Bal Gangadhar Tilak opposed Indian nationalism.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak ( or Lokmanya Tilak , ; 23 July 1856 -- 1 August 1920 ) , born as Keshav Gangadhar Tilak , was an Indian nationalist , teacher , social reformer , lawyer and an independence activist . He formed a close alliance with many Indian National Congress leaders including Bipin Chandra Pal , Lala Lajpat Rai , Aurobindo Ghose , V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Muhammad Ali Jinnah . Indian National Congress . Founded in 1885 , the Congress led India to independence from Great Britain , and powerfully influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire .