SSC
'India Wins Freedom' is the autobiography of:
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Answer: Option A — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Detailed Solution
"India Wins Freedom" is the autobiographical narrative of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the freedom fighter and independent India's first Education Minister. It was published in 1959, a year after his death.
About the book:
- Azad dictated it in Urdu to Professor Humayun Kabir, who wrote it in English.
- It gives Azad's account of the freedom struggle from 1935 to 1948, including the Cripps Mission, the Quit India Movement, the Cabinet Mission, and the events that led to the Partition of India.
- It contains his frank views on leaders such as Nehru, Sardar Patel and Gandhi, and his opposition to Partition.
On Azad's instructions, about 30 pages were kept sealed for 30 years. The complete version, including these pages, was published in 1988 after a court ruling.
About Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888-1958):
- He was born in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia) and grew up in Calcutta.
- He started the Urdu weekly "Al-Hilal" in 1912, which was banned by the British, and later "Al-Balagh".
- He became the youngest President of the Indian National Congress in 1923 (Delhi special session), and was President again from 1940 to 1946.
He was India's first Minister of Education (1947-1958). He helped set up the University Grants Commission, the IITs, and the Sangeet Natak, Sahitya and Lalit Kala Akademis.
His birthday, 11 November, is celebrated as National Education Day.
He received the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1992.
His other works include "Ghubar-e-Khatir" (letters written in Ahmednagar Fort prison), "Tazkirah" and "Tarjuman-ul-Quran" (a commentary on the Quran).
Other leaders and their books:
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan ("Frontier Gandhi"): "My Life and Struggle"; first non-Indian Bharat Ratna (1987).
Dr. Zakir Husain: third President of India; co-founder of Jamia Millia Islamia.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan wrote "My Life and Struggle".
- ✗Rafi Ahmed Kidwai was a Congress leader and minister, not the author of this book.
Dr. Zakir Husain was India's third President.
Quick tip
Remember: "India Wins Freedom" (1959; dictated to Humayun Kabir; full text 1988) = Maulana Azad; also "Ghubar-e-Khatir"; first Education Minister; 11 November = National Education Day.
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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.