SSC
'The East and the West' (Prachya o Paschatya) was written by:
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Answer: Option D — Swami Vivekananda
Detailed Solution
"The East and the West" (originally "Prachya o Paschatya" in Bengali) is a book by Swami Vivekananda, first published in the magazine "Udbodhan" around 1900 and later as a book.
About the book:
- It compares the cultures, customs, ideals and ways of life of India (the East) and the Western countries.
- Vivekananda praised the spirituality of India and the energy, organisation and practical spirit of the West, and argued that each could learn from the other.
- He also criticised blind imitation of the West as well as the weaknesses and superstitions in Indian society.
About Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902):
He was born Narendranath Datta in Calcutta on 12 January 1863. His birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day in India.
He was the chief disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
He became famous after his speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago on 11 September 1893, which began with "Sisters and Brothers of America".
He founded the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897 and the Belur Math near Kolkata.
He travelled widely in India as a wandering monk and meditated at the rock off Kanyakumari (now the Vivekananda Rock Memorial).
His major works include "Raja Yoga" (1896), "Karma Yoga", "Bhakti Yoga", "Jnana Yoga", "My Master" (about Ramakrishna) and "Lectures from Colombo to Almora".
He died at the age of 39 on 4 July 1902 at Belur Math.
Other writers on East and West:
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy: founder of the Brahmo Samaj (1828); wrote "Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin".
- Rabindranath Tagore: "Nationalism" (1917) and "The Religion of Man".
- Sri Aurobindo: "The Life Divine" and "The Renaissance in India".
Why not the other options?
- ✗Raja Ram Mohan Roy wrote "Tuhfat-ul-Muwahhidin" and founded the Brahmo Samaj.
- ✗Rabindranath Tagore wrote "Nationalism".
- ✗Sri Aurobindo wrote "The Life Divine".
Quick tip
Remember: "The East and the West" (Prachya o Paschatya) = Swami Vivekananda; also "Raja Yoga" and "My Master"; Chicago speech 1893; Ramakrishna Mission 1897.
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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.