16-07-2025
Deepak Tilak, great-grandson of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, passes away
Dr Deepak Tilak, the great-grandson of freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Chancellor of Pune's Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, passed away in Pune on Wednesday. He was 78. Tilak was also the editor of the Marathi newspaper Kesari, founded by Lokmanya Tilak.
The body was kept at Kesariwada from 8 am to 11 am for the public to pay their last respects before the cremation at Vaikunth Crematorium at noon.
Tilak was awarded the Japanese Government's Foreign Minister's Commendation award for his contribution to the Japanese language. He is the editor and trustee of the Tilak Smarak Trust.
Tilak did his PhD on the problems in newspaper management with a special focus on Marathi newspapers. He was also a Judo enthusiast and was the secretary of the Poona Judo Association.
Tilak is survived by a son, a daughter, and grandchildren.
Deepak Tilak's father, Jayantrao Tilak, was a part of the Goa Liberation Movement and Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti. Jayantrao was a Member of the Rajya Sabha for 12 years and the Chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council for 16 years. His mother, Indutai Tilak, was a social worker.
Politicians, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Rohit Pawar, and BJP leader Hemant Rasane, took to X to express their condolences on Tilak's demise.
Ajit Pawar described Tilak as a person who carried forward the legacy of social service of the Tilak family with sincerity, upheld the mission of patriotism, value-based thinking, and public education through the historic daily Kesari.
'The trustee editor of Kesari, Chancellor of Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, and great-grandson of Lokmanya Tilak, Dr. Deepak Tilak, made remarkable contributions in the fields of education, journalism, and social work…His passing has created a void in the public life of Pune city. I offer my heartfelt tribute to Dr. Deepak Tilak,' Pawar shared on X.
