by A K Bhagwat
Besides these pioneers, there were other young teachers who were inspired to join the New English School - a symbol of a new movement which heralded the dawn in Maharashtra. Chiplunkar, Tilak and Agarkar looked upon the establishment of the New English School as the beginning of the effort at reawakening the conscience and arousing the intellect of the people of Maharashtra. There were others, who looked upon the enterprise as a wild goose chase and dubbed the idealistic young men as Don Quixotes. Chiplunkar, who, owing to his sharp intellect and sharper tongue, was always quick in giving retorts, made the following statement in his address on the eve of the closing of the New English School for the summer vacation of 1880: “Suffice it, therefore, to say that the New English School is a fully accomplished fact, accomplished too in the midst of a thousand difficulties, amidst popular apathy, in utter disregard of desponding opinions, in contemptuous indifference to showers of epithets like ‘mad’, ‘hopeless’, ‘chimerical’, ‘Utopian’ the invariable lot of everyone who would be so bold as to disturb the dull routine of things.”
The starting of the New English School was an event which shook the student world of Poona. Young minds always respond to the call of idealism and some students even gave up their scholarships in government schools in order to join the New English School. To quote from the history of the Deccan Education Society, “Many a household had its peace disturbed by conflict between the young and the old, the young hopeful of the family asking to be withdrawn from his old school to be put into the new one, which the dominant instinct of caution in the old, prompted them to keep at an arm’s length.”
The success of an undertaking depends on the sustained effort put in. The fervent idealist is likely to be defeated unless his urge is supplemented with ability. Fortunately, the young men who started the New English School proved their ability as excellent teachers, and as a result, the strength of the school rose from 35 on 1st January 1880 to 336 on 31st December 1880. Qualitatively their achievements were still more striking. Eight out of twelve students sent up for the Matriculation examination got through and one of them secured the rare distinction of winning the first Jagannath Shankarshet Scholarship for getting the highest marks in Sanskrit at the Matriculation examination of the University of Bombay. Sir James Fergusson, the then Governor of Bombay sent a cordial message of congratulations on the success attained and Dr. W W. Hunter, the President of the Education Commission, made the following observation during his visit to the school on 8th September 1882, “This institution the work of some zealous, able and intelligent educated youths, actuated by ideas of self-support and self-dependence, though not receiving any aid from government can rival and compete with success, not only with the government high schools of this country, but may compare favourably with the schools of other countries also.”
This achievement was due to the splendid team-work under the magnetic leadership of Chiplunkar. A rare team it was, having in it a robust realist like Tilak, an able administrator like Apte, an efficient organiser like Namjoshi and a restive soul like Agarkar. As in the case of all idealists, there was a touch of Utopianism about the ways of these people. Owing to their inexperience, they enjoyed a romantic thrill in making certain novel experiments. They did not care for worldly gains, and thought that living together with their families would be economical and quite in keeping with the Jesustic principles which they professed. Accordingly Tilak, Namjoshi and Agarkar lived together with their families in the Tambe Wada in Shanwar Peth, Poona. The whole establishment was accommodated in three rooms, one for the male members, the other for ladies and the third as a kitchen and the dining room. This “club” as they called it worked smoothly for some time, but there were small frictions and minor worries and this brave new world of community life broke under the rough and tumble of everyday life.
It is interesting to read the impressions of some of the students of these teacher idealists. It is said that Chiplunkar was an inspiring personality, rather too conscious of his mission. His lessons therefore took the form of orations urging the students to develop a new outlook on life. Interesting though these lectures were, they could not be appreciated in the class-room. Tilak followed an altogether different method. He never introduced digressions in his lessons. He had a serious bearing and his rare scholarship always inspired respect in students. While teaching mathematics - this was his favourite subject throughout his life - he solved even the most complicated examples orally without writing anything on the board. No wonder that the average student was left breathless by this method on a number of occasions. As could be expected Tilak abhorred the drudgery of assessing papers and correcting exercises - the bane of many a teacher. There was a slight curtness about his manner, and students always respected him for his learning, but generally dared not develop an intimacy with him. Agarkar, on the other hand, had a pleasant sense of humour, a knack of making the lesson interesting and of inspiring confidence among students. Apte was a born teacher, known for his precision and always picked up the intelligent students. To him goes the credit for establishing discipline in the New English School and for the academic distinction won by many students. There were also other teachers, who might not be said to have had the same consciousness of their mission, but who carried out their duties in school with great earnestness and zeal.
The Lion Roars
The urge of an idealist always prompts him to go to “fresh fields and pastures new”. Though he is deeply attached to the work undertaken, the horizons of his mind are ever-widening and he is always finding new causes which would completely absorb his energies.
