Bal Thackeray birthday: Top 5 things to know about the controversial politician

The 'Hindu Hriday Samraat' made remarkable changes in Maharashtra politics, including some controversial decisions that changed the political scenario of the country.

Bal Keshav Thackeray aka Balasaheb Thackeray was born on January 23, 1926. The Indian cartoonist-turned-politician founded one of the biggest political parties in India – the Shiv Sena to advocate the place of Maharashtrians in the politics of the state. His philosophy was shaped by his father Keshav Sitaram Thackeray who was a part of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. Balasaheb Thackeray began his professional career as a cartoonist with the Free Press Popular Journal. Later, he formed his own political weekly called Marmik.

Known as ‘Tiger’, he also founded the Shiv Sena mouthpiece – the Marathi newspaper Saamana, and the Hindi afternoon newspaper Dopahar Ka Saamana. (Read: A Google Doodle for Bal Thackeray!)

The ‘Hindu Hriday Samraat’ (King of hearts) made remarkable changes in Maharashtra politics, including some controversial decisions that changed the political scenario of the country. On his birthday, we list some of the things about the late Balasaheb Thackeray that you might not know.

1. Balasaheb Thackeray – The Cartoonist

Thackeray was famous for his political cartoons. In the Free Press Journal he usually signed his cartoons as ‘Mava’. In 1960, Thackeray formed his own political weekly Marmik and later Saamana and Dopahar Ka Saamana.

2. Balasaheb Thackeray’s strong viewpoint against north Indians

The concept of ‘Marathi Manoos’ was invented by Balasaheb Thackeray. These words are mostly popular among Mumbaikars. He was the mascot of Marathi pride and his ideologies earned him the status of god amongst the masses. People started idolising him and soon, he was tagged the ‘Tiger of Maharashtra’.

The Samyukta Maharashtra Movement wanted a separate state of Marathi-speaking people since 1950. Their goal was achieved on May 1, 1960, when Bombay merged with other Marathi cities and the state of Maharashtra was formed. But the politics transformed when Shiv Sena was formed in 1966. The attitude towards north Indians and other non-Marathi speaking people began among the masses. But soon, many Hindu leaders and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) started supporting the Shiv Sena.

3. Book that mocked Balasaheb Thackeray – Salman Rushdie’s The Moor’s Last Sigh

Controversial author Salman Rushdie’s book The Moor’s Last Sigh mocked Thackeray and Shiv Sena in a story that featured incidents like the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts and so on. The book was soon banned in Maharashtra for fear of protest and violence.

4. Balasaheb Thackeray’s controversial quotes on Hitler and Muslims

Thackeray spoke about loving The Great Dictator Adolf Hitler. He said, “Hitler did very cruel and ugly things. But he was an artist, I love him (for that). He had the power to carry the whole nation, the mob with him. You have to think what magic he had. He was a miracle…. The killing of Jews was wrong. But the good part about Hitler was that he was an artist. He was a daredevil. He had good qualities and bad. I may also have good qualities and bad ones.”

On Muslims, Thackeray said, “They [Muslims] are spreading like a cancer and should be operated on like a cancer.”

5. Balasaheb Thackeray’s controversial quotes on terrorism

Talking about Islamic terrorism, Balasaheb Thackeray said in 2008, “A Hindu fidayeen band is necessary to combat Muslim fundamentalism.” Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana suggested that like Islamic militants, Hindus should also form suicide bomb squads.

Edited by Shweta Parande