SSC
'Beyond the Lines' (autobiography) and 'Without Fear' (on Bhagat Singh) were written by:
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Answer: Option A — Kuldip Nayar
Detailed Solution
"Beyond the Lines: An Autobiography" (2012) and "Without Fear: The Life and Trial of Bhagat Singh" (2007) are books by the veteran Indian journalist Kuldip Nayar.
About the books:
"Beyond the Lines" describes Nayar's life from his childhood in Sialkot (now in Pakistan), the Partition of India, which forced his family to migrate, and his long career as a journalist. It gives his views on Indian Prime Ministers from Nehru to Manmohan Singh and on major events such as the Emergency.
"Without Fear" is a biography of the revolutionary Bhagat Singh, describing his ideas and his trial.
About Kuldip Nayar (1923-2018):
- He began his career in Urdu journalism with the newspaper "Anjam" and later worked for the United News of India and "The Statesman".
- He was editor of "The Indian Express" and wrote a widely syndicated column called "Between the Lines".
- During the Emergency (1975-77), he was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for opposing press censorship.
- He was India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (1990) and a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha (1997).
He was a strong supporter of human rights, press freedom and peace between India and Pakistan. He led candle-light vigils at the Wagah border on the night of 14-15 August.
He received the Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement Award (2015).
His other books include "India After Nehru", "The Judgement" (on the Emergency) and "Emergency Retold".
Other well-known Indian journalists and writers:
- Khushwant Singh: "Truth, Love and a Little Malice" (autobiography).
- Arun Shourie: "Worshipping False Gods", "Eminent Historians".
- Prem Shankar Jha: books on economics and Kashmir.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Khushwant Singh's autobiography is "Truth, Love and a Little Malice".
- ✗Arun Shourie wrote "Worshipping False Gods".
- ✗Prem Shankar Jha wrote on economics and Kashmir, not these books.
Quick tip
Remember: Kuldip Nayar = "Beyond the Lines" (autobiography, 2012), "Without Fear" (Bhagat Singh, 2007), column "Between the Lines"; jailed during the Emergency; High Commissioner to UK (1990).
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Books & Authors — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.