Bal Gangadhar Tilak Jayanti is an annual event that is celebrated every year on July 23 to mark the birth anniversary of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He was one of India's most prominent freedom fighters, social reformers, and national leaders. He was popularly known as ‘Lokmanya Tilak, where Lokmanya means ‘accepted by the people as their leader’. Tilak was among the earliest and strongest advocates of Swaraj, which means self-rule. This year, Bal Gangadhar Tilak Jayanti 2025 falls on Wednesday, July 23. PM Narendra Modi Pays Tribute to Freedom Fighters Chandra Shekhar Azad, Lokmanya Tilak on Birth Anniversary, Hails Their Valour. 

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, whose name was Keshav Gangadhar Tilak, was born on July 23, 1856, in a Marathi Hindu Chitpavan Brahmin family in Ratnagiri, the headquarters of the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. The British colonial authorities called him ‘The father of the Indian unrest’ while Mahatma Gandhi called him ‘The Maker of Modern India’.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak Jayanti 2025 Date

Bal Gangadhar Tilak Jayanti 2025 falls on Wednesday, July 23.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak Jayanti Significance

Lokmanya Tilak founded the newspapers Kesari in Marathi and The Mahratta in English to awaken national consciousness. His slogan ‘Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it’ inspired millions across Maharashtra and across the country. It was Bal Gangadhar Tilak who promoted the Ganesh Chaturthi festival and Shivaji Jayanti as public events to foster unity and nationalism.

Inspired by Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, he co-founded the New English school for secondary education in 1880 with a few of his college friends, including Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Mahadev Ballal Namjoshi and Vishnushastri Chiplunkar. This Bal Gangadhar Tilak Jayanti, let's remember the legacy and contributions of the great leader.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2025 11:37 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).