Modern Indian History

Rabindranath Tagore conferred the title 'Mahatma' (Great Soul) upon Gandhi in 1915, recognizing his spiritual and political leadership. Option C is correct. Gokhale was Gandhi's mentor, Tilak was a contemporary leader, and Nehru belonged to the next generation.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj in 1828 as a reformist movement challenging social evils like sati and caste discrimination. Option A is correct. Satyajit Ray was a filmmaker, Raja Ravi Varma was a painter, and Sree Narayana Guru was a Kerala reformer.

Lala Lajpat Rai was deported to Mandalay in 1907 for his role in organizing the agrarian movement in Punjab. This was part of the British colonial government's suppression of nationalist leaders during the Swadeshi movement period.

The Indian High Courts Act of 1861 created High Courts in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, which started functioning in 1862. These were the first three High Courts established in colonial India, replacing the old Supreme Court system.

After Al-Hilal was banned by the British government in 1914 for its nationalist content, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad founded Al-Balagh in 1915 to continue his journalistic campaign for independence. Both papers were crucial in mobilizing public opinion against colonial rule.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 as a Hindu reform movement that emphasized the Vedas, opposed caste discrimination, child marriage, and idol worship, and promoted education and social equality. His book 'Satyarth Prakash' outlines the movement's principles.

Jawaharlal Nehru attended the Congress of Oppressed Nationalists at Brussels in 1927 as a representative of the Indian National Congress. This international conference brought together anti-colonial activists from across the world. Nehru's participation marked an important step in his evolution as a nationalist leader and exposed him to global socialist movements.

The Brahmo Samaj, founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1828, was the earliest reform movement among the options. It preceded the Prarthana Samaj (1867), Arya Samaj (1875), and Ramakrishna Mission (1897). The Brahmo Samaj led the charge in social reform, opposing idolatry, sati, and child marriage while promoting rationalism and monotheism.

Sarvodaya, a term coined by Gandhi, means the upliftment of all sections of society and universal progress. It is distinct from concepts like total revolution, non-cooperation, or non-violence, which are different philosophical or political approaches.

Rabindranath Tagore was primarily a poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali. He was also a philosopher, painter, and composer but is best known for his poetic contributions to Bengali and English literature.

Dadabhai Naoroji propounded the 'Drain Theory' in his seminal work 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India' (1901). He systematically demonstrated how British colonial policies were systematically draining India's wealth to Britain through unfair trade practices, heavy taxation, and financial manipulation. His calculations showed India was losing 3-4% of its national income annually to Britain. While Gokhale and Bannerji were economic critics, Naoroji is specifically credited with formulating the Drain Theory.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister of India, was born on December 25, 1924. He was a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and served as Prime Minister three times.

O.V. Vijayan, the Indian author and cartoonist known for his novel Khasakkinte Itihasam, was born in 1930. He was a prominent figure in Malayalam literature.

Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, the celebrated Indian engineer and statesman, was born on September 15, 1861. He was knighted by the British for his contributions to public works and is renowned for his engineering projects across India.