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Who is the author of 'Economy of Permanence'?
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Answer: Option C — J. C. Kumarappa
Detailed Solution
- Kumarappa. "Economy of Permanence" is a book by Joseph Cornelius Kumarappa (J. C. Kumarappa), the leading Gandhian economist. He wrote it while he was in prison in Jabalpur during the Quit India Movement, and it was published in 1945.
About the book:
It argues that a sustainable economy should follow the patterns of nature, which recycles everything and never wastes.
Kumarappa distinguished between the "economy of transience" (based on exploiting non-renewable resources such as coal and oil, which leads to conflict and war) and the "economy of permanence" (based on renewable resources, local production and cooperation).
He supported decentralised village industries, self-sufficiency, simple living and ecological balance.
The book is seen as an early work of ecological economics, and it influenced later thinkers.
The economist E. F. Schumacher, author of "Small Is Beautiful" (1973), was influenced by Gandhian economic ideas, and Kumarappa's work is often compared with his.
About J. C. Kumarappa (1892-1960):
- He was born in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, into a Christian family.
- He studied accountancy in London and economics at Columbia University, USA.
- After meeting Mahatma Gandhi in 1929, he devoted his life to Gandhian economics.
- He conducted a famous survey of rural economic conditions in Matar taluka, Gujarat.
- He served as Secretary of the All India Village Industries Association (AIVIA), founded by Gandhi in 1934-35 at Wardha.
- He is sometimes called the "Green Gandhian".
- He was imprisoned several times during the freedom struggle.
Other works on economics:
- F. Schumacher: "Small Is Beautiful".
- Dadabhai Naoroji: "Poverty and Un-British Rule in India".
- Mahatma Gandhi: "Hind Swaraj" (1909).
- Vinoba Bhave: led the Bhoodan (land gift) movement from 1951.
Why not the other options?
- ✗F. Schumacher wrote "Small Is Beautiful".
- ✗Dadabhai Naoroji wrote "Poverty and Un-British Rule in India".
- ✗Vinoba Bhave led the Bhoodan movement.
Quick tip
Remember: "Economy of Permanence" (1945, written in Jabalpur jail) = J. C. Kumarappa ("Green Gandhian"; All India Village Industries Association); "Small Is Beautiful" = E. F. Schumacher.
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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.