Although they were Chitpavan Brahmins, Gokhale ’ s family was relatively poor.

The following year, Gokhale became the Congress ’ s joint secretary along with Tilak.

In many ways, Tilak and Gokhale ’ s early careers paralleled – both were Chitpavan Brahmin ( though unlike Gokhale, Tilak was wealthy ), both attended Elphinstone College, both became mathematics professors, and both were important members of the Deccan Education Society.

Gokhale ’ s first major confrontation with Tilak centered around one of his pet projects, the Age of Consent Bill introduced by the British Imperial Government, in 1891-92.

In his preamble to the SIS ’ s constitution, Gokhale wrote that “ The Servants of India Society will train men prepared to devote their lives to the cause of country in a religious spirit, and will seek to promote, by all constitutional means, the national interests of the Indian people .” The Society took up the cause of promoting Indian education in earnest, and among its many projects organized mobile libraries, founded schools, and provided night classes for factory workers.

Although the Society lost much of its vigor following Gokhale ’ s death, it still exists to this day, though its membership is small.

Gokhale ’ s firm belief in the need for universal education deeply inspired the next great man on the Indian political stage, Mohandas K. Gandhi ; his faith in western political institutions though rejected by Gandhi, was adopted by an independent India in 1950.

Even so, they ensured that Gokhale received an English education, which would place Gokhale in a position to obtain employment as a clerk or minor official in the British Raj.

Being one of the first generations of Indians to receive a university education, Gokhale graduated from Elphinstone College in 1884.

In 1905, when Gokhale was elected president of the Indian National Congress and was at the height of his political power, he founded the Servants of India Society to specifically further one of the causes dearest to his heart: the expansion of Indian education.

Believing existing educational institutions and the Indian Civil Service did not do enough to provide Indians with opportunities to gain this political education, Gokhale hoped the Servants of India Society would fill this need.

His political thoughts were initially influenced by the moderate Indian National Congress leader Gopal Krishna Gokhale, but later, he moved towards the more extremist Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Gokhale was also the role model and mentor of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the future founder of Pakistan, who in 1912, aspired to become the " Muslim Gokhale ".

Undeterred by such opposition, Gokhale would work directly with the British throughout his political career in order to further his reform goals.

Gokhale from Bombay in the Lok Sabha Elections and hence started his political career as a Parliamentarian.

* 1866 – Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Indian political leader ( d. 1915 )

Gopal Krishna Gokhale, CIE () ( 9 May 1866 – 19 February 1915 ) was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India.

As well as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, other contributors to political thought on freedom in 19th century India included Dadabhai Naoroji ( 1825 – 1917 ), Mahadeo Govind Ranade ( 1842 – 1901 ), Gopal Krishna Gokhale ( 1866 – 1915 ) and Pherozeshah Mehta ( 1845 – 1915 ).

The Lucknow Pact also marked the establishment of cordial relations between the two prominent groups of the Indian National Congress – the bold, fierce leaders or garam dal led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and the moderates or the naram dal led by Gopal Krishna Gokhale.

While the Maratha generals such as Purandare, Raste, and Bapu Gokhale were ready to advance on to the British forces, they were demoralized after learning that the Peshwa and his brother had fled to Purandar.

Although he would come to criticize unhesitatingly many aspects of the English colonial regime, the respect for English political theory and institutions that Gokhale acquired in his college years would remain with him for the rest of his life.

Although the political discourse had been dominated at this time by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, a moderate who said that it was " madness to think of independence ", Nehru had spoken " openly of the politics of non-cooperation, of the need of resigning from honorary positions under the government and of not continuing the futile politics of representation.

He joined the Indian National Congress and was introduced to Indian issues, politics and the Indian people primarily by Gopal Krishna Gokhale.

Gokhale was a key leader of the Congress Party best known for his restraint and moderation, and his insistence on working inside the system.

Tilak opposed the moderate views of Gopal Krishna Gokhale, and was supported by fellow Indian nationalists Bipin Chandra Pal in Bengal and Lala Lajpat Rai in Punjab.

He was eager for reconciliation with Congress and had abandoned his demand for direct action and settled for agitations " strictly by constitutional means "-a line advocated by his rival Gopal Krishna Gokhale.

Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale was born on May 09, 1866 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, a state on the western coast of India that was then part of the Bombay Presidency.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale, was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India.

Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society.

By now, Congress was split: Gokhale and Tilak were the respective leaders of the moderates and the " extremists " ( the latter now known by the more term, ' aggressive nationalists ') in the Congress.

Tilak was an advocate of civil agitation and direct revolution to overthrow the British Empire, whereas Gokhale was a moderate reformist.

Gokhale, though an earlier leader of the Indian nationalist movement, was not primarily concerned with independence but rather with social reform ; he believed such reform would be best achieved by working within existing British government institutions, a position which earned him the enmity of more aggressive nationalists such as Tilak.

In 1899, Gokhale was elected to the Bombay Legislative Council.

Gokhale developed so great a reputation among the British that he was invited to London to meet with secretary of state Lord John Morley, with whom he established a rapport.

Gokhale was appointed a CIE ( Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire ) in the 1904 New Year's Honours List, a formal recognition by the Empire of his service.

Gokhale was famously a mentor to Mahatma Gandhi in his formative years.

Despite his deep respect for Gokhale, however, Gandhi would reject Gokhale's faith in western institutions as a means of achieving political reform and ultimately chose not to become a member of Gokhale's Servants of India Society.

Along with other contemporary leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Dadabhai Naoroji, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai and Annie Besant, Gokhale fought for decades to obtain greater political representation and power over public affairs for common Indians.

For Gokhale, true political change in India would only be possible when a new generation of Indians became educated as to their civil and patriotic duty to their country and to each other.

Gandhi also recognised Gokhale as an admirable leader and master politician, describing him as ' pure as crystal, gentle as a lamb, brave as a lion and chivalrous to a fault and the most perfect man in the political field '.