Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856 to 1920) was an Indian nationalist best known as a leader of the independence movement, who also helped found a new system of Indian schooling. Born in Ratnagiri and educated at Deccan College in Poona, he taught mathematics at a private school before turning to journalism. In 1880 he co-founded the New English School for secondary education with Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Mahadev Ballal Namjoshi and Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, with the aim of improving the quality of education for India's youth. The school's success led to the Deccan Education Society in 1884, created to teach young Indians nationalist ideas through an emphasis on Indian culture, and to Fergusson College in 1885 for post-secondary study, where Tilak taught mathematics. He left the Society in 1890 for more openly political work, publishing the newspapers Kesari and the Mahratta and advocating Swaraj, or self-rule. His place in education rests on this institution building, while his wider career is contested, with some scholars calling him a conservative reactionary.