100th death anniversary: International conference in Pune to revisit Lokmanya Tilak’s four-point programme of building a modern India

A three-day international conference to discuss the importance of Lokmanya Tilak’s thoughts to help create a modern India is being organised by the Tilak Maharashtra

A three-day international conference to discuss the importance of Lokmanya Tilak’s thoughts to help create a modern India is being organised by the Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth on the 100th death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak from January 22-24 at the Tilak Maharasthra University in Gultekadi.

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According to the organisers, the topic of the international conference, Lokmanya Tilak- Maker of Modern India, will help analyse how Tilak’s visionary thoughts can help us build a successful India, even 100 years after his death.

Vice-chancellor of the Tilak Maharashtra University Dipak Tilak and the invitee, Geetali Tilak, made the announcement on Monday.

“Tilak was the prime architect of modern India. He formulated a four-point programme called swaraj- the concept of Swaraj is deeply rooted in natural birth right; swadeshi- an economic strategy aimed at removing the British Empire and improving economic conditions in India by producing its own goods; boycott –a movement which consisted of the boycott of foreign goods and was a powerful, non-violent weapon aiding the growth of the Indian industry and Indian wealth and lastly, national education- which helped bridge the divide in India and created a will among the people for nationalism,” said Dipak Tilak.

“The detailed analysis of Lokmanya Tilak’s work, its appraisal and his political deeds revealed that he was a profound scholar, a refined Hindu, a true revolutionary, an ardent freedom fighter, an anarch patriot and above all a true and faithful son of India. This is the reason why Mahatma Gandhi bestowed him with the title, Maker of Modern India,” added Dipak Tilak.

He said, “We will revisit Tilak’s thoughts, which were the foundation vows of modern India, and pay homage to him. Tilak’s four-fold programme and his thoughts will help us generate social synergy and thereby, accelerate progress to achieve a strong and modern India.”

Geetali Tilak said, “Speakers at the conference will mainly discuss concepts of boycott, nationalism, swadeshi and education raised by Tilak.”