The pages of thy book I read.
And as I closed each one,
My heart responding, ever said,
" Servant of God! Well done!"Longfellow.
T IKE his literary career, Mr. Tilak’s private life was almost absorbed into his political existence and it serves but to enhance the charm of his magnetic per###sonality and romantic career ; and yet, considered even separately, that private life, lived in the full blaze of publicity, will serve as a model for all those who consider self-introspection and self-elevation as the principle duty of life. Charles Stuart Parnell is reported to have said in one of his moments of infatuation that his pub###lic life belonged to his country and that his private life was his own. Mr. Tilak made no such distinction and his public career was only the logical outcome of those qua###lities of the heart, which have been over and over test###ed in his private life. Excepting what have been sent bv the cold hand of Death, no cloud has marred the sunshine of his domestic felicity. His wife, calm, active and devoted, without the least touch of the modern wo###man in her, made his private life perfectly happy to him. She bore him six children,~three sons and three daughters, the latter all married — and died on 6th June 1912, while Mr. Tilak was at Mandalay. His eldest son
THE MAN 317
Vishwanath was cut off in the prime of his life. Sur###rounded by a large family of children, grand-children and other near relatives, trusted by numerous friends and followed by the majority of his countrymen, with his purse, long or short, always at the disposal of the the needy and his time all given up to reading, writing, thinking, working for the country, Mr. Tilak may be said to have passed a singularly enviable life.
To a superficial observer, Mr. Tilak’s personality apv###peared to be an extremely simple one for analysis ; but really it was extremely complex. “WTiat struck careful observers was the harmonious combination of appa###rently contradictory quahties. He was daring but cautious, simple but astute, fiery but quiet. An ex###tremely social man, none revelled more in solitude. An idealist by nature, he trained himself to a perfect realisation of practical limitations. Though stem, he was kind-hearted. He dehghted in conflicts, but he was by nature averse to them. He seemed resentful and implacable, but was always the first to conci###liate and compromise ; and though plain and blunt in his talk and dealings, he has often suffered on account of that refined reserve which is the highest mark of nobility and culture.
Of those softer graces of fife, which are the reward of the pursuit of the fine arts or fashionable games, he was totally devoid. He never cultivated music, vocal or instrumental, though, of course, he encouraged it in the annual public festivals, instituted by him in honour of the god Ganesh. He suffered himself to be occasion###ally taken to dramas, but he considered it all to be a waste of time. He detested cards and was indifferent
5l8 LOKAMANYA TILAK
to chess. He never handled a bat. All these accom###plishments were antagonistic to his nature. We know how Mazzini did not consider himself to be free to indulge in his natural taste for music, painting and poetry ; we are not, therefore, surprised to find Mr. Tilak neglecting them. He lacked not only the time but the necessary inclination also.
He rarely stood in need of physical recreation ; and when he wanted rest, he repaired to his favourite sana###torium Sinhgad and there spent three or four hours daily in long morning walks, in swimming and in Indian gymnastics. Latterly, when the strain of public work and the exhaustion due to diabetes worried him, he was required to take longer spells of rest there.
As regards mental recreation, he had it in the diversi###fied pursuit of knowledge. The immense vitality of his brain, his powers of endurance, coupled with his in###terests in the various branches of learning, enabled him to relax hs mind by going from one subject to anothe r, from politics to metaphysics, thence to science or law or mathematics. When extremely tired, he used to amuse himself with his favourite book — the Maha###Bharat. The distractions of his political career and the worries of public and private persecutions which tor###mented him till the last, only confirmed his love of learning and scholarship and indeed, the happiest and proudest moments of his Hfe were those, when delibe###rately laying aside the burden of his anxieties, he flew to literature and philosophy with the eagerness that bespoke his preference.
