ABSTRACT
This first chapter provides the biographical gist of the book. It illustrates Gokhale's attainment of a Western education and his exposure to liberal ideas and attendant discourses of rights and liberties. It analyses the would-be Indian National Congress (INC) leader's early activities as teacher, journalist and political activist, with special focus on the vibrant political atmosphere of Poona. In doing so, this initial chapter considers Gokhale's relationship with Tilak, Agarkar and Ranade, as well as his first commitments as a representative of the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha (Poona All People's Society, PSS) and Deccan Sabha, and as a volunteer during the plague in 1899. While providing biographical details, it reveals how Gokhale's ideas and lived experiences were strongly intertwined and co-constitutive.
