Question map
Which of the following correctly describes the aim of the Servants of India Society?
Explanation
The Servants of India Society was founded by Gopal Krishna Gokhale in 1905 with the primary objective of training 'national missionaries' for the service of India [1][t2]. Gokhale believed that nation-building required a specially trained agency of selfless workers who would devote their lives to the country's cause in a religious spirit [c1][t2]. These members, often university graduates, were equipped to promote the true interests of the Indian people through constitutional means and social welfare work [c2][t4]. The society functioned as an elite band of workers who took vows of renunciation to serve the motherland without seeking personal advantage [t4][t8]. While it assisted in educational and social reforms, its core identity was a group of men trained and equipped for dedicated service to the nation, rather than a Marxist labor union or a militant independence struggle organization [c1][t2][t6].
Sources
- [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 9: A General Survey of Socio-Cultural Reform Movements > The Servants of India Society > p. 216