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Question 26 of 66 · Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence
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Mahatma Gandhi was first addressed as the 'Father of the Nation' in a radio broadcast from Singapore in 1944 by:

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Answer: Option C — Subhas Chandra Bose

Detailed Solution

Subhas Chandra Bose was the first to address Mahatma Gandhi as the "Father of the Nation", in a radio broadcast from Singapore on 6 July 1944.

Context:

At that time, Bose was leading the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) and the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind), with the support of Japan.

In the broadcast, he sought Gandhi's blessings for the fight for India's independence, saying: "Father of our Nation! In this holy war for India's liberation, we ask for your blessings and good wishes."

This was remarkable because Bose and Gandhi had serious differences over methods; Bose had left the Congress in 1939 after his conflict with Gandhi.

Bose and Gandhi:

  • Bose was elected Congress President in 1938 (Haripura) and re-elected in 1939 (Tripuri), defeating Gandhi's candidate, Pattabhi Sitaramayya.
  • Gandhi said that Sitaramayya's defeat was "more my defeat than his".
  • Because of opposition from Gandhi's supporters in the Working Committee, Bose resigned as President and formed the Forward Bloc (1939).
  • In 1941, he escaped from house arrest in Calcutta and reached Germany, and later South-East Asia.

After Gandhi's death:

  • After Gandhi's assassination in 1948, Jawaharlal Nehru said, "The light has gone out of our lives", and Gandhi was widely referred to as the Father of the Nation.
  • The title "Father of the Nation" is not an official title conferred by the government, as the Constitution does not allow titles other than military and academic distinctions; but it is widely used.

Other titles of Gandhi:

"Bapu" (father): a popular name.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Nehru, Sarojini Naidu and Tagore used other words for Gandhi.

Quick tip

Remember: "Father of the Nation" for Gandhi = first used by Subhas Chandra Bose (radio broadcast from Singapore, 6 July 1944); Bose won the Tripuri election (1939) against Pattabhi Sitaramayya.

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Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Gandhian Era & Struggle for Independence, 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 the freedom struggle from Gandhi's return to India in 1915 to independence in 1947: the Champaran, Kheda and Ahmedabad movements, the Rowlatt Act and Jallianwala Bagh, the Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience and Quit India movements, the Round Table Conferences, the Cripps Mission, the Cabinet Mission and the partition of India. Most questions ask about the year, cause or result of a movement, or the event that ended it. For example, the Chauri Chaura incident (1922) led Gandhi to call off the Non-Cooperation Movement, and the Dandi March (1930) started the Civil Disobedience Movement. Learning these events on a timeline is the best way to avoid confusion. Practise the Gandhian era 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.

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