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Who wrote the famous Bengali novel 'Devdas'?
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Answer: Option A — Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Detailed Solution
"Devdas" is a Bengali novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, written in 1900 and published in 1917.
About the novel:
It tells the tragic love story of Devdas, the son of a rich landowner, and his childhood sweetheart Parvati (Paro), who belongs to a family of lower social status.
Because of family pride and class differences, they cannot marry. Paro is married to an older, wealthy widower.
Heartbroken, Devdas turns to alcohol and befriends Chandramukhi, a courtesan who loves him.
In the end, Devdas dies at the gate of Paro's house.
The novel became one of the most famous tragic love stories in Indian literature.
Film adaptations:
"Devdas" has been filmed many times in several languages. Famous versions include:
1935: directed by P. C. Barua, in Bengali and Hindi (with K. L. Saigal in the Hindi version).
1955: directed by Bimal Roy, with Dilip Kumar, Suchitra Sen and Vyjayanthimala.
2002: directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, with Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit.
2009: "Dev.D", a modern version by Anurag Kashyap.
About Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (1876-1938):
- He was born in Debanandapur, Hooghly district, West Bengal.
- He was one of the most popular Bengali novelists, known for his sympathetic portrayal of ordinary people, especially women, and his criticism of social injustice.
- He is called "Aparajeyo Kathashilpi" (the unconquerable storyteller).
- His other famous works include "Parineeta", "Biraj Bou", "Srikanta", "Charitraheen", "Grihadaha", "Palli Samaj", "Devdas" and "Pather Dabi". "Pather Dabi", about the revolutionary movement, was banned by the British.
Other Bengali novelists:
- Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay: "Anandamath", "Durgeshnandini".
- Rabindranath Tagore: "Gora", "Chokher Bali".
- Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay: "Pather Panchali".
Why not the other options?
- ✗Bankim Chandra wrote "Anandamath".
- ✗Rabindranath Tagore wrote "Gora".
- ✗Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay wrote "Pather Panchali".
Quick tip
Remember: "Devdas" (Devdas, Paro, Chandramukhi) = Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (also "Parineeta", "Srikanta", "Pather Dabi"); films 1935 (P. C. Barua), 1955 (Bimal Roy), 2002 (Bhansali).
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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.