SSC
Who wrote the book 'Gulamgiri' (Slavery) in 1873?
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Answer: Option C — Jyotirao Phule
Detailed Solution
"Gulamgiri" ("Slavery") is a book written in Marathi by the social reformer Jyotirao Govindrao Phule and published in 1873.
About Gulamgiri:
- It attacks the caste system and the domination of the lower castes by the Brahmins, which Phule compared to slavery.
- Phule dedicated the book to the people of the United States who had fought to abolish the slavery of Black people, drawing a parallel between racial slavery in America and caste oppression in India.
- It reinterprets myths, for example presenting King Bali as a just ruler of the original inhabitants who was defeated by deception.
- It is written in the form of dialogues and is regarded as one of the foundational texts of the anti-caste movement.
About Jyotirao Phule (1827-1890):
He was born in Satara district, Maharashtra, into the Mali (gardener) community.
With his wife, Savitribai Phule, he opened the first school for girls run by Indians, at Bhidewada in Pune in 1848. Savitribai is regarded as India's first woman teacher.
He opened schools for children of the "untouchable" castes and a home to prevent infanticide among widows.
On 24 September 1873, he founded the "Satyashodhak Samaj" (Society of Truth Seekers) to fight caste discrimination and promote rational thinking.
In 1888, he was given the title "Mahatma" by social worker Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar in Mumbai.
His other works include "Shetkaryacha Asud" ("The Cultivator's Whipcord", 1881), about the exploitation of farmers, and "Tritiya Ratna" (a play).
- R. Ambedkar regarded Phule as one of his three gurus, along with the Buddha and Kabir.
Other anti-caste reformers and their works:
- R. Ambedkar: "Annihilation of Caste" (1936), "Who Were the Shudras?".
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy: Self-Respect Movement (1925) in Tamil Nadu.
Sree Narayana Guru: "One caste, one religion, one God for man" (Kerala).
Why not the other options?
- ✗R. Ambedkar wrote "Annihilation of Caste".
- ✗Periyar started the Self-Respect Movement.
- ✗Sree Narayana Guru led the reform movement in Kerala.
Quick tip
Remember: "Gulamgiri" (1873) = Jyotirao Phule, dedicated to Americans who fought slavery; Satyashodhak Samaj (1873); first girls' school (Pune, 1848) with Savitribai; "Annihilation of Caste" = Ambedkar.
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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.