Invented Traditions, Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s Construction Of A Hindu Identity Through Ganesh Chaturthi

The 19th century saw the conversion of Ganesh Chaturthi, a celebratory event in individual homes to an open display and a political tool that followed an ostensibly religious riot in Mumbai. 

How did it all start?

In August 1893, peace was punctured in a Hanuman temple in Pydhonie over music that led to palpable Hindu Muslim tensions giving rise to a riot. This degenerated into violence into an increasingly high point where it was reported there were about 75 deaths, as mill workers taken to be Marathis joined the fray. The chaos finally prompted the army to be called by the British colonial government in restoring order.

Through this disastrous crisis, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, editor of Kesari and Mahratta newspapers demanded fairness on part of the British government who dismissed Hindus as a defensive act only to see Harris, governor, indict Hindus. Tilak wasn’t able to understand the British policy of repression, and unaware of this he started acting as a unifier of Hindu community, without taking into account Muslim interests, and thus played into the British policy of divide and rule. 

A political theatre, politico theatrical red tent

A reminder of blockades and worrying days during which humanitarian acts became a political act par excellence. Tilak himself understood that Ganesh Chaturthi, a nominally low key 10 day personal celebration, had the figurative capacity to unify Hindus and fight colonial exploitation. He changed the character of this to a sarvajanik which means public festival with the pomp of idols, patriotic songs, folk dances, poetry, and speeches all injected into the gathering of people and with the pomp of pandals.

The communal tensions resurfaced in April 1894 in Pune at Dulya Maruti temple festival and again in June in Dnyaneshwar palkhi procession and widened the rifts in society. But these tensions only added to the poignancy of the Tilak public Ganesh Utsav as a rallying cry against British injustice uniting Brahmin and non Brahmin alike in the cloth of nationalism.

Participation, Expansion and Evolution

The festival spread fast beyond Mumbai and Pune. In 1896, it was now becoming established in the central Provinces and Berar and in the princely state of Hyderabad, tribute to the organising work of Tilak. Ironically, although its roots go back to sectarian fighting, over time the festival lost much of the communal narrowness. As documented in the Bombay Police records of 1894, Muslim music bands were engaged to play at the Ganesh Utsav and by 1895, some Muslims were included in the procession bands, evidence of the cultural inclusiveness of the festival and a larger worldview expressed by Tilak.

Historian J. V. Naik has made it clear that the festival was never meant to be anti Muslim; rather it was to be Tilak’s platform of anti British sentiments through which he wanted to promote syncretism. So wrote one former police commissioner of the Hindu Muhammadan riots of 1893, which were the direct cause of the initiation of the annual public observances of the Hindu deity Ganpati, an event which later became one of the leading attractions of the anti British revolutionary activity in India.

Rites, society and belonging

Architectural redesign of Tilak also led to the popularization of the custom of immersing the public visarjan. There is a report that Brahmins initially opposed Dalit participation, the expansion of the festival meant new rituals were added to symbolically clean the idol after it had been touched by representatives of so called lower castes, interpreting the introduction of Dalits as the softening of caste boundaries. Although controversial, this ritual purification funeral eventually increased the inclusiveness of the festival, although there was still a considerable amount of social inhibition, well into the early 20th century.

Maharashtrain mandals of Ganesh Utsav because of unitary Ganesh Utsav emerged as symbolic in the 1920s and 1930s formulating specifically collective discourse of Ganesh Utsav, a totality of non Brahmins and enlightened thinking. The efforts to achieve social inclusion, however, were not even some of these gaps became apparent with reports on Dalits during the 1930s still not being able to attend a full participation and receiving insufficient prasad. However, these incidents signaled the transition of the festival to becoming socially equitable.

The Legacy of Bal Gangadhar Tilak 

There are various characteristics, features and qualities distinguishable in Tilak, those are lasting. Thus, the continuation of Tilak is longer. Tilak has left a lasting mark and legacy upon India. The legacy of Tilak is seen through its imprints in India. The festival was transformed by Tilak into a powerful cultural and political symbol. Nationalising and communalising the practice, he transformed a religious ritual to national and communal bonding and anti colonial protest. Ganesh was the symbol chosen by the celebrants to meet, discuss and object to everything that inspired Swaraj.

Although the story of the festival started with conflict between people, in the community, it has since transcended its beginnings. It bloomed into a fete of harmony, endurance and political understanding whose memory is carried with pride to this day by people of the state of Maharashtra and beyond where Ganesh Utsav has become an identity symbol of communal pride to the region.

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