The Indian renaissance was initiated by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and carried forward by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Ram Krishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekanand, Vinoba Bhave, Goapl Krishna Gokhale, Annie Bessant, , and Mahatma Gandhi. Most importantly, Lokmanya Tilak encouraged public festivals and gatherings such as Ganesh Chaturthi to increase the nationalist sentiment in the masses. This is an important period for the Indian culture.