means “accepted by the people (as their leader)”.

Tilak was one of the first and strongest advocates of “Swaraj” (self-rule) and a strong radical in Indian consciousness. He is known for his quote, “Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it!” in India. He formed a close alliance with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, later the founder of Pakistan, during the Indian Home Rule Movement.

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Tilak joined the Indian National Congress in 1890. He opposed its moderate attitude, especially towards the fight for self-government. He was one of the most eminent radicals at the time. Despite being personally opposed to early marriage, Tilak was against the 1891 Age of Consent bill, seeing it as interference with Hinduism and a dangerous precedent. British troops were brought in to deal with the emergency and harsh measures were employed including forced entry into private houses, examination of occupants, evacuation to hospitals and segregation camps, removing and destroying personal possessions, and preventing patients from entering or leaving the city.

Tilak encouraged the Swadeshi movement and the Boycott movement. The movement consisted of the boycott of foreign goods and also the social boycott of any Indian who used foreign goods. The Swadeshi movement consisted of the usage of natively produced goods. Once foreign goods were boycotted, there was a gap which had to be filled by the production of those goods in India itself. Tilak said that the Swadeshi and Boycott movements are two sides of the same coin.

Tilak opposed the moderate views of Gopal Krishna Gokhale and was supported by fellow Indian nationalists Bipin Chandra Pal in Bengal and Lala Lajpat Rai in Punjab. They were referred to as the “Lal-Bal-Pal triumvirate”. In 1907, the annual session of the Congress Party was held at Surat, Gujarat. Trouble broke out over the selection of the new president of the Congress between the moderate and the radical sections of the party. The party split into the “Jahal matavadi”, led by Tilak, Pal and Lajpat Rai, and the “Maval matavadi”. Nationalists like Aurobindo Ghose, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai were Tilak supporters.

When World War I started in August, Tilak cabled the King-Emperor in Britain of his support and turned his oratory to find new recruits for war efforts. He welcomed The Indian Councils Act, popularly known as Minto-Morley Reforms, which had been passed by British Parliament in May 1909, terming it as “a marked increase of confidence between the Rulers and the Ruled”.

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Acts of violence actually retarded, then hastened, the pace of political reforms, he felt. He was eager for reconciliation with Congress and had abandoned his demand for direct action and settled for agitations “strictly by constitutional means” – a line advocated by his rival Gokhale.Tilak tried to convince Mohandas Gandhi to leave the idea of Total non-violence (“Total Ahinsa”) and try to get Self-rule (“Swarajya”) by all means. Gandhi, though respected him as his guru, did not change his mind.He was the first Congress leader to suggest that Hindi written in the Devanagari script be accepted as the sole national language of India.

Tilak re-united with his fellow nationalists and re-joined the Indian National Congress in 1916. He also helped found the All India Home Rule League in 1916–18, with G. S. Khaparde and Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Annie Besant. After years of trying to reunite the moderate and radical factions, he gave up and focused on the Home Rule League, which sought self-rule. Tilak started his Home Rule League in Maharashtra, Central Provinces, and Karnataka and Berar region.

The Swadeshi movement started by Tilak at the beginning of the 20th century became part of the Independence movement until that goal was achieved in 1947. One can even say Swadeshi remained part of Indian Government policy until the 1990s when the Congress Government liberalised the economy. Tilak Smarak Ranga Mandir, a theatre auditorium in Pune was dedicated to him. In 2007, the Government of India released a coin to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Tilak.

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Chandrashekhar Azad

The Indian prehistoric era is one of the most fascinating and intriguing eras to read about. It is estimated that the first humans to set their foot in the Indian sub-continent between 200000 B.C and 40000 B.C. Prehistoric India have been divided into four major eras. These are Stone Age, Paleolithic Era, Mesolithic Era and Neolithic Era. The Bronze Age is also mentioned here though it comes after these four eras. Information about Indian prehistory is given below.

Stone Age

• The Stone Age was the era when early man used stones for functional and useful purposes. The Stone Age is further classified into three categories which are the Paleolithic Age, Mesolithic Age, and Neolithic Age.
• These divisions have been made on the basis of the kind of stone tools that were used during these times.

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Paleolithic Age

• The Paleolithic Age lasted till about 8000 B.C. In this age, the man was essentially a food gatherer. He learnt to make weapons out of stones and also mastered the skill of hunting animals.
• The crude weapons were slowly carved properly and were made sharp and pointed. These special weapons were made by shredding the sides of a stone with a heavier stone.
• The man also learnt how to create fire and make use of it. He learnt to control fire, which helped him to improve his way of living.

Mesolithic Age

• The Mesolithic Age lasted from 8000 B.C – 4000 B.C. In this age the size of the groups grew to form small communities. The number of mouths to feed increased and needed constant nurturing for continuation.
• There was a drastic change in the food and clothing of the man. The tools were modified and now the sharp stones were attached to strong tree branches using ropes and vines.These new weapons or hand axes could be flung on animals from a safe distance.
• Apart from this, farming techniques were developed and the man began to grow crops. The man also learnt to draw and paint and the evidence is found in the form of cave paintings found in India.

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Neolithic Age

• Neolithic (New Stone Age) settlements in the Indian sub-continent are not older than 4000 BC. The Neolithic Age lasted from 4000 B.C – 2500 B.C and is known as the last stage of the Stone Age era.
• The main features of this age were the finely flaked weapons and small tools made of stone that were used for day to day work. This age also saw domestication of cows, horses and other poultry and farm animals. Their products were used for dairy and meat items.
• The wheel, which was a very important invention, was created during this age. Shortly after this age around 1800 B.C, tools were made of copper and bronze and were used for many practical purposes.

