Bal Thackeray

Bal Keshav Thackeray (23 January 1926 – 17 November 2012) also known as Balasaheb Thackeray, was an Indian politician who founded the Shiv Sena, a right-wing pro-Marathi and Hindu nationalist party active mainly in the state of Maharashtra.

Thackeray was born on 23 January 1926 in Pune, the son of Prabodhankar Thackeray and his wife Ramabai Thackeray.

The family belongs to the Marathi Hindu Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu community.

His father Keshav was an admirer of India-born British writer William Makepeace Thackeray, and changed his own surname from Panvelkar to "Thackeray" an Anglicised version of their ancestral surname "Thakre".

Bal's father was a journalist and cartoonist by profession, he was also a social activist and a writer who was involved in a Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti, which advocated the creation of a separate linguistic state for Marathi speakers.

He also started a magazine named Prabodhan, where he promoted Hindu philosophies and nationalistic ideals to revive Hindutva in society.

This proved to highly influential in shaping Bal Thackeray's political views.

Thackeray began his career as a cartoonist in the Free Press Journal in Mumbai.

His cartoons were also published in the Sunday edition of The Times of India.

After Thackeray's differences with the Free Press Journal, he and four or five people, including politician George Fernandes, left the paper and started their own daily, News Day.

The paper survived for one or two months.

Thackeray began his professional career as a cartoonist with the English-language daily, The Free Press Journal in Bombay, but he left the paper in 1960 to form his own political weekly, Marmik.

His political philosophy was largely shaped by his father Keshav Sitaram Thackeray, a leading figure in the Samyukta Maharashtra (United Maharashtra) movement, which advocated the creation of a separate linguistic state for Marathi speakers.

Through Marmik, Bal Thackeray campaigned against the growing influence of non-Marathis in Mumbai.

He had a large political influence in the state, especially in Mumbai.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Thackeray built the Shiv Sena with help of Madhav Mehere chief attorney for trade union of India, Babasaheb Purandare, historian for Govt of Maharastra and Madhav Deshpande Head Accountant for Shiv Sena, these three individuals to a large extent were responsible for the success of Shiv Sena and stability of politics in Mumbai till 2000 to ensure it grows into an economic power center.

Thackeray was also the founder of the Marathi-language newspaper Saamana.

In 1960, he launched the cartoon weekly Marmik with his brother Srikant.

It focused on issues of common "Marathi Manoos" (Marathi, or Marathi-speaking, people) including unemployment, immigration and the retrenchment of Marathi workers.

Its office in Ranade Road became the rallying point for Marathi youth.

Bal Thackeray later stated that it was "not just a cartoon weekly but also the prime reason for the birth and growth of the Sena".

It was the issue of Marmik on 5 June 1966 which first announced the launch of membership for the Shiv Sena.

The success of Marmik prompted Thackeray to form the Shiv Sena on 19 June 1966.

In its 1966 party manifesto, Thackeray primarily blamed south Indians.

In Marmik, Thackeray published a list of corporate officials from a local directory, many being south Indians, citing it as proof that Maharashtrians were being discriminated against.

His party grew in the next ten years.

Senior leaders such as Babasaheb Purandare, chief attorney for Trade Union of Maharashtra Madhav Mehere joined the party and chartered accountant Madhav Gajanan Deshpande backed various aspects of the party operations.

In 1969, Thackeray and Manohar Joshi were jailed after participating in a protest demanding the merger of Karwar, Belgaum and Nipani regions in Maharashtra.

During the 1970s, it did not succeed in the local elections and it was active mainly in Mumbai, compared to the rest of the state.

The party set up local branch offices and settled disputes, complaints against the government.

An inquiry report by human rights watch, submitted to the government found that Thackeray and Chief Minister of Maharashtra Manohar Joshi incited members of the Shiv Sena to commit violence against Muslims during the 1992–1993 Bombay riots.

After the riots of 1992–93, he and his party took a Hindutva stance.

In 1999, Thackeray was banned from voting and contesting in any election for six years on the recommendations of the Election Commission for indulging in seeking votes in the name of religion.

Thackeray was arrested multiple times and spent a brief stint in prison, but he never faced any major legal repercussions.

Upon his death, he was accorded a state funeral, at which many mourners were present.

Thackeray did not hold any official positions, and he was never formally elected as the leader of his party.

The name Shiv Sena (Shivaji's Army) is a reference to the 17th century Maratha Emperor Shivaji.

Initially, Thackeray said it was not a political party but an army of Shivaji Maharaj, inclined to fight for the Marathi manoos (person).

It demanded that native speakers of the state's local language Marathi (the "sons of the soil" movement) be given preferential treatment in private and public sector jobs.

The early objective of the Shiv Sena was to ensure their job security competing against South Indians and Gujaratis.