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Sunday, September 25, 2016

Gopala Krishna Gokhale Indian Freedom Fighter

GOPALA KRISHNA GOKHALE:
Date of Birth: May 9, 1866 and Date of death: February 19, 1915
Gopala Krishna Gokhale Indian Freedom Fighter
Gopal Krishna Gokhale was born on May 9, 1866 in Kothapur, Maharashtra. His father Krishna Rao was a farmer who was forced to work as clerk, as the soil of the region was not conducive for agriculture. His mother Valubai was a simple woman. Gokhale received his early education at the Rajaram High School in Kothapur with the help of financial assistance from his elder brother. Later on he moved on to Bombay and graduated from Elphinstone College, Bombay in 1884 at the age of 18.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale entered public life in 1886 at the age of 20. He delivered a public address on "India under the British Rule", which was highly appreciated. Gokhale regularly contributed articles to Bal Gangadhar Tilak's weekly "Mahratta". Through his articles he tried to awaken the latent patriotism of Indian people. Soon, Gokhale was promoted as Secretary of the Deccan Education Society. When the Indian National Congress held its session in Poona in 1895, he was the secretary of the Reception Committee. From this session, Gokhale became a prominent member of the Indian National Congress. Gokhale was twice elected as president of Pune Municipality. For a while Gokhale was also a member of the Bombay Legislative Council where he spoke strongly against the then Government.
In 1902, Gokhale left the Fergusson College. He became a Member of the Imperial Legislative Council in Delhi. There he spoke for the people of the country in an able manner. Gokhale had an excellent grasp of the economic problems of our country which he ably presented during the debates. In 1905, Gokhale started a new society called "Servants of India Society". This society trained workers for the service of the country. In the same year, Gokhale went to England to voice his concerns relating to the unfair treatment of the Indian people by the British government. In a span of 49 days, he spoke in front of 47 different audiences, captivating every one of them. Gokhale pleaded for gradual reforms to ultimately attain Swaraj, or self-government, in India. He was instrumental in the introduction of the Morley- Minto Reforms of 1909, which eventually became law. Though the reforms sowed the seeds of communal division in India, nevertheless, they gave Indian access to the seats of the highest authority within the government, and their voices were more audible in matters of public interest.
One simple explanation is that he himself was reticent about gathering personal attention. On his deathbed, he told his colleagues at the Servants of India Society, “Don’t waste your time in writing a biography or setting up a statue, but pour your whole soul into the service of India. Then only shall you be counted among her true and faithful servants.” Another reason is that he was a moderate, appealing to logic, attempting to persuade the British with morality and reason. Even though it was Gokhale who advised Gandhi to undertake a tour of India, it was Gandhi who broad-based the fight for freedom. Gandhi’s political approach of using both (mass) emotion and reason ultimately proved a better political strategy than using reason alone. As a consequence, Gokhale’s ideas do not seem to have a place in any specific current political formation in India—neither the politics of the populist Gandhi/Nehru Congress nor of the religious-right Bharatiya Janata Party, nor indeed of any regional party.
Gokhale dedicated his life to the advancement of the nation's welfare. In 1905, Gokhale was sent by the Congress on a special mission to England to spread India's constitutional demands among the British leaders. Gokhale was instrumental in the formation of the Minto-Morley Reforms of 1909, which was tabled and eventually transformed into law. But unfortunately, the Reforms Act became law in 1909 and it was disappointing to see that despite Gokhale's efforts, the people were not given a proper democratic system. However, Gokhale's efforts were clearly not in vain. Indians now had access to seats of the highest authority within the government, and their voices were more audible in matters of public interest.
Gokhale, during his visit to South Africa in 1912, met Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi. Gokhale made him aware of the issues confronting common people back in India. In his autobiography, Gandhi calls Gokhale his "mentor and guide". Not only Gandhi, Gokhale also guide Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah later aspired to become the "Muslim Gokhale".

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