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The Freedom Fighter Gopal Krishna Gokhale was born in Maharashtra on May 9, 1866. He was an unbiased political leader at the time of the Indian Independence Movement. He became the representative of the Indians who wanted freedom from British rule by cultivating the scheme of self-rule in India. Aside from being a chief controller of the Congress Party, Gokhale was also the founding father of the society named ‘ The Servants of India’. All the Society members took an oath of giving constant services to the poverty-stricken. He was against the mistreatment of untouchables or lower class Hindus.
History
Gopal Krishna Gokhale was born as a child of Krishna Rao and Valubai in Kotluk, Ratnagiri District in Maharashtra. His father worked as a clerk. Gokhale completed his preschool education at Rajaram High School in Kolhapur. Then he went to Bombay to complete his further education in 1884, being the first Indian to complete graduation.
After shifting to Poona and gaining experience in a teaching job at school, he joined Fergusson College and worked as a History and Political Economy professor. Afterwards, he became the principal of that college until 1902.
Gokhale met Mahadev Govind Ranade in Poona, a well-known scholar and counsellor. He considered Mahadev Govind as his mentor. They worked together in the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha.
Gokhale’s Command on the English Language
He had a strong command of the English language. He could read a wide range of literature and speak fluently in English. He used to convey his ideas in English without any difficulty in front of Britishers.
Public Life
Gokhale, in his 20’s, used to give public speeches as his English was fluent and gained a public appreciation for the same. He also used to write articles on various issues. Due to his knowledge and ideas, he became the secretary of the Deccan Education Society. Also got elected as the president of Pune Municipality twice, which worked as an opportunity for him in helping the poor people, solving the drainage issues and water supply issues in Pune.
Gokhale as a Mentor
Gokhale and Mahatma Gandhi met in Calcutta for the first time in 1901 and spent most of their time together. Gokhale discussed the difficult situation of the common people of India with Gandhi and pressured him to move to his country to join Congress. He helped Gandhi to raise money for his work in South Africa. Mahatma Gandhi further carried the vision of Gokhale to achieve freedom.
Contribution of Gopal Krishna Gokhale
To promote Education in India, Gokhale founded the “Servants of the India Society” in Pune. This society established many schools, libraries, Industry workers, and night classes. As the government endured huge expenses on the army and charged high taxes on cotton, Gokhale slammed the government for doing that. Even after so many years of British rule in India, only a few of the population was literate. After seeing that, he forced the government to make education compulsory in India. Still, Sir Harcourt Butler said that this is not possible in India as it is not prepared.
For this, Gopal Krishna Gokhale prepared a bill on 16 March 1911, in which he suggested to the government that primary education should be provided to girls and boys up to the age group of 6 to 10. The contribution of Gopal Krishna Gokhale to education was so strong that the bill attracted the British Government.
Gokhale was a hard worker who travelled abroad for political purposes on multiple occasions. He had diabetes and asthma. His physical health deteriorated due to his high-stress levels, and he died at the young age of 48.
Conclusion
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who started his life without any advantages or luxuries, tends to become a well-known freedom fighter and a liberal political leader. He was a kind man who was always ready to help the poor people and was always in favour of providing education to make himself reluctant. Gokhale always spoke for his country and became the representative of the Indians who wanted freedom from British rule by cultivating the scheme of self-rule in India. He never liked to take help from the Britishers. Gopal Krishna Gokhale impressed many renowned personalities with his attitude, the first to become a member of The Deccan Education Society and The Servants of Indian Society.
