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New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on August 1, 2020, inaugurated a two-day international webinar on the theme of ‘Lokmanya Tilak – Swaraj to Self-reliant India’ organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) on the 100th death anniversary of the great freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak in New Delhi.
hah, in his address, said that Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak played a key role in the making of the Indian Independence movement complete in letter and spirit. Tilak made an unparalleled contribution to the freedom movement, he dedicated every moment of his life to the nation and created an ideological generation of revolutionaries, Shah said.
The Union Home Minister said that the slogan of ‘Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it’ given by Lokmanya Tilak, will always be written in golden letters in the history of the Indian Independence Movement. He said that this slogan may seem natural to utter in our times, but in the 19th century very few people could have dared utter it. This slogan of Tilak served to awaken Indian society and convert the freedom movement into a mass movement due to which he came to be known as Lokmanya Tilak.
The Union Home Minister said that before Lokmanya Tilak ji, people knew the ‘Asceticism’ of ‘Gita’, but while in jail, Tilak ji wrote ‘Gita Rahasya’ and worked to bring ‘Karmayog’ in the Gita before the people. Tilak’s ‘Geeta Rahasya’ is still a guiding post for people, he said, according to a PIB release it. The Union Home Minister also mentioned that, despite being an eloquent orator, thinker, philosopher, established writer and social reformer, Tilak was rooted to the ground.
Shah further added that Tilak’s idea of India as a nation, Indian culture, and Indian customs are equally relevant today. Appealing to the youth, the Union Home Minister said that if one wants to know the glorious history of India and Indian culture, then Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s writings will have to be understood. He also advised the youth that reading his literary works will give them new knowledge about the great personality of Tilak and by taking inspiration from him, the youth will be able to attain new heights in their lives.
Shah referred to Lokmanya Tilak’s famous quote that the foundation of true nationhood is laid on the foundations of our culture and traditions. Any reform which undermines or disrespects our past cannot help in realising true nationhood. He emphasised that in the name of social and political reform we cannot afford to adopt British Models for our institutions. Shah also said that Lokmanya Tilak was a strong opponent of untouchability and had launched a movement to unite society divided in caste and sects.