His father was an ordinary school teacher who later rose to be the inspector of schools. Bal Gangadhar passed his matriculation examination at the age of sixteen and was married soon after, but meanwhile he lost his father. He pursued his higher education at Deccan College, Pune and did his graduation in 1877. He was not interested in joining any service.
He wanted to serve the people in the real sense. Along with two of his friends, Agarkas and Chiplunkar, he started the New English School at Pune. He also started two weeklies in 1881 – Maratha and Kesari. The former was in English and the latter in Marathi. In 1885, the Deccan Education Society was established mainly because of his efforts. He was a great lover of the great Indian heritage and a keen admirer of Shivaji.
In order to enhance the spirit of patriotism and cooperation among the Indian people, he re-organized the Ganapati and the Shivaji festivals. He opposed tooth and nail the partition of Bengal in 1905. He was arrested and sent to Mandalay in Burma (now Myanmar) to serve a six year term. After returning from jail, he started the Home Rule Movement.
He was one of the delegates of the Home Rule League that visited England in 1918. He breathed his last on August 1, 1920. He will always be remembered for his words: “Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it.” He was one of the greatest Indian leaders who roused the masses against the foreign rule and imbued them with the spirit of patriotism, social service and sacrifice.