By this time Gokhale began to suffer from poor health.Heart troubled him and paralysis hit him. Thus he became a victim of multiple afflictions. But he refused to remain bed ridden. He would walk around slowly with palm pressed on his left chest as if to keep his ailing heart assured.Sometimes it would appear that […]
In 1906 a Muslim delegation under the leadership of Agha Khan went to Simla and met Lord Minto. It demanded fifty per cent of whatever Indians got for the Muslim community.Seeds of differences between Hindus and Muslims had already been sown by Fuller in the shape of the division of Bengal. Thus, the real architect
Gokhale always was in favour of using the peaceful means of persuasion to settle disputes. But he was not the one whom other could use as a stage. His character was so upright that even the British government could not even think of making him its agent. He was not for sale otherwise he could
Gokhale always defended the interest of the Indians in the Legislative council.In 1903, N.D. Arundale proposed an amendment in 1899-Government Secrets Act.Gokhale fiercely opposed the proposal.The Act had been passed by British House of Commons and was meant to be applied in all British colonies. In original form it was applicable to military secrets only.
From the very inception of the Congress party Gokhale remained connected to it. He had been an important member of the party who shaped the party through its initial period when it was crystallizing its agenda.In 1904 Congress Session Gokhale was chosen as a secretary of the party. He had a very honoured place in
In 1899, Gopal Krishna Gokhale was elected to the State Council.The people had forgotten the apology episode and the government no more carried grudge against him. The people voted for him because of his brilliant presentations of India’s case before the commission in England. The people expected Gokhale to perform with the same brilliance in
As soon as Gokhale’s ship docked at Bombay port and he alighted the police commissioner was there to intercept him. The officer requested him for a private meeting. It was no courtesy call, or for the purpose of searching him or for his arrest. He only wanted to know the immediate plans of Gokhale.He told
The British government of India was spending money on things other than the welfare of India. With that revenue the government was playing its games of imperialist expansionism.To expand the British empire the wars were being fought in Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar) with Indian revenue. India was suffering droughts and famines in several states. The
Gokhale’s appearance before Belvi Commission was a watershed event in his political life. Through his advocacy of India’s case he emerged as a leading patriot and an economist.It brought him on the national scene in true sense.The commission was set up to suggest the division of the departments between the governments of India and Britain.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak firmly believed that action was the soul of the body, its very life energy. He also had a theory that since the British colonial rulers had entrenched themselves in India, a new political class had begun to take shape in Deccan and Bombay. According to him this class consisted of newly rich,
Ranade, although not an orthodox bigot yet was a religious person in respect of certain customs and rituals. He would get up at wee hours to meditate or sing prayers.Gokhale did have faith in the religion but he was no dogmatic or ritualist. He did nothing to proclaim his faith.In 1897 Gokhale and Ranade were
In Deccan Education Society Gokhale had made a spectacular progress from a member to a minister in a matter of three years only. He was merely 22 years old youngman. He had matured very fast in those three years. He had his own fast learning capacity and was helped on by all the associates who
Tilak and Agarkar were very close friends since their college days. They were both reformists and the political activists as well.But later they began to hold divergent views on basic issues. Agarkar thought that in India social reforms were more necessary than political freedom activities. Tilak differed on that point. He was of the view
After graduation Gokhale could aspire to join administrative services or start his own lucrative legal practice without any problems. His brilliant academic record could prove a golden key to any field of importance and worth. He even took admission in Deccan college of Pune for a course in law. It was not for making money
Gopal Krishna was married to a girl when he was only 15 year old even before he could pass the matriculation examination in 1880. As already mentioned child marriage was a social custom accepted and practised by almost all. The people were yet to learn to question the propriety of the custom. The social reformists