Mr. Tilak, however, was not the master of his time and his philosophical or political meditations were daily
THE MAN 319
interrupted by numerous callers, who visited him at any hour of the day. Many have blamed him for thus encouraging boredom and idle curiosity ; and to a cer###tain extent they were right ; for accessibihty to people at all times is not the necessary condition of democratic leadership. We know how in Greece, Pericles, the leader of the people was generally reserved, while his opponent, though the leader of the Aristocratic party was always accessible to the general public. Mr. Tilak seems to have kept as his models, the Tri###bunes of the Roman history, and like them, his doors were open for all visitors at any time. Infant de###mocracy is impatient of the restraints which method and economy of time should impose upon the people in their dealings with the leaders. Mr. Tilak utilised this ’ waste of time * in gauging the view point of the public and in selecting and training men for his work. Be###sides, hke the Swami Vivekanand, he had developed the faculty of " thinking aloud *’ and while others con###sidered him as merely frittering his time and energies, he really was building up the chains of his arguments.
It was only in such conversations, that the real Tilak was seen. His writings were severely logical and the element of fun that was introduced therein took too often the form of a satirical outburst or derisive laughters His informal conversations, however, were full of hon mots and the irrepressible gaity of his nature was in frequent evidence. It was a delight to hear Mr. Tilak with his pohtical armour laid aside, talking just like common people and yet with a certain insight and grandeur which made you realise the companionship of a great man. It was evident that this simple mood
320 LOKAMANYA TILAK
would not last long but must give place to the ’ politica gladiator/ literary giant or subtle philospher and meta###physician. He glided into these moods almost imper###ceptibly and it was some time before his hearers were conscious of the deep waters they were taken into.
His heart was as great as head. He was a great giver ’ and his pity gave ere charity began ‘. If there was any place where his astuteness did not work, it was this ; and naturally this ’ weakness ’ — if a weakness it really is — was availed of by many. He gave not for name but because he must ; nor was money the only thing he gave. For one full generation, he gave free legal advice to all who sought it. Rich men and poor, the high and the low, learned men and the illiterate—all have been benefitted by his legal knowledge and he wrote and even arranged to send the petitions of many of his poor countrymen. Another man in his place would have made a fortune upon his knowledge of law, but with his characteristic contempt for money, Mr. Tilak not only never demanded fees but actually re###fused them when gratefully offered ; and all this not###withstanding money difiiculties, which, owing to the Tai Maharaj case, haunted him till the last.
It was a privilege to have Mr. Tilak as your friend ; for then you could sleep over your difficulties in the secure knowledge that your affairs would be taken care of. A host of instances will illustrate this point ; we will refer to only two. (The late) Rao Saheb Bapat, Settlement officer of Baroda was charged with corrup###tion and was tried in 1894 by a Special Commission. " The case arose out of a conspiracy against the Settle-
THE MAN 321
ment Department, which was practically headed by the British Political Department ; and Mr. Bapat’s trial had certain special features of interest in as much as it was timed to be held behind the back of the Maha###raja who was then on a tour in Europe, and the revela###tions in the trial were expected by the enemies of the Maharaja to cast a damaging slur on at least one aspect of his administration.” Mr. Tilak gave Mr. Bapat the better part of one year and successfully fought out his case. To the well-known Tai Maharaj affairs he gave at least eighteen years of his busy life. In the earlier stages of the case, there were so many occasions when he could have conveniently given up his interest in the posthmus affairs of one of his dearest friends ; but he was not the man to shirk off responsibility once he had pledged his word to his friend and he fought the case out to the bitter end, ultimately triumphing over his enemies.
Chivalry of nature was responsible for many of his side-activities ; e.g. in the notorious Crawford case, Mr Tilak championed the cause of tlie dismissed Mamlatdars and succeeded in inducing the Government to grant them pensions when the arch-offender was given the same. In fact, chivalry was the bedrock of Mr. Tilak’s character and his very entry into the public life of the country to the neglect of scholarly studies and financial prospects, is very largely due to this sense, which will not passively endure the sight of the sufferings and hardships of others.
