SSC
The famous essay 'Why I Am an Atheist' was written by:
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Answer: Option B — Bhagat Singh
Detailed Solution
"Why I Am an Atheist" is an essay written by the revolutionary Bhagat Singh in 1930, while he was in Lahore Central Jail. It was first published in "The People", a newspaper of Lahore, on 27 September 1931, after his execution.
About the essay:
- It was written in reply to a fellow prisoner, Baba Randhir Singh, who suggested that Bhagat Singh had become an atheist out of vanity and pride, and who urged him to believe in God before his death.
- Bhagat Singh explained that his atheism came from reading and rational thinking, not from pride.
- He questioned the existence of an all-powerful and kind God when there was so much suffering and injustice in the world.
- He wrote that he would face death without seeking comfort in religion.
- The essay is admired for its courage, clarity and logical arguments.
About Bhagat Singh (1907-1931):
- He was born on 28 September 1907 in Banga, Lyallpur district, Punjab (now in Pakistan).
- He was a leader of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), founded in 1928.
In 1928, he and his comrades killed the British police officer J. P. Saunders in Lahore, to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, who had died after a police lathi-charge during a protest against the Simon Commission.
On 8 April 1929, he and Batukeshwar Dutt threw harmless bombs in the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi and raised the slogan "Inquilab Zindabad".
He was hanged on 23 March 1931 in Lahore, along with Rajguru and Sukhdev. 23 March is observed as Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs' Day) in their memory.
His prison writings, known as the "Jail Notebook", show his deep reading of political and social thought.
Other revolutionaries:
- Chandrashekhar Azad: leader of the HSRA; died fighting at Alfred Park, Allahabad (1931).
- Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru: hanged with Bhagat Singh.
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy: rationalist and social reformer of Tamil Nadu; founded the Self-Respect Movement (1925).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Chandrashekhar Azad did not write this essay.
- ✗Periyar was a rationalist leader in Tamil Nadu, but this essay is Bhagat Singh's.
- ✗Sukhdev Thapar was hanged with Bhagat Singh but did not write this essay.
Quick tip
Remember: "Why I Am an Atheist" (1930, Lahore jail) = Bhagat Singh; also "Jail Notebook"; Assembly bomb 8 April 1929 with Batukeshwar Dutt; hanged 23 March 1931 with Rajguru and Sukhdev.
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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.