65th Prelims 2019

Explanation:

The Portuguese used 'Hooghly' as a base for piracy in the Bay of Bengal. They first obtained permission to establish their factories in Satgaon and Chittagong from the ruler of Bengal, Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah. Chittagong, called the great port of Portuguese maritime, was heavily used by them. In the 16th century, Satgaon declined and was replaced by Hooghly. Additional facts: The Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit India. The sea route to India was discovered by the Portuguese traveler Vasco da Gama, who reached Calicut on 20th May 1498. Francisco de Almeida arrived in India as the first Portuguese governor in 1505, known for the 'Blue Water Policy'. In 1509, Afonso de Albuquerque replaced Almeida and captured Goa from Yusuf Adil Shah of Bijapur in 1510. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Captain William Henry Sleeman led the campaign for the suppression of Thugs in British India. During the 1830s, he worked under Lord William Bentinck to eradicate Thuggee. In 1835, the 'Thuggee and Dacoity Department' was created by Bentinck, and Sleeman was appointed as its superintendent. His efforts significantly reduced organized thuggery and criminal bands in India. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Lord Lytton (1876-1880) pursued an aggressive policy towards Afghanistan, which led to the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-80). He also pursued free trade policies, abolishing duties on 29 British manufactured goods, increasing the drain of wealth from India. During famines, he organized the Delhi Durbar in 1877, appointed the Famine Commission under Richard Strachey, enacted the Royal Titles Act declaring Queen Victoria as 'Kaisar-i-Hind', passed the Arms Act and Vernacular Press Act in 1878, proposed Statutory Civil Services in 1878-79, and lowered the upper age limit for civil services from 21 to 19 years. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

On 12th March 1930, Mahatma Gandhi started the famous 'Dandi March'. He, along with 78 followers, marched from Sabarmati to Dandi. After 24 days of marching, they reached Dandi on 6th April 1930, where Gandhi broke the 'Salt Law' by picking up a lump of salt. This symbolic act officially began the Civil Disobedience Movement. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

The Sarabandi Campaign of 1922 was led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. During this campaign, peasants refused to pay taxes to the British authorities. Patel, born on 31st October 1875, also led the Bardoli Satyagraha in 1928. He is widely known as the 'Ironman of India' and sometimes referred to as the 'Bismarck of India'. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani (J.B. Kripalani), also called 'Acharya Kripalani', was the President of the Indian National Congress during the partition of India. He earned the title 'Acharya' while teaching at Gujarat Vidyapith. He was elected to Lok Sabha multiple times as a member of the Praja Socialist Party and is known for moving the No-Confidence motion in Lok Sabha in 1963 after the India-China war of 1962. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqulla were hanged for their involvement in the Kakori Train Robbery case of August 1925. The robbery was orchestrated by the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA), founded in October 1924 in Kanpur, aiming to overthrow colonial rule and establish a Federal Republic of India. During the robbery, the 8-Down train near Kakori, a village near Lucknow, was held up and government funds were looted. Subsequent government crackdown resulted in 17 arrests, 4 life sentences, and the hanging of Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla, Roshan Singh, and Rajendra Lahiri. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

C.R. Das, popularly known as 'Deshbandhu' (Friend of the Nation), wrote the book 'India for Indians'. He also published newspapers called 'Forward' and later 'Liberty'. Das was the political mentor of Subhas Chandra Bose and resigned from the presidency of the Indian National Congress session at Gaya in 1923 to found the Swaraj Party, along with other pro-change leaders such as Motilal Nehru and N.C. Kelkar. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Satyasodhak Samaj (Truth Seeker's Society) was founded by Jyotirao Phule in 1873 in Satara, Maharashtra. He belonged to the Mali (gardener) community and organized a movement against upper-caste domination and Brahminical supremacy. The Samaj aimed to promote social service and spread education among women and lower-caste people. Phule's book 'Ghulamgiri' (1872) is a seminal text describing social oppression. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Annie Besant was the first woman president of the Indian National Congress, elected in 1917 at the Calcutta session. In 1916, she co-launched the Home Rule League with Bal Gangadhar Tilak. She founded Central Hindu College in Varanasi in 1898 and became the chairman of Theosophical Society in 1907. She also published newspapers like 'New India' and 'Common Weal'. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Vinoba Bhave started the Individual Satyagraha from Pavnar, Maharashtra, in 1940. He was the first Individual Satyagrahi. The movement was a symbolic moral protest against British policies. Jawaharlal Nehru was the second Individual Satyagrahi and Brahma Dutt was the third. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Shyamji Krishna Varma founded 'India House' in London in 1905 as a center for Indian students advocating for Home Rule. He also initiated a scholarship scheme to bring radical youth from India. Revolutionaries such as Vinayak Savarkar and Lala Hardayal were associated with India House. Varma was linked to the journal 'The Indian Sociologist'. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

'Desher Katha' was written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar (1869-1912), a close associate of Sri Aurobindo. The book discussed British commercial and industrial exploitation of India. First published in 1904, it was banned by the Government of Bengal in 1910, and all copies were confiscated. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

A.O. Hume, a retired British officer of the Indian Civil Services, founded the Indian National Union in 1884, the precursor to the Indian National Congress. The Indian National Congress was officially established in 1885 during the viceroyalty of Lord Dufferin. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Bal Gangadhar Tilak, popularly called 'Lokmanya Tilak', coined the slogan 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it'. He founded the Deccan Education Society in 1884 with G.G. Agarkar. He is referred to as 'The Father of Indian Unrest' in Valentine Chirol's book. Tilak also published newspapers 'Kesari' (Marathi) and 'Mahratta' (English), and wrote books including 'Gita Rahasya' and 'Arctic Home of the Vedas'. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy. He was awarded the knighthood by British King George V in 1915. Tagore, also known as Gurudev, Kabiguru, and Biswakabi, gave Mahatma Gandhi the title 'Mahatma'. He composed over 2000 songs known as 'Rabindra Sangeet', won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for 'Geetanjali', and founded Visva-Bharati University in 1921. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]

Explanation:

Gopal Krishna Gokhale, president of the Benaras session of INC in 1905, founded the 'Servants of India Society' in 1905. The society aimed to unite and train Indians of different ethnicities and religions in welfare work. Gokhale was also known as the political mentor of Mahatma Gandhi. He admired Dadabhai Naoroji, saying, 'If there is a God somewhere, he is Dadabhai Naoroji'. [65TH BPSC PRELIMS EXAM, 2019]