Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who was widely known as Lokmanya Tilak. He was born on July 23, 1856. On the occasion of his birth anniversary, take a look at some of the interesting facts about the legendary figure: Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born in the Bombay presidency during the Raj to a Hindu Chitpavan Brahmin family in Ratnagiri district. He was a prominent leader of the Indian Independence movement. He played a crucial role in transforming the worship of Lord Ganesh from a private, household affair into a grand, public community festival. The first public Ganpati celebration took place in 1893. Tilak also started a Shri Shivaji Fund Committee for celebrating the birth anniversary of the Maratha Empire's founder, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shiva Jayanti. Bal Gangadhar Tilak founded the Marathi newspaper, Kesari, on January 4, 1881. He also set up Deccan Education Society to improve the quality of education for India's youth. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who consistently opposed the British Raj, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for advocating discontent against British rule. National Flag Day 2025: Know Some Interesting Facts About 'Tiranga'