53rd-55th Prelims 2011

Explanation:

The slogan 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it' was popularized by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1916. He was popularly known as 'Lokmanya Tilak'. He co-founded the Deccan Education Society in 1884 along with G.G. Agarkar and others. Tilak was a key figure in Indian nationalism and was referred to as 'The Father of Indian Unrest' by Valentine Chirol in his book 'Indian Unrest'. He also edited newspapers Kesari (Marathi) and Mahratta (English) and authored books like Gita Rahasya and Arctic Home of the Vedas.

Explanation:

The Madras Mahajan Sabha was founded in 1884 by M. Viraraghavachari, G. Subramania Aiyer, and P. Ananda Charlu. It held its first conference from 29th December 1884 to 2nd January 1885. It was the first organization in the Madras Presidency to agitate for the rights of Indians, following the Madras Native Association established in 1852.

Explanation:

The Indian National Congress was founded by A.O. Hume in 1885. Its first session was held on 28th December 1885 at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit Vidyalaya in Bombay, presided by W.C. Banerjee. Dadabhai Naoroji suggested renaming 'Indian National Union' to 'Indian National Congress'. A total of 72 delegates participated in this first session.

Explanation:

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, popularly known as Rajaji, was the first Indian-born Governor General of India and also the last Governor-General as India became a republic in 1950. He led the Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha in 1930, served as Premier of Madras Presidency, Governor of West Bengal, and founded the Swatantra Party in 1959. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor.

Explanation:

The National Council of Education was established on 15th August 1906 by Sadguru Das Banerjee as part of the movement to boycott British educational institutions during the Swadeshi movement. The decision was taken at the Calcutta session in 1905. Bengal National College and Bengal Technical Institute were established under this council, with Aurobindo Ghosh as the first principal and Rashbehari Ghosh as its president.

Explanation:

Mahatma Gandhi launched the Non-Cooperation Movement on 1st August 1920. The Non-Cooperation resolution was passed at a special session of the Indian National Congress at Calcutta in September 1920. Bal Gangadhar Tilak passed away on the day of its launch. The movement involved the boycott of schools, colleges, government titles, institutions, and foreign goods.

Explanation:

The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms formed the basis of the Government of India Act, 1919. The act introduced dyarchy in the provinces, replaced the central Legislative Council with a bicameral system (Council of State and Legislative Assembly), extended communal representation to Sikhs, Christians, Anglo-Indians, and Muslims, separated provincial and central budgets, and appointed a High Commissioner in London to oversee Indian trade.

Explanation:

Lala Lajpat Rai is popularly known as 'Sher-e-Punjab'. He was part of the extremist trio 'Lal-Bal-Pal' and was also called 'Punjab Kesari'. He presided over the special session of the Indian National Congress in September 1920, which passed the Non-Cooperation resolution. He was the first president of the All India Trade Union Congress and authored works such as 'The Story of My Deportation' and 'England’s Debt to India'.

Explanation:

The Gandhi-Irwin Pact was signed on 5th March 1931 after negotiations led by Sapru and Jayakar. The pact included release of political prisoners not convicted of violence, remission of fines, return of lands, lenient treatment for resigned government servants, right to peaceful picketing, right to make salt for personal use, and withdrawal of emergency ordinances. Gandhi agreed to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement and participate in the 2nd Round Table Conference.

Explanation:

The Third Round Table Conference was held between 17th November and 24th December 1932 in London. These conferences were organized due to inadequacies of the Simon Commission report. The first and second conferences were held in 1930-31 and 1931 respectively, with Gandhi attending the second one as the sole Congress representative.

Explanation:

V.D. Savarkar is associated with Abhinav Bharat, a secret Indian Independence society founded by him and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar in 1904. It was modeled after Giuseppe Mazzini’s 'Young Italy'. Earlier, the Savarkar brothers organized 'Mitra Mela', which merged with Abhinav Bharat in 1904.

Explanation:

The phrase 'Do or Die' was given by Mahatma Gandhi during the Quit India Movement, which began on 9th August 1942. Gandhi emphasized that Indians must either free the country or die fighting for independence. The slogan 'Quit India' was coined by Yusuf Meherally, a communist and labor unionist.

Explanation:

The Permanent Settlement was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793. It fixed land revenue to be collected from farmers by intermediaries called Zamindars, with the government receiving 10/11th of the revenue and the Zamindars retaining 1/11th. It was implemented in Bengal, Bihar, UP, and Andhra Pradesh.

Explanation:

Atmaram Pandurang founded the Prarthana Samaj on 31st March 1867 with help from Keshab Chandra Sen. It was a socio-religious reform movement in Bombay. Its precursor was 'Paramahansa Sabha'. Mahadeo Govind Ranade joined in 1870, and other leaders included R.G. Bhandarkar and N.G. Chandavarkar.

Explanation:

Raja Ram Mohan Roy is regarded as the 'Father of Indian Renaissance'. He promoted English education, opposed idol worship, child marriage, and Sati Pratha. He established Hindu College in 1817, Atmiya Sabha in 1815, and Brahmo Sabha in 1828. He also published newspapers such as 'Samvad Kaumudi', 'Pragya Ka Chand', and 'Mirat-ul-Akbar'.

Explanation:

The Swaraj Dal, or Swaraj Party, was founded by Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru in 1923. They believed Congress should enter legislative councils and continue the struggle from within. C.R. Das became president and Motilal Nehru general secretary. Their strategy was to obstruct council work through agitation while participating in governance.

Explanation:

Gita Rahasya was authored by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, also called 'Lokmanya Tilak'. It discusses his interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita. Other works by Tilak include 'Indian Unrest' and 'Arctic Home of the Vedas'. 'Indian in Transition' and 'Gokhale-My Political Guru' were written by M.N. Roy and 'Discovery of India' by Jawaharlal Nehru.