Modern Indian History

Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) gained independence from British rule on February 4, 1948, after nearly 150 years of colonial administration. 1947 (C) is one year too early, while 1946 (A) and 1945 (B) are incorrect.

The Swaraj Party was founded in 1923 by Motilal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das after the Non-Cooperation Movement was suspended. It aimed to enter councils and disrupt them from within. The Communist Party was founded later (1925), and Forward Block was Subhas Bose's creation (1939).

Lord Ripon's 1882 Resolution on Local Self-Government is considered the Magna Carta of local democracy in India. It established elected local bodies and gave Indians control over local affairs. Ripon earned the title 'Father of Local Self-Government' for these reforms.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak was considered an extremist leader in India's freedom struggle, advocating for Swaraj and complete independence. His slogan 'Swaraj is my birthright' reflected his radical stance. In contrast, Gandhi, Gokhale, and Naoroji were moderates who preferred constitutional methods.

Subhash Chandra Bose gave this famous slogan 'You give me blood, I will give you freedom' (Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azadi dunga) while rallying Indians to join the Indian National Army (INA). This reflects his militant approach to independence.

Rabindranath Tagore wrote 'The Religion of Man' (published 1931), which is a collection of his lectures and philosophical thoughts on humanism, spirituality, and his vision of a universal religion that transcends traditional religious boundaries.

Lala Hardayal formed the Ghadar Party in 1913 in San Francisco, USA. The party aimed to organize Indians abroad (especially in North America) to fight for India's independence from British rule through armed rebellion. It published 'The Ghadar' newspaper and inspired many revolutionaries.

The Government of India Act 1935 separated Burma from India with effect from April 1, 1937. Burma had been a province of British India since 1852, but this act granted it separate provincial status.

The States Reorganisation Act of 1956, based on the States Reorganisation Commission's recommendations, came into effect on November 1, 1956. It redrew India's internal boundaries along linguistic lines, creating states like Kerala, Mysore (now Karnataka), and others.

Mahatma Gandhi immediately withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22) after the Chauri-Chaura incident of February 5, 1922, where protesters set fire to a police station killing 22 policemen. Gandhi felt the movement had turned violent and strayed from its non-violent principles.

The 1907 Surat session of the Indian National Congress witnessed a historic split between the Moderates and the Extremists. The Extremists, led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, wanted more aggressive methods, while Moderates preferred constitutional approaches. This split weakened the Congress temporarily.

The Khilafat Movement started in 1919 as a response to the threat to the Ottoman Caliphate after World War I. It was launched by Indian Muslim leaders to protest against the British treatment of Turkey.

The Mukta system was a complex agrarian and revenue arrangement in the Sultanate period. Since it involved multiple aspects of land rights, revenue collection, and agricultural organization, it cannot be reduced to any one of the simplified definitions given in options A, B, or C.

Nathu Ram presented letters and Khadi woven by Mahatma Gandhi to President Pratibha Patil. This NRI businessman preserved and shared these historical artifacts associated with Gandhi. Such items connect modern India with its independence movement heritage and are occasionally in the news during their transfer to public institutions.

'My Experiments with Truth' (originally 'The Story of My Experiments with Truth') is the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi, covering his life from early childhood through 1921. It was written in Gujarati and later translated to English. Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Rabindranath Tagore all wrote autobiographies or memoirs, but not with this title.