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The book 'Annihilation of Caste' was written by:
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Answer: Option C — B. R. Ambedkar
Detailed Solution
- Ambedkar. "Annihilation of Caste" is a text written by Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar in 1936.
About Annihilation of Caste:
It was originally written as a speech for the annual conference of the "Jat-Pat Todak Mandal" (a Hindu reformist group against caste) in Lahore in 1936.
When the organisers read the text in advance, they objected to parts of it, especially its criticism of Hindu scriptures, and asked him to change it. Ambedkar refused, and the conference was cancelled.
He then published the speech himself in May 1936.
In it, he argued that the caste system is not merely a division of labour but a division of labourers, that it is based on the authority of the Hindu shastras, and that real reform requires rejecting that authority.
Mahatma Gandhi responded in his journal "Harijan", and Ambedkar replied in later editions. This exchange is an important debate on caste in modern India.
A 2014 annotated edition included an introduction by Arundhati Roy, titled "The Doctor and the Saint".
About B. R. Ambedkar (1891-1956):
He was born on 14 April 1891 in Mhow (now Dr. Ambedkar Nagar), Madhya Pradesh.
He was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution and the first Law Minister of independent India.
His other works include "The Problem of the Rupee" (1923), "Who Were the Shudras?" (1946), "The Untouchables" (1948), "Thoughts on Linguistic States" and "The Buddha and His Dhamma" (published 1957).
He founded the newspapers "Mooknayak" (1920) and "Bahishkrit Bharat" (1927).
He led the Mahad Satyagraha (1927) for access to public water.
In 1956, he converted to Buddhism at Nagpur with hundreds of thousands of followers.
He received the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990.
Other anti-caste writers:
- Jyotirao Phule: "Gulamgiri" (1873); founded the Satyashodhak Samaj.
- Periyar: Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu.
- Narayana Guru: Kerala reformer.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Jyotirao Phule wrote "Gulamgiri".
- ✗Periyar led the Self-Respect Movement.
- ✗Narayana Guru reformed caste practices in Kerala.
Quick tip
Remember: "Annihilation of Caste" (1936, undelivered Lahore speech for Jat-Pat Todak Mandal) = B. R. Ambedkar; "Gulamgiri" = Jyotirao Phule.
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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.