SSC
The ideal 'Oru jathi, oru matham, oru daivam manushyanu' (one caste, one religion, one God for humankind) was given by:
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Answer: Option A — Sree Narayana Guru
Detailed Solution
The famous saying "Oru jathi, oru matham, oru daivam manushyanu" ("One caste, one religion, one God for humankind") was given by Sree Narayana Guru, the great spiritual leader and social reformer of Kerala.
About Sree Narayana Guru (1856-1928):
- He was born in 1856 at Chempazhanthy, near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, in the Ezhava community, which was then treated as a lower caste.
- He studied Sanskrit, the Vedas and the Upanishads and lived as a wandering ascetic for some years.
In 1888, he consecrated a Shiva idol at Aruvippuram. This was a revolutionary act, as only Brahmins were allowed to consecrate idols. When challenged, he famously replied that he had consecrated "an Ezhava Shiva" ("our Shiva").
In 1903, the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam was founded under his guidance, with the poet Kumaran Asan as its first secretary and Dr. Palpu as one of its key organisers.
He founded the Sivagiri Mutt at Varkala, which is now an important pilgrimage centre.
He opposed caste discrimination and promoted education, cleanliness, industry and temple entry for all.
He supported the Vaikom Satyagraha (1924-25) for the right of lower castes to use the roads around the Vaikom temple.
Other famous sayings of his include "Ask not, say not, think not caste" and "Educate to be free; organise to be strong."
Mahatma Gandhi (1925) and Rabindranath Tagore (1922) visited him at Sivagiri.
His birthday, "Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti", is a public holiday in Kerala.
Other reformers of Kerala:
- Chattampi Swamikal: spiritual reformer; contemporary and friend of Narayana Guru.
- Ayyankali: fought for the rights of Dalits (Pulayas); led the "Villuvandi Yatra" (bullock-cart march) and an agricultural workers' strike.
- Vaikunda Swami: founded the "Samathuva Samajam" (in Travancore, now in Tamil Nadu).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Chattampi Swamikal was a contemporary spiritual reformer.
- ✗Ayyankali fought for the rights of Dalits.
- ✗Vaikunda Swami founded the Samathuva Samajam.
Quick tip
Remember: "One caste, one religion, one God for man" = Sree Narayana Guru (Aruvippuram 1888; SNDP Yogam 1903; Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala); Ayyankali = Villuvandi Yatra.
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Famous Personalities & Founders — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Famous Personalities & Founders, 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 personalities from India and the world: leaders, reformers, scientists, entrepreneurs and their nicknames, along with the founders of organisations, companies, institutions, religions and movements. Questions often use popular titles such as 'Iron Man of India' (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) or 'Nightingale of India' (Sarojini Naidu), or ask who founded an organisation, such as the Ramakrishna Mission (Swami Vivekananda). Grouping people by field and by title makes revision faster and helps you spot wrong options. Practise the famous personalities 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.