PIB TrackerTwo makers of the freedom struggle, one birthday: remembering Tilak and Chandra Shekhar Azad
The nation paid tribute to two icons of the freedom movement who share 23 July as their birthday — Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak (born 1856), the assertive nationalist who declared 'Swaraj is my birthright', and Chandra Shekhar Azad (born 1906), the revolutionary who vowed never to be captured alive.
What happened
- The nation paid tribute to Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Chandra Shekhar Azad — both born on 23 July (1856 and 1906).
- Tilak led the assertive ('extremist') stream of the movement (the Lal-Bal-Pal trio).
- He gave the call 'Swaraj is my birthright', founded the Home Rule League (1916), and ran Kesari and Maratha.
- Chandra Shekhar Azad strengthened the HSRA and was linked to the Kakori conspiracy (1925).
- True to the name 'Azad', he died fighting at Alfred Park, Allahabad (1931), never captured alive.
For Prelims
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920): 'Lokmanya'; leader of the assertive/'extremist' stream (Lal-Bal-Pal); Home Rule League (1916); newspapers Kesari (Marathi) and Maratha (English).
- 'Swaraj is my birthright': Tilak's famous declaration; he was also called the 'Father of Indian Unrest'.
- Mass mobilisation: Tilak used the Ganesh Utsav and Shivaji Jayanti festivals to spread national consciousness.
- Chandra Shekhar Azad (1906-1931): Revolutionary; strengthened the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA); linked to the Kakori conspiracy (1925) and the Saunders killing.
- Azad's end: Died fighting at Alfred Park, Allahabad (27 Feb 1931) — never captured alive (the park is now Chandrashekhar Azad Park).
- Two streams: Tilak = constitutional/assertive nationalism; Azad = the revolutionary path — complementary strands of the freedom struggle.
For UPSC: A high-yield modern-history item — two icons of the freedom struggle, spanning the assertive-nationalist and revolutionary streams. Use it for the Moderate-Extremist phase and the Home Rule movement (Tilak), and the revolutionary movement/HSRA (Azad), and for GS1 personalities.
What it is NOT: This is a commemorative tribute on a shared birth anniversary, not a policy or event. It recalls two distinct figures (Tilak and Azad) who happen to share 23 July as their birthday, fifty years apart.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS1.3 · GS1.2 · Linkage L1
Anchor
Many paths to freedom — the assertive-nationalist and revolutionary streams of the independence movement.
Substantiation (data)
Tilak (b. 23 July 1856): 'Swaraj is my birthright', Home Rule League (1916), Lal-Bal-Pal, Kesari/Maratha; Chandra Shekhar Azad (b. 23 July 1906): HSRA, Kakori (1925), died at Alfred Park, Allahabad (1931).
Exemplification
Tilak's festivals/newspapers for mass awakening; Azad's revolutionary organisation and 'never captured alive' resolve.
Problematisation
Understanding the complementarity (not opposition) of constitutional and revolutionary streams in the struggle.
Way-forward
Draw on their legacies of self-rule, sacrifice and public service for civic values today.
Position
The freedom struggle succeeded through many streams — mass politics, constitutional agitation and revolutionary sacrifice.
Deploys into: Polity & history — freedom struggle + modern Indian history (GS1.3, GS1.2) · Tilak and the assertive/Home-Rule stream, Chandra Shekhar Azad and the revolutionary movement (HSRA/Kakori), and the streams of the national movement.
Prime Minister's Office · 2026-07-23 · PRID 2288113 · PIB source ↗