The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, an important political association of western India, was founded on 2 April of which year?

The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha ("Public Association of Poona") was founded on 2 April 1870 in Poona (Pune).

Founders:

It was founded by a group of leading citizens of Poona, including Ganesh Vasudeo Joshi ("Sarvajanik Kaka") and S. H. Chiplunkar, with the guidance of Mahadev Govind Ranade, who became its guiding spirit.

It grew out of an earlier committee set up to manage the affairs of the Parvati temple in Pune.

Its aims:

• To act as a link between the government and the people.
• To represent the grievances of the people to the government.
• To promote public awareness of political and social issues.

Its activities:

• It collected information on the condition of the peasants, and published a quarterly journal (from 1878) with articles on economic and political issues.
• It organised famine relief during the great famine of 1876-1877 in the Deccan.
• It sent a representative to the Delhi Durbar of 1877 to present a petition for Indian rights.
• It supported the demand for Indian representation in the legislative councils.
• It played an important role in the preparations for the Indian National Congress.

Later history:

• In 1895-96, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and his followers took control of the Sabha.
• The Moderates then formed a separate body of their own.

NCERT on political associations:

• NCERT notes that many political associations were formed in the 1870s and 1880s.
• Their aims were to promote public awareness, the idea of self-government, and to unite people.

Why not the other options?

• ✗1857, 1885 and 1905 were the years of other events.