Indian Independence Movement and Early Leaders

Mahatma Gandhi returned to India in 1915 after spending 20 years (1893-1914) in South Africa fighting racial discrimination. This marked the beginning of his involvement in India's independence movement.

The Dandi March (Salt Satyagraha) began on March 12, 1930 from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. Gandhi and 78 followers marched 240 miles to the coastal village of Dandi to protest the salt tax.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose led the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) during World War II. With Japanese support, he fought to liberate India from British rule with the slogan 'Give me blood, and I will give you freedom!'

The Quit India Movement launched in August 1942 is also known as the August Movement or August Kranti. The All India Congress Committee passed the 'Quit India' resolution on August 8, 1942 in Bombay.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel became India's first Deputy Prime Minister in 1947 under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He also served as Home Minister and is famously called the 'Iron Man of India' for uniting the princely states.

Sikkim joined India as the 22nd state in 1975 after a referendum where 97% of voters favored abolition of the monarchy and merger with India. The merger was completed on May 16, 1975.

C. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor General of independent India (1948-1950) and the first Indian to hold this position after Lord Mountbatten. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was India's first President, K.M. Munshi was a freedom fighter who became a minister later, and Annie Besant was British-Indian theosophist, not Governor General.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was India's first Deputy Prime Minister under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru from 1947 to 1950. He was also the first Home Minister. Morarji Desai became Deputy Prime Minister much later in 1967, Choudhary Charan Singh never held this post, and Jagjivan Ram was a cabinet minister but not Deputy PM.

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was India's first woman Cabinet Minister, holding the Health Minister portfolio from 1947 to 1957. Dr. Vijayalakshmi Pandit was the first woman to become a state governor and later led the UN delegation, Dr. Annie Besant was pre-independence, and Sheila Dixit served much later as Delhi CM.

Sir Archibald Nye was the British Governor who continued in that position even after India became independent in 1947, serving from 1946 to 1948 before handing over to C. Rajagopalachari. This was an unusual case where the British representative continued briefly. The other options (Knight, Bentinck, Hastings) were from much earlier colonial periods.

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was the first Indian woman and the first woman overall to serve as President of the UN General Assembly in 1953. She was a prominent diplomat and the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru. Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister, Reita Faria was the first Indian Miss World, and the 'only' framing makes option D incorrect.

V.T. Krishnamachari was the first Vice-Chairman of the Planning Commission of India, serving from 1950. The Planning Commission was established in 1950 to formulate India's Five-Year Plans for economic development. The other options were not associated with this founding position.

Sarojini Naidu, known as the 'Nightingale of India', became the first Indian woman Governor when she was appointed Governor of Uttar Pradesh in 1947. She was a prominent freedom fighter and poet. Padmaja Naidu (her daughter) became Governor later, Annie Besant was not a Governor, and Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister.

General (later Field Marshal) K.M. Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1949, marking the transition from British command to Indian leadership. The prefix 'General' in his name is a title, not a first name. Air Marshal Mukherjee, Rajendrasinhji, and Bewoor held other military positions but were not the first C-in-C.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India, serving from 1950 to 1962. He was a prominent freedom fighter and had previously been President of the Constituent Assembly. Rajagopalachari was the first Indian Governor-General, Nehru was the first Prime Minister, and Mountbatten was the last British Viceroy.

Indira Gandhi was the first Indian woman to receive the Bharat Ratna in 1971, while she was serving as Prime Minister. Mother Teresa received it later in 1980, Aruna Asaf Ali in 1997, and M.S. Subbulakshmi in 1998. The question specifically asks about the 'first' Indian woman recipient.

The Swadeshi and Boycott Movement was launched in 1905 as a response to Lord Curzon's partition of Bengal. It promoted indigenous goods and boycotted British products. 1917 and 1915 are associated with other movements, while 1942 was the Quit India Movement. Note: 'boucott' is a typo for 'boycott'.