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Synopsis Tilak and Gandhi: Perspectives on Religion and Politics seeks to examine and explain the curious and important nexus between religion and politics in the light of the political philosophies of Tilak and Gandhi. The choice of Lokmanya and Mahatma from a constellation of famous personalities of the Indian freedom movement draws on the indisputable fact of their popularity and immense capacity for mobilization than any one else. It was Tilak and then Gandhi who stirred the masses and brought in a new awareness that pushed the society forward. Tilak spoke in the idiom of the masses, explaining the significance of political action in Hindu philosophical terms as a sacred dharma acclaimed by God to fight the alien rulers. No wonder, Tilak was dubbed as the “father of the Indian unrest”. Contrarily, Gandhi ‘the father of the nation’ declared his Hinduism included all that he knew to be best in Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism. Exhibiting moral courage, he strove for Hindu-Muslim unity, convinced that ultimately both religions were true and valid and were complimentary to each other.