Bal Keshav Thackeray is a famous Indian cartoonist and politician. He laid the foundation of a right-wing political party, “Shiv Sena” in 1966. Starting his career as a cartoonist in the 1950s, Thackeray soon became a mainstream politician in the late 1960s. After entering politics, he became a symbol of Marathi pride and Hindutva. This Shiv Sena pioneer is worshiped like a god. Thackeray, who changed the direction of Maharashtra politics in every aspect, had the power to turn arrogance into silence with a flick of his finger. Thackeray, who roared like a lion, departed this life in 2012.
Biography/Wiki
Balasaheb Thackeray was born into the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu Marathi Community on 23 January 1926 (Age: 86, at time of death) in Pune, Bombay Presidency, British India. He did not do well in his studies and dropped out of school soon. Since childhood, he was fond of writing and activism. In the 1950s, he participated in the Maharashtra Samyukta Movement and supported the creation of a united state called Maharashtra for the Marathi-speaking areas with Bombay as its capital.
Early Image of Bal Thackeray
Family
He was born to Keshav Sitaram Thackeray and Ramabai. His father was a famous author and social activist who campaigned against superstitions and social evils such as Dowry, Untouchability, and Child marriage. Bal Thackery has eight siblings and he is the eldest of them. Ramesh Thackeray and Shrikant Prabodhankar Thackery are his brothers and Pama Tipnis, Sudha Sule, Sarla Gadkari, Susheela Gupte, and Sanjeevani Karandikar are his sisters.
Bal Thackeray Family Tree
Picture of Bal Thackeray and his brother Ramesh Thackeray
On 13 June 1948, Thackeray married Mina Thackeray.
Bal Thackeray with his wife and father
The couple has three sons: Bindumadhav Thackeray, Jaidev Thackeray, and Uddhav Thackeray. His wife died in 1995 and the following year, his son Bindumadhav Thackeray died in a car accident. He has no daughter.
Uddhav and Jaidev Thackeray
Raj Thackeray is the son of his elder brother, Shrikant Prabodhankar Thackery. Raj Thackeray was supposed to take over as Shiv Sena chief, but he broke away from Shiv Sena and formed his own party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in 2006.
Bal Thackeray with Raj Thackeray (left) and Uddhav Thackeray (right)
Aditya Thackeray, Tejas Thackeray, Aishwarya Thackeray, and Rahul Thackeray are his grandsons.
Bal Thackeray with Tejas and Aditya Thackeray
Aditya Thackeray is also an active politician and currently, he is the Chairman of Yuva Sena, the youth wing of Shiv Sena.
Rahul Thackeray with his wife
Career
Thackeray started his career as a cartoonist in Mumbai in the 1950s. He works for the Free Press Journal and his cartoons are also published in the Sunday edition of the Times of India.
Bal Thackeray cartoon
Thackeray launched his weekly cartoon ‘Marmik’ with his brother Srikant in 1960. His cartoons also appeared in the Sunday edition of the New York Times and the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun.
Marmik front page
He was encouraged to lay the foundation of the political party ‘Shiv Sena’ with the success of his weekly cartoon ‘Marmik’. On 19 June 1966, he founded the Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena means ‘Army of Shivaji,’ a great Maratha Warrior.
At first, Thackery said that it was not a political party, rather, it was Shivaji’s army, working for the Maratha Manoos (Marathi People). His party emerged as one of the leading parties in the state in the next decade and gave two Chief Ministers to the state. In 1989, Thackeray launched the Party Newspaper, Saamna. However, in the early years of the 21st century, the party’s reputation declined due to its aggressive and violent nature.
Controversy
Throughout his life, Bal Thackeray has been at the center of controversy. Some of the main controversies are as follows:
- For the first time in 1966, he attracted media attention by campaigning against South Indians who were taking jobs in Mumbai from Marathi people.
- During the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute in 1969, he was arrested and sent to Yerawada Central Jail in Pune, Maharashtra.
- He is a strong critic of Pakistan. In 1998, during a concert of famous Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali in Mumbai, hundreds of Shiv Sainiks disrupted the concert at the behest of Bal Thackeray.
- He shocked political circles by supporting Indira Gandhi’s National Emergency in 1975.
- During the communal riots in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra in 1984, several allegations were made against him for inciting people. In the riot, 17 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
- During the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, he, along with other staunch supporters, was accused of the untoward incident.
- Immediately after the Bombay Blasts in 1993, Bal Thackeray was supposed to be one of the instigators of communal violence. The Srikrishna Commission report blamed Thackeray and the Shiv Sena for inciting the riots.
Shiv Sainiks during the 1993 Mumbai Riots
- In 1995, he protested against the release of the Bollywood film “Bombay” based on the 1993 Bombay Bomb-blast.
- He once commented on Biharis through his party newspaper, Saamna, “Ek Bihari, Sau Bimari. Do Bihari Ladai ki taiyari, Bihari youth trains hamari, and paanch Bihari ke sarkar hamaari” (meaning – one Bihari is equal to a hundred diseases, Two Biharis are preparing to fight, Three Biharis, it is train hijacking, and five Biharis will try form the ruling Government). This statement caused a great uproar in the country. Nitish Kumar, the then Chief Minister of Bihar, lodged a written complaint against him and North Indian Shiv Sena Chief Jay Bhagwan Goyal resigned as a party worker and compared the Shiv Sena to Khalistan and militant organisations.
- He once criticized the then President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, for not pronouncing the death sentence on Afzal Guru.
- In 2007, he was criticized for praising Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler in a newspaper. The same year, he referred to Muslims as green poison during a Shiv Sena rally.
- Thackeray came under fire for supporting the Tamil Militant Organization- LTTE.
- Social Activist Anna Hazare and Bal Thackeray’s brother Ramesh Thackeray accused him of unjust asset and demanded a CBI probe.
Favorite Things
- Politician: Atal Bihari Vajpayee
- Singers: Kishor Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar
- Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Nana Patekar
- Cricketers: Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar
Assets/Net Worth
At the time of his death, his total assets were reportedly worth more than ₹100 crore including his famous Bungalow, Matoshree.
Death
On 17 November 2012, he died of a heart attack at the age of 86 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Thackeray was given a State funeral and was the first public funeral in the city after Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1920. Although he did not hold any official position, he was given a 21 das salute.
Facts
- He likes to drink beer, wine, and cigars.
Bal Thackeray smokes
- His nickname is ‘Hindu Hriday Samrat.’
- When he was little, his mother died.
- His father, Keshav Thackeray, was an advocate for the creation of a Marathi-speaking state, named Maharashtra with Mumbai as its capital.
- When he left the Free Press Journal, he was with another reporter, George Fe
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
