Gopal Krishna Gokhale

ONE OF THE earliest examples of the turn-of-the-century Indian politician, G.K. Gokhale was born into a poor Chitpawan Brahmin family at Katulk in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra on May 8,1886. He could complete his studies only because his elder brother sacrificed his own education. He di his matriculation in 1881, but could not complete L.L.B. He taught mathermatics at Fergusson College, Pune but retired in 1902 to enter public life. He authored a popular arithmetic text book and ended his academic career on that note.
In public, life he quickly scaled great heights as a member of the Imperial Legislative Council and established himself as a brilliant orator. He founded the Servants of India Society to train men to devote themselves to the service of India. He joined the Congress in 1889 and became a Joint Secretary in 1895. He represented the Deccan area on the Royal Commission in 1897, was elected to the Bombay Kegislative Council in 1904. He rise was speedy and inevitable. In 1912, he became a member of the Public Service Commission. But, in what was a tremendously nationalistic move, he declined the Knight Commander of Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) in 1914.
Gokhale’s brilliance was noticed early when he made his first public speech at the age of 20. He was greatly influenced by Ranade, whom he regarded as his guru in political and public life. Some of his great speeches were made in the Imperial Legislative Council. He went to the UK as a member of the Welby Commission in 1905 to educate British opinion on the Indian situation and again in 1906 to urge British MPs to introduce reforms in India. Inall, he made seven visits to advance India’s case for reforms.
Gokhale edited Quarterly and Rashtra Sabha Samachar in order to shape public opinion. Basically a frontline reformer, he criticized the caste system and untouchability. He fought for the emancipation of women and their education. A firm believer in mass education, he advocated that primary education should be free in Indian schools.
Gokhale’s concept of nationalism was based on the premise of greater autonomy for Indians who would operate with the Government in reforms and obtain, through consultation means, Dominion status India within the British rule, he unfailingly criticized their high handedness.
Gokhale’s position in the Indian National Congress was crucially important. He was feared by the Government and respected by the people. And within the Congress he belonged to the moderate faction opposed to the group led by Tilak. He dedicated three decades of his life to the nation and is thus immortalized in Indian history.
In his Presidential address at the Indian National Congress in 1905, he said: “ The minds of the people have been familiarized with the idea of a united India working for her salcation; a national public opinion has been created; close bonds of sumpathy now knit together the different provinces; the dignity of consciousness of national existence has spread over the whole land”.
In Gokhale’s vies, British rule in India brought disaster to the Indian economy, resulting in mass poverty. He pleaded for industrial education and simultaneous mechanization of agriculture. On the textiles front, he praised the good work done by the handloom industry but acknowledged the fact progress would be achieved by machines, not men alone, Gokhale, who was considered India’s Gladstone, died in 1915.