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Question 83 of 236 · Books & Authors
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Jawaharlal Nehru wrote 'The Discovery of India' while he was imprisoned at:

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Answer: Option C — Ahmednagar Fort

Detailed Solution

Jawaharlal Nehru wrote "The Discovery of India" during his imprisonment in Ahmednagar Fort, Maharashtra, from 1942 to 1945, after the Congress leaders were arrested at the start of the Quit India Movement. The book was published in 1946.

About the book:

  • It was written in about five months (April to September 1944).
  • It presents Nehru's view of India's history, philosophy and culture, from the Indus Valley Civilisation, the Vedas and the Upanishads to the Mughal period, British rule and the freedom movement.
  • It reflects his idea of India as a land of "unity in diversity", where many cultures have blended over thousands of years.
  • It was the basis of the Doordarshan television series "Bharat Ek Khoj" (1988), directed by Shyam Benegal.

Other Congress leaders imprisoned at Ahmednagar Fort (1942-45) included Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Govind Ballabh Pant, Acharya Kripalani and others. Azad wrote "Ghubar-e-Khatir" (letters) there.

Nehru's other books:

  • "An Autobiography" (1936), also called "Toward Freedom".
  • "Glimpses of World History" (1934), letters to Indira from prison.
  • "Letters from a Father to His Daughter" (1929).

Other famous books written in prison:

  • Bal Gangadhar Tilak: "Gita Rahasya", written in Mandalay Jail, Burma (1908-1914).
  • Mahatma Gandhi spent time in Yerawada Jail, Pune, where the Poona Pact (1932) was signed.
  • Bhagat Singh's "Jail Notebook" and essay "Why I Am an Atheist" were written in Lahore Central Jail.
  • D. Savarkar was imprisoned in the Cellular Jail, Andaman, and wrote poetry there.
  • Adolf Hitler wrote "Mein Kampf" in Landsberg Prison.
  • Nelson Mandela wrote part of "Long Walk to Freedom" secretly on Robben Island.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Mandalay Jail (Burma) is where Tilak wrote "Gita Rahasya".
  • ✗Yerawada Jail (Pune) is where Gandhi was imprisoned and the Poona Pact was signed.

Cellular Jail (Port Blair) is where V. D. Savarkar and other revolutionaries were imprisoned.

Quick tip

Remember: "The Discovery of India" = written by Nehru in Ahmednagar Fort (1944, published 1946; TV series "Bharat Ek Khoj"); "Gita Rahasya" = Tilak in Mandalay Jail; "Ghubar-e-Khatir" = Azad in Ahmednagar.

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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.

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