Tilak Vs. 'Lower' castes and Women.

Bal Gangadar Tilak was vehemently working against the emancipation of women of India. He was very critical of the demand for equality among the people of all castes. He wanted the British to quit and the Brahmins to rule India. His agenda is being enforced at present. The Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Research & Ananlysis Wing and the Intelligence Bureau are all monopolized by the people of only one varna. And,they commit all the crimes to retain that hold forever. It is in that context, the historical facts relevant to the emancipation of the suppressed people of India are brought to the knowledge of the present generation of these suppressed people through the Voice of OBCs. First, in this series is on the role played by Tilak:

Educated women would run away from home

British government wanted to provide education to the female children of India and a Bill for this purpose was introduced in the year 1880.  That was all. Tilak became enraged. How dare the British do that? He shot out a vehement letter to the British and Irish MPs on 19.03.1880 not to meddle with Indian education system. He said that the educated women would run away from home. His letter was shown to have been written on behalf of the millions of the inhabitants of India although it represented only the reactionary groups among the orthodoxy in India.  His letter was titled “An Appeal to the Free Electors of Great Britain and Ireland from Their Fellow Subjects, the Unrepresented Millions of the Inhabitants of India.” His letter was vehemently opposing women’s education. “Start with founding a high school for girls and it would soon lead to women running away from home”, (Page 36 – Tilak and Gokahle – Stanley A Wolpert –Oxford – 1961.). 

Adharma Sastras were called Dharma Sastras

One girl Rakhamabai was the educated daughter of a physician in Mumbai. Her father had promised a much older Dadaji that she would be given in marriage to him. But, the father died all of a sudden, in 1887. Dadaji wanted the girl to live with him. But, she refused. Dadaji filed a suit stating that the girl became his property. Justice Rao Bahadur Ranade upheld the stand of the girl, as per the English law that was in force. But, “Tilak defended Dadaji’s  position by insisting that a case of this kind be tried according to Hindu dharma shastra instead of English common law”. He charged that Ranade “had no business interfering with the dharma shastra”.

Tilak said, “If a woman does not go to her husband she should be punished by the king and if she disobeys the king’s order she should be imprisoned” (Bapat II – 550). (Page 37 – ibid.)

Arrogating the right to talk on behalf of  ‘public’

He claimed that his stand is supported by the public and wrote, “We agree with public opinion that government should not interfere with our customs which have been carried on from time immemorial”. (Report of the Director of Public Instruction, Bombay 1877-78).

Preferred British rule than to forego caste system

Tilak was prepared even to abdicate the independence struggle led by the Congress when the privileged social status of his community was sought to be dethroned in the proposed independent India. He did not bother about even splitting the Congress for that purpose. It was left to the lower classes to stomach the insult and co-operate with the others to fight the British, even though they knew very well that the people like Tilak were not ready even to discuss about the eradication of caste system.

“It was customary to hold a separate session for social reform immediately after the Congress in the same pandal. Even this was objected to by the political radicals and social tories ‘like Tilak and others in the Congress who threatened to burn the pandal if allowed to be used by the Social conference.

In a letter to Mr. Ranade, Mr. Surendranath Banerjee wrote: “The raison de’tre for excluding social questions from our deliberations is that were we to take up such questions it might lead to serious differences ultimately culminating in a schism, and it is a matter of the first importance that we should prevent a split...”-Page 51- B.R. Ambedkar – The politics of emancipation- A. M. Rajasekhariah – Sindhu Publications Private Ltd. Bombay)

Beware of propaganda

It is time the oppressed and suppressed people realized the iniquitous role played by Tilak who wanted continued subjugation of the OBCs,SCs and STs. They must assess their leaders for what they really were. They must take into account the virtuous as well as the vicious acts of the Indian leaders and form their opinions objectively, as said by the great poet Tiruvalluvar.

Always, the public opinion must be based on facts and not on propaganda.