Bronze Age

• The Bronze Age is the era when metals were used and improvised for making tools and other weapons. This age came immediately after the Neolithic Age and aided in the development of the metallurgy industry.
• It came into being in 3500 B.C in the Middle East. The Bronze Age in India is roughly estimated to have begun around 3300 B.C. It almost coincided with the beginning of the Indus Valley Civilization.
• People living in Indus Valley produced bronze, copper and tin thus developing new techniques of metallurgy.

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Lord Canning (1858-1862)

• Lord Canning was made the first Viceroy of India.
• 5% income tax was imposed on all are links beyond Rs. 500 a year.
• High courts were set up at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras under the provisions of the Indian High Courts act of 1861.

Lord Elgin Ist (1861-1863)

The most important event of his time over the suppression of the Wahabi tribe of the fanatic Muslims inhabiting the North West Frontier.

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Lord John Lawrence (1864-1869)

• An important event of this time was the war against Bhutan in 1865.
• The Punjab and Oudh Tenancy Act, 1860, was enacted.
• Two famines hit India; first in 1800 in Orrisa and second in 1868-69 in Bundelkhand and Rajputana.
• A Famine Commission was set up under the chairmanship of Sir Henry Campbell .

Lord Mayo (1869-1872)

• For the first time in my Indian history census was held in 1871.
• The college was set up and Ajmer to impart suitable education to the sons of the Indian princess. Subsequently, this college came to known as the ‘Mayo College”.

Lord Northbrook (1872-1876)

•  deposition of Gaekwad in 1874;
• the Kuka movement;
• visit of Prince of Wales;
• abolition of income tax;
• famine in Bihar and Bengal in 1873-1874.

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Lord Lytton (1876-1880)

• Statutory Civil Service in 1879.
• It was also laid down that the candidates had to appear and pass the civil services examination which began to be held in England.
• The maximum age for these candidates was reduced from 21 to 19 years.

Lord Ripon (1880-1884)

• Resolution in 1882 for the institution of local self-government in India.
• Constitution of the Hunter commission on education (1882).
• The maximum age of admission to civil services raised to 21.

Lord Dufferin (1884-1888)

His period witnessed the third Anglo-Burmese war which led to the accession of upper Burma.

Lord Lansdowne (1888-1894)

• enactment of second factory act;
• demarcation of the Indo-Afghan border (Durand Line);
• Second Indian council Act (1892).

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Lord Elgin II (1894-1899)

The bubonic plague in Bombay in 1896 and severe draught in Bikaner and Hissar district were some of the important events of his period.

Lord Curzon (1899-1905)

• The Punjab Land Alienation Act of 1900, prohibited the sale of agricultural lands for its attachment in execution of a decree
• In order to preserve and protect ancient monuments of India, he passed the Ancient Monuments Protection Act, and Archaeological Department was established in 1901.
• The setup of Police Commission under the Chairmanship of Sir Andrew Frazer in 1902.
• A Criminal Investigation Department was opened in each district. In 1901 the Imperial Cadet Corps was set up.

Lord Minto II (1905-1910)

His stint as viceroy is famous for the Minto-Morley Reforms of 1909 which provided for the separate electorate to Muslims.

Lord Hardinge II (1910-1916)

• In 1911 the capital of the country was announced to be shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.
• In 1912, Delhi became the new capital.
• The First World War broke out in 1914.
• In 1916, Lord Hardinge laid the foundation of the Benaras Hindu University. Madan Mohan Malaviya was the Founder-Chancellor of this university.

Lord Chelmsford (1916-1921)

• Enactment of the Government of India, 1919 (Montague-Chelmsford Reforms) which introduced dyarchy in the provinces;
• enactment of Rowlatt Act (1919);
• the Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy (1919);
• and the beginning of the Non-cooperation Movement

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Lord Reading (1921-26)

Held of the Non-Corporation Movement (1922); arrival of the Prince of Wales (1921); and the outbreak of the Moplah Revolt (1921) was some of the events of his period.

Lord Irwin (1926-31)

• Appointment of Simon commission in 1928.
• Passing of the resolution for complete independence (purna smarajya)in 1929.
• Launching of the civil Disobedience movement.
• Gandhi-Irwin Pact in 1931;

Lord Willingdon (1931-1936)

• The second Around Table Conference, 1931 ;
• Restarting of the Disobedience Movement, 1931
• Third Round Table Conference, 1932
• The Government of India Of 1935;

Lord Linlithgow (1936-44)

• Longest reign as viceroy of India
• Beginning of the Second World War.
• Coming into force of the Government of India Act 1935 with provinces going to elections.
• Beginning of the Quit India Movement

Lord Wavell (1944-1947)

• His period is famous for the Shimla conference, 1945;
• The arrival of the Cabinet Mission, 1946;
• the Constituent Assembly boycotted by the Muslim League which launched the heinous “Direct Action Day” on August 16, 1946;
• the Interim Government under Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru’s leadership

Lord Mountbatten, (March 1947-June 1948)

• Declaration of third June 1947;
• Indian Independence Act, Partition of the country between two independent states of India and Pakistan with Lord Mountbatten and Mr. M.A. Jinnah as their respective Governor generals.

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