Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a frontline fighter, intimately involved with the Indian national movement. This book explores Tilak's engagements, not just with the Indian national movement, but also the nuanced diversities associated with a context that preceded the mass movements. Based on a variety of sources, the contributors attempt to historicize a nationalist icon. In the process, the reader is presented with a holistic picture of a leading nationalist personality, including his contradictions and ambiguities. In this sense, the different contributions in this book question the 'received wisdom' associated with Tilak. Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Popular Readings would be of use to those interested in the Indian national movement and the manner in which it intersected with a range of social, cultural and political issues. The 'non-specialist' reader, too, will be interested in the way in which the book makes both Tilak and his context accessible.