Mr. Tilak is dead ! Long live Mr. Tilak !
The Tribune.
The situation which Mr. Tilak occupied towards the middle of 1920 was the most enviable any public man has occupied in India. He was the most success###ful and the most longlived of the band of self-sacrificing workers who started the New English School (1880), the Kesari and the Mahratta (1881). His opponents — Ranade, Telang, Mehta and Gokhale — were gathered to their fathers before the substantial achievement of their labours. He alone represented, not merely the youngest but the oldest generation living. Starting his life as an ’ opponent of Social Reform ’ he lived to count the staunchest reformers among his lieutenants. The branded ’ enemy of the Mahomedans ’ was the ambassador of Hindu-Moslem unity at Lucknow and his active co-operation was sought by and promised to the leaders of the Khilafat movement. The slogan of Swaraj, issuing from his pen in 1895 was echoed by the National Congress of 1906 and the Government of India Act of 1919. His no-rent campaign of 1896 forms one of the planks of the Non-co-operation programme.
- The wrecker of the Congress’ was its greatest bulwark and chosen President. Dreaded by the Government, hated by Anglo-Indians, feared by the Moderates, he was
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the idol of the country, the living embodiment of all its aspirations. Behind him lay the memories of an uneven and almost single-handed struggle extending over forty years. Ahead, there was a struggle still, but a struggle where victory was certain, and the sinews of war quite abundant. He was not only the Moses but the Joshua of the Promised Land. He had won his Austerlitz at Amritsar, and the future struggle, grim as it promised to be, was in a sense far easier than the one in which he was engaged ever since his entry into the public life.
But, — alas ! the end was approaching. Ever since his return from Amritsar, a sense of inexplicable fatigue frequently haunted him. He would occasionally talk of retiring from active hfe. PoUtics meant strain, phy###sical and mental and he did not feel himself up to it. This was surely the whispering of Death.
After his sickly boyhood, Mr. Tilak enjoyed many years of exuberant health and energy. Rarely, if ever, he was HI. His digestion was exceptionally nice. He had the glut of a giant for thought or action. His powers of endurance were wonderful. His sleep was short and sound and very often he could dispense with it altogether. After a busy day, he usually read far into the night and was up at the usual time. His reading, deep and varied, lasting at a stretch for hours together, was never known to weary him.
With the incarceration of 1897, there came a change. He lost enormously in weight. His health was pulled down ; his digestion was enfeebled. After his release he spent a few months at Sinhgad in rest and in the improvement of his health. To a certain extent it 20
306 LOKAMANYA TILAK
did improve. But he never fully recovered from the blow.
Then came diabetes, the companion of the English###educated in India. Evidently it was the gift of the Yeravda jail and it cast sUght shadows of old age on his person.
For the last fifteen years of his life, this fell disease was his companion. Bravely did Mr. Tilak fight with it and so far was he successful that the disease did not torment him with all its virulence. It was, however, stni there, working insidiously, and slowly and silently sapping his strength ! He held the fell disease in his ^p ; the disease too, did not loosen its hold.
Having studied all the existing medical Uterature on the subject, he fixed a regimen for himself to which he adhered with military rigour. When it was hot, he usually lived at Sinhgad. Periods of hard work were carefully followed by rest. When he rested, he kept no books, he read no papers. He left instructions at Poona regarding the disposal of correspondence. Only the most important matters — private or public — whose execution could not be delayed and particularly those which required his instructions, were reported to him. His morning walk, occasionally in the company of some obscure villager, lasted for three or four hours and was followed by an hour’s plunge. This completed the day’s exercise.
His capacity to withdraw his mind from work, stood
him in good stead. Always optimistic, he never allowed
worries, small or great, to trouble him. His self-control
was wonderful and helped him considerably in improv-
ng his health. Storm after storm swept past him.
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leaving him, calm and self-possessed. His private life, lived in the full blaze of publicity, was a tower of strength to him ;for virtue is the greatest tonic.
Call it the peace of a philosopher, the faith of the hero, the light-heartedness of a child or the recklessness of a soldier, his mental equanimity was the secret of his health. The dread uncertainties of our pubUc hie explain to a great extent why many a public worker dies young. To work with despair and defeat writ large on the wall is, indeed, a trial ; and to this trial our spirited workers are being put these many years. The longevity of a Dr. Bahandarkar, may not cause wonder ; but the comparative longevity, which Mr. Tilak reached, surprises those who consider his mental sufferings, his extraordinary brain-work and the vicissitudes of his life.
Chiplonker died in 1882, Apte in 1892, Agarkar, Kelkar, and Namjoshi in 1895, all in the prime of hfe. At one time Mr. Tilak thought that he too, would be sum###moned away early. Providence, however, had reserved for him a longer career, to be written in letters of gold ; and yet could he not have been spared a httle more ?
