During the first decade of the 20th century, the 'nerve centre' of Indian nationalism was:

During the first decade of the 20th century, Bengal was the "nerve centre" of Indian nationalism.

Why Bengal?

Bengal had a long tradition of political awareness, social reform and intellectual activity, going back to the Bengal Renaissance of the 19th century.

Calcutta was the capital of British India, and the centre of English education, newspapers and political associations.

Many important leaders of the early national movement were from Bengal.

The partition of Bengal (1905):

• NCERT notes that the British wanted to curtail the influence of Bengali politicians and to split the Bengali people.
• The partition was announced in July 1905 and came into effect on 16 October 1905.
• NCERT notes that Bengal was then the nerve centre of Indian nationalism, and the partition was seen as an attempt to weaken it.

The Swadeshi Movement:

• The partition led to the Swadeshi Movement, which spread across Bengal and to other parts of India.
• People boycotted British goods, especially cloth, and used Indian (Swadeshi) goods.
• National schools and colleges were set up, and Indian industries, such as textile mills, banks and soap factories, were started.
• Songs, poems and plays inspired patriotism; Rabindranath Tagore wrote several songs for the movement.

Leaders:

Surendranath Banerjea (Moderate), Bipin Chandra Pal and Aurobindo Ghosh (Extremists) were important leaders.

Revolutionary groups:

Revolutionary groups, such as the Anushilan Samiti and Yugantar, became active in Bengal.

Result:

The partition was annulled in 1911, though the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.

Later:

After 1911, the centre of nationalist activity shifted, and in the Gandhian era, the national movement became an all-India mass movement.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Punjab, Maharashtra and Madras were also important centres, but Bengal was the nerve centre in this period.