Lokagrani Adv. Balwantrao Raga (27 March 1878 - 18 November 1957), also called the Balwantrao Narayanrao Deshmukh and Balasaheb Deshmukh was an Indian lawyer,

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

(INC) politician and independence activist from

Chandrapur Chandrapur (earlier known as ''Chanda'', the official name until 1964) is a city and a municipal corporation in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra state, India. It is the district headquarters of Chandrapur district. Chandrapur is a fort city ...

Vidharbha Vidarbha (Pronunciation: �id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the west Indian state of Maharashtra. Forming the eastern part of the state, it comprises Amravati and Nagpur divisions. As per the 2011 Census, the region had a population ...

region of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

state of India.
amritmahotsav.nic.in, accessed 3 March 2025.

Early life and education

He was born in the Daryapur village and hailed from his native village of Shivar. He completed his early schooling from Chandrapur, and the high school and college education from

Nagpur Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...

. Later he obtained a law degree from

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

in 1899.

Legal Career

He rejected a British government judicial post and established a legal practice in Chandrapur in 1900 becoming a renowned lawyer. He acted as a defense lawyer for those arrested during the 1942 Quit India movement, specifically during the Chimur incident.

Independence Movement Involvement

He was a staunch follower of Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak, whom he considered his political leader and

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

, and he promoted Tilak's ideologies of

Swadeshi The Swadeshi movement was a self-sufficiency movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and contributed to the development of Indian nationalism. Before the BML Government's decision for the partition of Bengal was made public in ...

Swadeshi movement The Swadeshi movement was a self-sufficiency movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and contributed to the development of Indian nationalism. Before the BML Government's decision for the partition of Bengal was made public i ...

, promotion of education for Indians and boycott of colonial British goods. He also supported

Annie Besant Annie Besant (; Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was an English socialist, Theosophy (Blavatskian), theosophist, freemason, women's rights and Home Rule activist, educationist and campaigner for Indian nationalism. She was an arden ...

Home Rule League The Home Rule League (1873–1882), sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was an Irish political party which campaigned for home rule for Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, until it was replaced by the Irish Parliam ...

movement of 1917 and

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

Non-Cooperation Movement Non-cooperation movement may refer to: * Non-cooperation movement (1919–1922), during the Indian independence movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule * Non-cooperation movement (1971), a movement in East Pakistan * Non-cooperatio ...

. He joined INC and participated in INC sessions, including the 1906 session under

Dadabhai Naoroji Dadabhai Naoroji (4 September 1825 – 30 June 1917), also known as the ''"Grand Old Man of India"'' and "Unofficial Ambassador of India", was an Indian independence activist, political leader, merchant, scholar and writer. He was one of the f ...

, and organized public gatherings through

Ganesh Jayanti Ganesh Jayanti (literally "Ganesha's birthday", also known as Bhadra shukla chaturthi, Tilkund chaturthi, and Varad chaturthi, is a Hinduism, Hindu Hindu festival, festival. This occasion celebrates the birth day of Ganesha, the lord of wisdom. ...

and Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti celebrations to mobilise people for the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

. He hosted Lokmanya Tilak during his 1918 Chandrapur visit for the

Swaraj Party The Swaraj Party, established as the Congress-Khilafat Swaraj Party, was a political party formed in India on 1 January 1923 after the Gaya annual conference in December 1922. Chauri Chaura The Swaraj Party was formed on 1 January 1923 by Indi ...

's provincial sessions. He served as President of the

Central Provinces and Berar The Central Provinces and Berar was a province of British India and later the Dominion of India which existed from 1903 to 1950. It was formed by the merger of the Central Provinces with the province of Berar, which was territory leased by the ...

INC Committee (1919-1920), member of the All India Congress Committee from 1919 to 1923, was elected to the Provincial Assembly in 1921-2026.

Social Contributions

He founded the Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Mandal in Chandrapur, established the Lokmanya Tilak Vidyalaya, supported the

Goa liberation movement The Goa liberation movement was a movement which fought to end Portuguese colonial rule in Goa, Portuguese India. The movement built on the small scale revolts and uprisings of the 19th century, and grew powerful during the period 1940–1961. ...

of 1956, advocated for social equality and supported marginalized communities serving as president of the Choka Mela hostel.

Legacy

He is remembered as a respected nationalist lawyer and social reformer, he received a testimonial from the Manciple committee in 1937.

Shakuntala Railway Shakuntala Railway was a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge railway line that ran between Achalpur and Yavatmal via Murtizapur. It is to be converted to 1676 mm Broad gauge. It was originally called –– railway, before it was renamed after Shakuntal ...

, originally named –– railway, was renamed after Shakuntala Deshmukh

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Jadhav, who was wife of Balwantrao Deshmukh.

References