Chiplunkar, Tilak and Agarkar were proud of the ever-growing success of the New English School, but their imaginative minds could not be pent up within the four walls of a school. To them the school was only one of the projects in the programme for popular education. They wanted to influence the impressionable minds of students who would catch the spirit of idealism far more quickly than the elders. But they also wanted to enlighten the people at large by telling them of the shape of things to come and inspiring in them a desire to shape their own destinies. Chiplunkar, who wielded a forceful pen, had made his Nibandh-Mala an instrument of people’s education. Tilak and Agarkar also knew the power of the press and as a result, the idea of starting an independent newspaper took possession of their minds. They thought it was only through a newspaper that they could work as educators of public opinion and thus carry on their self-appointed work as teachers in a wider field. It was ultimately decided to launch two newspapers, the Kesari, to be edited in Marathi, and the Mahratta to be edited in English. There was some interesting discussion about the names of the papers. Vishnushastri said that the Marathi paper should be named Vikram (Prowess). It was but natural that Vishnushastri, who looked upon the pen as a sword, should suggest thus. Tilak, however, made the alternative suggestion that it should be named Kesari The Lion and it was approved by all. The name, Mahratta, was entirely Vishnushastri’s choice. The first announcement about the Kesari was drafted by Tilak and it was published in the Native Opinion of Bombay. It read as follows:
“KESARI”
“Oh my friend, lord of the elephant herd, with eyes blinded by intoxication, do not for a moment stay here in this bushy forest-land; for here in the mountain-cave sleeps the lion who tears huge rocks with his terrible paws, mistaking them for elephants.”2
“The undersigned have decided to start a newspaper with the above name (Kesari), entirely in Marathi, to be published every Tuesday from the beginning of the coming year (1881). The newspaper will contain the usual features - news of political events, commercial information, etc. - and besides there would be articles on the condition of the people, reviews of newly published books and such other topics. It is also intended to give a summary of the political happenings discussed in England, as it is necessary that people here should understand them. It may be said that the three above-mentioned topics, viz. conditions in this country, b
ooks in our language and political events in England, have not been adequately discussed in any of the newspapers so far. We have decided to make good this deficiency.
“We are determined to discuss every subject in an impartial manner, and in the light of what we think to be true. There is undoubtedly a growing tendency towards flattery under the British rule, and all honest people would admit that this tendency is undesirable and is detrimental to the interests of the people. The articles in the proposed newspaper will be in keeping with the name given to it.
“The newspaper will have the form and size of The Subodh Patrika. The subscription is comparatively low, one Rupee per year (to be paid in advance) and ten annas more for postal expenses. In the end, we request our countrymen to extend their generous support to this new venture in public interest. Their growing support would encourage us and we shall spare no pains in accomplishing the task undertaken.
Vishnu Krishna Chiplunkar, B.A.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, B.A., LL.B.
Vaman Shivram Apte, M.A.
Ganesh Krishna Garde, L.M. & S.
Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, B.A.
Mahadeo Ballal Namioshi.”
There were in Maharashtra three or four newspapers at the time; but none of them could boast of a mission. They were commercial enterprises and there was hardly any editorial policy governing them. The starting of the Kesari opened a new chapter in the annals of Marathi journalism. The circular about the Kesari did not describe the aims and objects in a glowing language, but Chiplunkar and his colleagues were confident that they would be wielding a powerful weapon, which would dispel darkness and create a new vigour in society. The title Kesari (The Lion) was indicative of the mood of the editors, who knew that their roaring would arouse a slumbering society and would strike terror in the hearts of their opponents.
Namjoshi, known for his practical abilities, was mainly responsible for securing a printing press. It had to be removed to Morobadada’s Wada, a building in Budhwar Peth, and Tilak afterwards recalled with good humour how he carried the boxes, containing the type, on his shoulders. Little did he know then that he would have to carry the entire burden of the Kesari on his shoulders after a few years. It is also interesting to note that though he had lent his whole-hearted support to the new enterprise, Tilak was the least eager to write. Chiplunkar, who called himself the Shivaji of the Marathi language, looked upon the pen as a lash or more properly a sword. To him writing was an opportunity to overwhelm his opponents by the onslaught of stirring ideas and stinging words. Agarkar was always fond of writing and had won prizes for essays written during his college days. Tilak, however, was generally a man of few words, whose attitude was scholarly and whose main interest was Mathematics. He had not as yet developed a taste for journalistic writing, though he fully realized the importance of the part played by the press as an instrument of popular education. It was decided that Tilak should be the editor of the Mahratta and Agarkar should be in charge of the Kesari.
The first issue of the Kesari was published on the 4th of January 1881. In the leading article, newspapers were compared to night-watchmen, keeping the executive officers in wholesome fear of public opinion and the example of England was quoted as a country where through the instrumentality of the Press no injustice remained unexposed. There was also a declaration that the Kesari would strive to bring about an improvement in social conditions by frankly telling the people of the harmful and wrong ways they pursued. It was also observed that the Kesari would mainly cater to the needs of “the mass of ignorant people who have generally no idea of what passes around them and who, therefore, must be given a knowledge of such topics as concern their everyday life, through articles on subjects of literary, social, political, moral and economic interest.”
