On the budding idea of Swarajya, Gopal Krishna Gokhale gave the remark “Only mad men outside lunatic asylums could think or talk of independence”.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale was born on 9th May 1866 in Kotluk village of Guhagar taluka, Ratnagiri District, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Maharashtra) in a Brahmin family. Gopal Krishna Gokhale studied at the Rajaram College in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. In the year 1884, Gopal Krishna Gokhale graduated from Elphinstone College (affiliated to the University of Mumbai).
Gopal Krishna Gokhale was a professor by profession and was one of the political leaders and social reformer during the Indian freedom struggle against the British rule. In the year 1889, Gopal Krishna Gokhale joined the Indian National Congress. Unlike other members of the Indian National Congress, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale was the supporter of the moderate view. In fact, Gopal Krishna Gokhale was the leader of the moderates in Indian National Congress and stressed on the idea of working with the existing government authorities. However the trio of the Indian National Congress known by the nickname ‘Lal (Lala Lajpat Rai) – Bal (Bal Gangadhar Tilak) – Pal (Bipin Chandra Pal)’ did not agree with this attitude. It was because of this moderate attitude and the Swadeshi movement of 1905- 1907 that resulted in the split of Indian National Congress into Moderates and Extremists.
In the year 1905, Gopal Krishna Gokhale was elected as the president of the Indian National Congress. In the same year on 12th June, Gopal Krishna Gokhale founded the Servants of India Society in Pune, Maharashtra. The society was formed with an aim to promote social and human development and to overthrow the British rule in India. Gopal Krishna Gokhale was elected to the Bombay Legislative Council in 1899. On 20th December 1901, Gopal Krishna Gokhale was elected to the Imperial Council of the Governor-General of India. Gopal Krishna Gokhale died at the age of 48 on 15th February 1915 in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra).
