Death Of A Liberal

The 19th century intellectual space in Maharashtra was neatly divided into two camps — the nationalists, led by Lokmanya Tilak and the rationalists, led by Gopal Ganesh Agarkar. Aroon Tikekar, who died on Tuesday in Mumbai, followed the latter chiefly because he was deeply influenced by Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade, who was known for his rational views and humanitarian mindset. The dividing line between the two schools is thin. The Tilak school always pushed for freedom and nationalist thought; the Agarkar school wanted social reforms ahead of political freedom. Tilak was aggressive in his politics as well as in his writings. Agarkar was modest and mild-mannered.
As an editor, Tikekar, having been brought up on the Justice Ranade school of thought, transcended the narrow confines of caste, creed and community. Steeped in British liberalism, Tikekar firmly believed in the exchange of ideas in a pluralistic society.

He never lost his liberal bearings. He also took strength from the 1960s, when new ideas pervaded Maharashtrian society, leading to experiments in the fields of literature, music and art. This era can be described as a mini-renaissance. The state witnessed the social empowerment of Dalits as well as the women’s liberation movement. This was also the time when parochial forces had started to rear their head. Confused by the vast changes around him, the Marathi manoos needed someone to show him the way. And Tikekar fitted the bill.
Tikekar belonged to a family of scholars. His father was a writer and his uncle, S.R. Tikekar, was a well-known public figure. His elder brother, Arvind, served as the chief librarian at the University of Bombay for a long time. Tikekar followed the tradition of choosing a career in the company of books. He headed The Times Of India’s archive department for quite some time. That brought him close to the world of journalism. Govind Talwalkar — the doyen of Marathi journalism, who was with the Times group — introduced Tikekar to journalism.

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Interestingly, books, not journalism, were his first love. He chose to be a journalist because it gave him the freedom and intellectual space to be in the company of books. He always used to see things beyond the news. That is reflected in the way he shaped LokSatta — the Marathi daily of the Express group — and made it a must-read newspaper for the aspirational class. The variety he brought to the paper was remarkable. LokSatta was always a vibrant newspaper; Tikekar gave it a literary touch. Marathi newspapers have a tradition of long-form editorial. Tikekar strengthened this tradition with his writings.

Besides his role as editor, Tikekar’s single-biggest contribution was to Mumbai’s Asiatic Society, the country’s premier and largest library. During the two terms that he headed it, Tikekar restored the financial stability of the library. Recently, he donated 15,000 books from his private collection to various libraries of the state. His preference for an inter-disciplinary approach led to his developing interest in various fields, including the history of modern Maharashtra.

He has several books to his credit. The Kincaids: Two Generations of a British Family in the Indian Civil Service is considered a
remarkable account of the civil services during the British Raj. Another book, The Cloister’s Pale : A biography of the University
of Mumbai, the post-centennial Silver Jubilee publication of one of India’s leading universities, explains how the city of Bombay and its university grew almost simultaneously, socially, culturally and intellectually. Mumbai De-Intellectualised: Rise and Decline of a Culture of Thinking traces the intellectual life of Mumbai and, in the process, takes note of the contribution made by the British.

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Tikekar has passed away at a time when society is witnessing a rapid de-intellectualisation and the space for independent, liberal thought is shrinking. With his demise, we have lost a classical liberal intellectual.