The writings in the Kesari were, therefore, written in a direct and simple style and the editor never lost sight of the main purpose of moulding people’s view. The Mahratta, the English weekly, was intended to serve another purpose. It was mainly intended for the more advanced portion of the community, who require to be provided with material for thinking intelligently on the important topics of the day. The Mahratta wanted to express the views and voice the aspirations of the enlightened section of Maharashtrian society to the government, the English public and the intelligentsia in other Indian provinces. In the editorial written in the first issue of Mahratta, the aims and the objectives were stated as follows: “Our true primary duty will be to interpret, petition and instruct, and advocacy may be said to form the second part of our real work.” The Mahratta, therefore, discussed comprehensively problems of high political significance, dealt with issues of ideological significance and published extracts from foreign and Indian journals on current topics.
In its first issue of Sunday the 2nd January 1881, the editor stressed the need for combating the evils of British administration such as oppressive taxation, costly government machinery and extirpation of local industry and native aristocracy. The Arms Act and the Press Gagging Act were also severely criticised. The success of the Kesari and the Mahratta was almost phenomenal. The Kesari had the largest circulation among the vernacular papers of the country and the Mahratta was also acknowledged as the leading organ of native political thought in Maharashtra. This prestige of the Kesari and the Mahratta was due to the dignified manner in which the papers were conducted. The writings were impassioned and powerful and the opinions expressed on different topics always displayed the courage of conviction. The patriotic sentiment which pervaded all the writings in the Kesari and the Mahratta, the expression given to the repressed urges of the people and the efforts to mould public opinion in the right direction - all these earned for the Kesari and the Mahratta a place of unique distinction in the social and political life of Maharashtra.
All the contributors to the Kesari had strong personalities and every article bore the distinct stamp of the personality of its writer. Chiplunkar’s articles were rhetorical in strain and expressed boldly audacious views on a number of topics. He had strong prejudices and strong preferences, as the result of which, his views were almost always extremist. He excelled in pungent criticism and his articles on literary subjects have a permanent place in Marathi literature. Tilak wrote on religion and law. His style was precise, direct and forceful. His writings were interspersed with appropriate Sanskrit quotations, but there was little embellishment in his style. The article on “Boycott” written in the seventh issue of Kesari discusses the political, social and religious significance of the boycott in a detached and logical manner. It is evident that the article has come from the pen of Tilak whose study of Hindu law and of modern constitutional law was almost without a parallel among his contemporaries. Agarkar’s articles could be distinguished by his social criticism, broad humour and reference to English writers. He generally wrote on history, economics and on social problems.
1881 was the year of experiment and the novelty of it was indeed very thrilling. To young and inexperienced writers, the pleasures of the pen are an excitement and many a time they fall in love with their own words. During this stage, to the young writer the authorship of an article is sometimes more important than its contents. With the exception of Vishnushastri, the editors of the Kesari were novices in the field of journalism and though they were conscious of their mission, they must have passed through this natural state of mind of young writers. As the result of this, the differences of opinion only led to discussions, and heated though they were, there was no touch of bitterness about them.
Liberty in Dungeon
Progressive as the Kesari and the Mahratta, were, one must not lose sight of the fact that the concept of progress changes from generation to generation. What was progressive one day might appear reactionary the next. Progressive, therefore, is not an epithet which could be used in an absolute sense. In politics, in particular, the situation is ever-changing and judgments have to be altered in order to keep pace wit
h the changing situation. During this period, the Indian states were looked upon as relics of the glories of a bygone age and patriotic Indians spoke of the states and their rulers with affection and pride. In the first editorial of the Mahratta on the 2nd January 1881, there is the following unequivocal declaration in favour of the states: “With reference to the native states our policy will always be for the uninterfered continuance of such states.”
Further, the following editorial comment was made on the speech of Lord Ripon: “If Lord Ripon is serious in his purpose of reforming the government of native chiefs, he must first set about reforming the political agents and try to give constitutional government to the native states.” It was evident that the editors of the Kesari and the Mahratta looked upon the States as oases in the desert of enslaved India. They probably hoped to revive the past tradition through the states and held that the princes were the symbols of a tradition which was fast disappearing owing to the onslaught of British rule. The leaders of India therefore, had a great affinity with the Indian princes and wanted to protect their interests from the tyrannies of the Residents. Dadabhai Naoroji, as Dewan of Baroda, had championed the cause of Mulharrao Gaekwar, the ruler of Baroda from 1872 to 1875 and in fighting against all sorts of political intrigues had, at last resigned. The memory of Dadabhai’s heroic fight against the Resident on behalf of the Baroda Chief and of the support lent by Ranade through the Sarvajanik Sabha was fresh in the minds of the editors of the Kesari and time was not far when they took up cudgels on behalf of a ruler in a similar manner.