Question 2 from UPSC CSE 2017 - Modern
History

Question

Consider the following pairs:
1. Radhakanta Deb - First President of the British Indian Association
2. Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty - Founder of the Madras Mahajana Sabha
3. Surendranath Banerjee - Founder of the Indian Association
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. 1 and 3 only

Strategy: This is a factual matching question from Modern Indian History. The key is to verify each pair. Focus on the founders of pre-Congress political organizations. Pair 2 is a common trap; Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty founded the **Madras Native Association**, not the **Madras Mahajana Sabha**. Knowing this single fact helps eliminate options C and D. Then, confirming that Surendranath Banerjee founded the Indian Association (a very standard fact) secures option B as the correct answer. Pair 1 is also a correct, though slightly less common, fact.

Key Info: **British Indian Association and Radhakanta Deb**

The British Indian Association was formed on October 29, 1851, in Calcutta by the amalgamation of the Landholders' Society and the Bengal British India Society. Its objective was to safeguard the interests of Indians and represent their grievances to the British government.

Raja Radhakanta Deb (1784–1867) was its first President, and Debendranath Tagore was its secretary. Radhakanta Deb was a prominent conservative Hindu leader and scholar from Bengal. He was known for his efforts to promote traditional Hinduism and was the leader of the orthodox Dharma Sabha, which opposed the abolition of Sati.

**Madras Mahajana Sabha**

The Madras Mahajana Sabha was a Madras Presidency-based Indian nationalist organization established in May 1884. It is considered a precursor to the Indian National Congress.

It was founded by M. Veeraraghavachariar, G. Subramania Iyer, and P. Ananda Charlu. The Sabha articulated the rights of the countrymen and aimed to promote the interests of the people of India. It held its first conference between December 29, 1884, and January 2, 1885.

**Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty**

Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty (1806–1868) was a prominent Indian merchant, political activist, and founder of the Madras Native Association in 1849. This was the first Indian political organization in the Madras Presidency.

The Madras Native Association was a platform to protest against the British policies, particularly the alleged grievances of the local populace. Chetty is not associated with the founding of the Madras Mahajana Sabha.

**Indian Association and Surendranath Banerjee**

The Indian Association (also known as the Indian National Association) was founded in Calcutta in 1876. It was one of the most important pre-Congress nationalist organizations.

Its founders were Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose. The association aimed to create strong public opinion on political questions and to unify Indian people on a common political program. It launched agitations on issues like the reduction of the age limit for the Indian Civil Service examination.

Surendranath Banerjee (1848–1925) was a major figure in early Indian nationalism. He was also a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, twice serving as its President. He was often called 'Rashtraguru' (teacher of the nation).

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: 1 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: 2 and 3 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: 1, 2, and 3

Consider the following pairs: Radhakanta Deb - First President of the British Indian Association Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty - Founder of the Madras Mahajana Sabha Surendranath Banerjee - Founder of the Indian Association Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

Consider the following pairs:

Radhakanta Deb - First President of the British Indian Association

Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty - Founder of the Madras Mahajana Sabha

Surendranath Banerjee - Founder of the Indian Association
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?