The organization of the Congress Democratic Party, the welding of Mr. Gandhi’s programme with his own. an ultimatiun to the Bureaucracy, a vigorous foreign propaganda, these were the thoughts that occupied his waking and sleeping hours in the last month ( July 1920) of his Hfe. In the course of this month, he had severe attacks of malaria. However, he completely re###covered, went to Bombay for his last fight in the Tai Maharaj case, triumphed over his enemies and had begun to think of recuperating his strength when
308 LOKAMANYA TILAK
an evening motor-drive brought him a chill whicS soon developed into high fever. None, however, sus###pected the worst and congratulatory anniversary meet###i ngs were held (23rd July) in Bombay and elsewhere. The fever, brought by the chill, subsided only to rec###tum soon. From Monday night (26th July), " his###fever took a decidedly serious turn and it was found that the base of his right lung was affected and the fever developed signs of pneumonia. The whole of Tuesday was a day of anxiety. There was no brain###complication and his consciousness was unimpaired.*’ Still the situation was critical and his friends and rela###tives gathered to wait upon him. He chaffed his son upon having run up to Bombay on this flimsy pretence and his daughters upon being rather too fond of their parents’ home. He disdained to leave any initructions regarding his affairs, though pressed to do so. “I am not going to die, these five years,” he said " be sure of that." Wednesday morning, the temperature was normal and the pulse regular. This was a happy sign. But in the afternoon " again he got fever and again his heart began to show signs of weakness. He lost all consciousness and became delirious. He continued more or less in the same state during the whole of Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, there was a complication of the stomach which began to be dis###tended. With great difficulty, the doctors led him out of the crisis. On Thursday at about 5 p.m., he had an attack of angina pectoris which threatened to be serious and fatal but, thanks to the timely efforts of the doctors, he was pulled out of it. He had similar attacks, three times afterwards, but they were weak in intensity. On
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Friday and the whole of Saturday, he continued in the same unconscious state of mind with uncertain and irregular pulse and a weak heart. Suddenly at 10-30 P.M., his heart began to show signs of exhaustion and his breathing became hard, and at last at 12-50 a.m., August 1st, 1920, the cruel hand of Death snatched him away."
Anxious messages, distinguished callers, large, un###manageable crowds testified to the love and devotion he inspired. During the sad week, the hearts of all Indians, alternating with hopes and fears, must have gone up to the Almighty in silent or vocal prayer. But the hopes were dashed to the ground and the worst fears proved true, when on August ist, the news of his demise was flashed all over the country !
What a pity that he left us no parting message 1 True, his whole life was one long message, a source of inspiration to all. When his feeble body was struggling v/ith his departing soul, even then, he thought, not of home and family, but of his God and his country. In the earher stages of his unconsciousness, when a copy of the Gita was shown to him, he uttered his favourite verses : —
" Whenever virtue subsides and vice prevails I come down to protect the good, to destroy the wicked and to establish Dharma." {Gita, Chapter 4, Verses y &S).
These memorable words of Lord Krishna, uttered by
310 LOKAMANYA TILAK
Mr. Tilak in his unconscious state, reveal the back###^ound of his mind. He braved the terrors of gaol-Ufe, he could Uve down all obloquy, persecution and misre###presentation on the strength of this Faith. All the political battles fought by him were not waged for any earthly reward but from a high sense of duty, based on an unshakable faith that God was working through him. During all the storms of his life, he never felt weak or pessimistic because he knew that he was a mere pawn employed by that Divinity which presided over the destinies of India. A Tilak may come and go ; but His work would never wait ; and when the ground is suffi###ciently prepared. He shall come down to estabhsh the reign of Peace and Goodness.
Mr. Tilak’s scattered and subdued utterances in deli###rium bespeak his love of the country. He frequently^ referred to the Calcutta Congress and asked " Has the Special been arranged ?" *’ Have you wired to Mr. Pat el ?" Then there was the Punjab wrong to which he occasionally referred. Sometimes, he would get excited and talk wildly. In an outburst of passion he cmce said " 500 rupees to the editor; plus motor###aUowance ! What will these lord-lings do for the country ?" On the 28th, he frequently talked of 1818 " 1818 — 1918 — one hundred years — what a Ufe of servi###tude !" The last important words, reported to have been uttered by him on July 29th at i p.m., were " unless. Swaraj is achieved, — India shall not prosper. It is required for our very existence !"
The funeral of the Lokamanya was as memorable as his life. It has been thus graphically described by a contemporary : —
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" It was one o’clock at midnight. All round was peace and calmness. There was a little drizzle of rain and men, not knowing the disaster that was to overtake them on the morning of the next day, were having a sound and sweet sleep. But the mysterious power, ‘which rules the world was wide awake, and stealing a march on the subconscious man, carried away one of the most honoured, respected and beloved of the people- . . . .(When morning broke, people found that) the vigilant watchman of India’s cause had disappeared from their midst. . . . The news of his death gave a shock to the people, it stunned them, they looked at each other with blank eyes and they knew not what to do.