To his comtemporaries, Mr. Tilak appealed most as a courageous man — a soldier. Other aspects of his personality, striking as they are, only recede in the 21
322 LOKAMANYA TILAK
back-ground when compared wirh his courage. Mis###fortunes never disheartened him. His immense optimism, his readiness to sacrifice, his coolness and resourceful###ness of mind, were but different manifestations of his courage. More than once, he has cheerfully left the sick-bed of his sons at the call of the country. The premature death of his eldest son gave him a shock. But only the nearest and most observant persons could mark its effect. In his last illness, after recovering consciousness which he had lost for over 20 hours, almost the first assurance he gave was " away with anxiety ! certainly, I am not going to die. Now I will still live." When arrested in 1897, he was found sleep###ing soundly within an hour of his arrest. In 1908, soon after the sentence of six years’ transportation was pro###nounced, he could command courage and mental peace enough to get good sleep. In 1903 when his very honesty of purpose was at stake, he had serenity of mind not only to follow his usual avocations, but also to complete his Arctic Home in the Vedas.
In his dealings with his opponents, he appeared rather hard and unrelenting ; who will forget the almost per###petual fights in which he was engaged with Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, the friend of his youth ? Who will forget the hard hits given by Agarkar, hits returned with interest ? But when Agarkar was on his death###bed, Mr. Tilak ran to his side and the last and pathetic reconciliation was brought about in a torrent of tears. Even till the last, Mr. Tilak feelingly referred to Mr. Agarkar, and many have seen him weep over the past memories. Next to Agarkar he loved Ranade and next to him Mr. Gokhale. Jealousy was foreign to Mr. Tilak’s
THE MAN 323
nature, and this has been shown by his freqnent public appreciation of his opponents. A conspicuous instance in point is the address which he presented to Mr. Gokhale in 1905, on the latter’s return from England.
This placability towards opponents is an evidence of a brave and candid spirit — of true Kshatriya qualities. In Mr. Tilak’s case, these qualities were shown to ad###vantage by BraJimanic lustre,— simplicity, purity and the spirit of renunciation. His dress, diet, habits — every###thing was simplicity incarnate. He never allowed him###self to be caught in the demoralizaing snare of luxury. Mr. Tilak’s purity of life, publicly acknowledged by men like Sir Valentine Chirol was the keystone of his character. He was virtuous not by effort but by instinct.
In the earl}^ part of his career he was considered to be extremely obstinate, fanatical and reckless. From the very first his greatness was recognised by a section of the educated class and by the people at large who instinctively looked upon him as their leader. The tide of j.^opularity swelled more and more, till it broke the barriers of province, sect and creed. At the time of his death, Mr. Tilak was the idol of the people, the moulder of the national will. Honour came to him, in spite of his political opponents, in spite of bu###reaucratic persecutions. " But the cup that in###toxicated others, sobered him. " He kept his head cool, in the midst of regal honours, huge pro###cessions and deafening ovations. He utilised these outbursts for the propagation of his ideas, but he was, by nature averse to and impatient of such demonstrations. The spirit of renunciation was a
324 LOKAMANYA TILAK
marked feature of his character. He liked to dispense honours, rather than to receive them. He would be something higher than a king, — a king-maker. From the Superintendentship of the New English School and the Principalship of the Fergusson College to the Presiden###tship of the Home Rule Conference and of the National Congress, Mr. Tilak studiously kept himself in the back-ground and rejoiced in the honour of others. Time was, when, while in a minority in the Congress, he suffered his name to be proposed for the Presidentship of the Congress. But that was only for establishing a principle and not for seeking any honour ; and when his party did come to caommand a majority in the Congress, he twice refused the highest honour offered to him. The Special Sessions of the Congress in 1918 and 1920 were presided over by Mr. Hasan Imam and Lala Lajpat Rai, and on both these occasions Mr. Tilak’s Presidentship was unanimously sought.
A true Brahmin and a true Kshatriya, Mr. Tilak, at the time of his death, was the most powerful personality in India.