" Never before in the history of Bombay, was such a scene of universal grief witnessed. People had begun to flock near Sirdar Griha from 7 in the morning and by 8a.m., there was no room for anybody to go up to catch his last sight. The labourer had left the miU, the Mar###wari his account-book, the Bania his purse and every man and woman was out to see the last of their be###loved leader. Musalmans, Parsees, Christians deserted their homes to pay their respects to a man, who had sacrificed his all at the altar of the country and suffered heavily for bravely defending her cause. In his life###time, Mr. Tilak was the recipient of many popular de###monstrations of good-will but the triumphal march of of dead Tilak through the streets on August ist, 1920 was more magnificent than any during his life-time.
" The body of Lokamanya Tilak was brought out and put on the balcony so that it could be witnessed by the eager and expectant crowds. The crowd increased at
312 LOKAMANYA TILAK
every moment and it grew so tremendous that although the funeral procession was timed to start at i p.m., it could not be started till 2 p.m. The procession was about a mile and a half and at a very conservative estimate, about two lakhs of men took part in it.
*’ In the funeral procession were seen Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Shaukat Ah, Dr. Kitchlew, Mr. Jamnadas, Mr. Banker, and many other prominent citizens of Bombay. Two special trains from Poona brought a number of Mr. Tilak’s friends and devoted followers. They claim###ed that Mr. Tilak’s body should be cremated at Poona. The people of Bombay insisted on getting the honour to themselves and in the end they won and cremated him, by special arrangements, on the sands of the Back Bay. His body was seated in a palanquin and the pall-bearers included Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Shaukat Ali, Dr. Kitchlew and many others. On the route, the procession had to stop at innumerable places, because a number of people came out to offer flowers. At every step, most enthu###siastic ovations were received.
" The body was gently placed on a pyre of sandal###wood, so lo\dngly and liberally supplies by the Parsi traders ; and at sun-down, the last earthly remains of the Sun of Maharashtra were reduced to ashes!"
The unexpected death of a personality of the magni###tude of Lokamanya Tilak united, for a time, all parties, and all India mourned for the eternal loss of her great son. Even the Anglo-Indian Press, taken as a whole, expressed appreciation of their life-long opponent. Only the Government of Bombay refused to shed tears with the nation ; and His Excellency Sir George Lloyd orfeited a precious opportunity of winning the hearts
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of the people by a tactful concession to the sentiments of 17 non-official members of the Council, who, belong###ing to different political parties had united in desiring that the Council should be closed in honour of Mr. Tilak ** a former member of this Council, a great Oriental scholar and a prominent worker in the cause of the country, held in high estimation by a large number of the people of India." But the Bureaucracy was as unwilling to forget its old grievances against Mr. Tilak as the Times of India or the Statesman.
Thousands of memorials to the Lokamanya have been suggested and raised in different parts of India. But the grandest of them all is the one for which Mahatma Gandhi moved from city to city and province to province, collecting huge sums during the eventful months of April, May and June 1921. As the Mahat###maji has said " Truly to revere the memory of a person is to achieve his life’s purpose. Truly to revere the Memory of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, whom India delighted and still delights to call Lokamanya must be to esta###blish Swaraj and thus forever perpetuate his memory." For this purpose, the Mahatma ji has col###lected the biggest fund ever raised by the people of India during the last hundred years. " The Tilak Memorial Swaraj Fund " will go down to posterity as a unique event in the history of this country. It will perpetuate not only the name of the Lokamanya but also that of Mahatma Gandhi, who, in three short months has accomplished a feat which Pandit M. M. Malaviya has scarcely been able to perform in the course of twelve years.
The amounts contributed by the various province
314
LOKAMANYA TILAK
are given below. The largest contribution that of
Rs. 3,00,000 ^has been made by Mr. A. B. Godrej^
Proprietor of the Godrej, Boyce Manufacturing Com###pany. It is earmarked for the (i) eradiction of the liquor traffic in India and (2) the elevation of the de###pressed classes.
Serial
Name of the
Amount
No.
Province.
contributed. Rs.
I
Bombay
37,50,000
2
Gujarat
15,00,000
3
Punjab
9,22,707
4
Behar
7,10,628
5
Bengal
6,50,000
6
Maharashtra
4>4i.475
7
United Provinces
4.10,304
8
Andhra
3,50,000
8
Sind
1,95,542
10
Central Provinces (Marathi)
1,79,000
II
Madras
1,79,000
12
Karnatak
1,59,205
13
Burma
1,25,000
14
Delhi
1,05,000
15
Central Provinces (Hindi)
89,499
16
Berar
44,435
17
Ajmer
40,660
18
Assam
40,000
19
Utkal
23,652
20
Kerala
Total
21,038
99.37,145
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" May his soul rest in peace !" How poor, how un###real do these words strike to the ear ! The soul of the Lokamanya will never rest in peace unless and until Swaraj is established. It will be bom again and again, if need be, in this holy land of the rishis until its high purpose is accomplished.