Question map
Consider the following pairs : 1. Radhakanta Deb - First President of the British Indian Association 2. Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty - Founder of the Madras Mahajana Sabha 3. Surendranath Banerjee - Founder of the Indian Association Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched ?
Explanation
The correct answer is option B (pairs 1 and 3 only).
Radhakanta Deb was one of the founders of the Landholder's Society[1], which merged with the Bengal British India Society in 1851 to form the British Indian Association[2]. As a founding member of the predecessor organization, he became the first President of the British Indian Association, making pair 1 correct.
Surendranath Banerjee, along with Ananda Mohan Bose, founded the Indian Association of Calcutta in 1876[3], making pair 3 correct.
However, pair 2 is incorrect. Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty was associated with the Madras Native Association[5] (founded in 1852), not the Madras Mahajana Sabha. These were different organizations, and he is not credited with founding the Madras Mahajana Sabha.
Therefore, only pairs 1 and 3 are correctly matched.
Sources- [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India ✫ 245 > p. 245
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a classic 'Pre-Congress Associations' question testing memory of specific founders versus general eras. While Pair 3 is a standard textbook fact, Pair 2 relies on a 'Chronological Swap' trap (1852 leader vs 1884 organization). Pair 1 is the differentiator, requiring knowledge of specific office-bearers (President vs Secretary) in early landlord societies.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: In British India, was Radhakanta Deb the first president of the British Indian Association?
- Statement 2: In the context of Indian political organizations, was Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty the founder of the Madras Mahajana Sabha?
- Statement 3: Was Surendranath Banerjee a founder of the Indian Association in British India?
States that in 1851 the Landholders' Society and the Bengal British Indian Society merged into the British Indian Association, giving the association's origin, date, and Bengal regional base.
A student can use the 1851 founding and Bengal focus to consult Bengal-era lists of office-holders (newspapers, minutes, or biographical registers) to see who served as its first president.
Says the Indian Association formed in 1876 by younger Bengal nationalists because they were discontented with the "conservative and pro-landlord policies of the British Indian Association."
A student can infer the British Indian Association was led by conservative/landlord elements and therefore seek prominent Bengal aristocrats (candidate names) as likely early presidents.
Explains early political associations were dominated by wealthy and aristocratic elements and were local/regional in character.
Knowing this pattern, a student could test whether Radhakanta Deb—if known from outside sources as a prominent Bengal aristocrat—fits the typical profile of early leaders of the British Indian Association.
Lists early associations (Landholders' Society, Bengal British Indian Society) that preceded the British Indian Association, highlighting continuity of elite regional organisations in Bengal.
A student could trace leadership continuity from those predecessor bodies into the merged British Indian Association to identify inaugural officers.
Describes formation of Indian/East India type associations by named leaders (e.g., Dadabhai Naoroji), illustrating that leaders' names are typically recorded and can be checked.
Use this pattern (prominent individuals recorded as founders/presidents) to justify searching primary lists or contemporary accounts for the first president of the British Indian Association and verify if Radhakanta Deb appears.
- Explicitly names Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty as founder of the Madras Native Association (1852/Madras), not the Madras Mahajana Sabha.
- This indicates the source attributes Chetty’s founding role to a different Madras organization, contradicting the claim that he founded the Madras Mahajana Sabha.
- Repeats the same listing that assigns Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty to the Madras Native Association rather than the Madras Mahajana Sabha.
- Reinforces that available web passages attribute Chetty’s role to the Madras Native Association, not the Mahajana Sabha.
Gives the inaugural meeting date (16 May 1884) and lists prominent participants (G. Subramaniam, Viraraghavachari, Ananda Charlu, Rangiah, Balaji Rao, Salem Ramaswamy) without mentioning Gazulu/Gajula.
A student could compare this participant list to independent lists of founders to see if Gazulu/Gajula appears among founders or only among earlier activists.
Explicitly names founders of the Madras Mahajan Sabha (M. Viraraghavachari, B. Subramaniya Aiyer and P. Anandacharlu), providing a concrete founder list that omits Gazulu/Gajula.
Use the named founders as a checklist; verify from other reference works whether Gazulu/Gajula is ever listed as a founder or only connected to other organizations.
Describes Gajula (Gazulu) Lakshminarasu as the inspirer/founder of the Madras Native Association (1852), a distinct earlier organisation.
Note the temporal and organisational distinction (MNA 1852 vs MMS 1884) and check whether Gazulu's activity is linked to MMS or only to the earlier MNA.
Summarises that modern intelligentsia formed organisations like the Madras Native Association (1852), Madras Mahajana Sabha (1884) and INC (1885), implicitly treating MNA and MMS as separate entities.
A student can use this rule-of-thumb separation to suspect that leaders of MNA (including Gazulu) need not be founders of MMS and should be checked separately.
Contains an exam-style prompt asking to 'Name the prominent participants in the inaugural meeting of Madras Mahajana Sabha held in May 1884', indicating there is a standard, recallable roster for that meeting.
A student could use that standard roster to cross-check whether Gazulu/Gajula is conventionally listed among inaugural participants or founders.
- Explicitly states the Indian Association of Calcutta was founded in 1876 by younger nationalists of Bengal led by Surendranath Banerjea and Ananda Mohan Bose.
- Identifies Surendranath Banerjea as a leader of the founding group, directly linking him to the association's creation.
- Describes Surendranath Banerjee's active role (touring 1877–78) in building public opinion connected with the Indian Association's activities.
- Shows his leadership in campaigns conducted by the Indian Association, corroborating his central role in the organisation.
- [THE VERDICT]: Moderate. Pair 3 is a Sitter (Spectrum/NCERT). Pair 2 is a classic Trap (swapping Madras Native Assoc. with Madras Mahajana Sabha). Pair 1 is the tough fact (Radhakanta Deb as President).
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: The 'Growth of Modern Nationalism' chapter—specifically the table of Political Associations before 1885.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the Regional Triads: (1) Bengal: Landholders' Society (1838), British Indian Assoc. (1851, R. Deb), Indian Assoc. (1876, S.N. Banerjee). (2) Bombay: Bombay Assoc. (1852, Naoroji), Bombay Presidency Assoc. (1885, Mehta/Telang/Tyabji). (3) Madras: Madras Native Assoc. (1852, Gazulu Chetty), Madras Mahajana Sabha (1884, Anandacharlu/Viraraghavachari).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Don't just memorize names; map them to 'Class Character'. Early groups (1830s-50s) were Landlord-dominated (Radhakanta Deb). Later groups (1870s-80s) were Middle-class/Intelligentsia (S.N. Banerjee, Anandacharlu). If a question pairs an 1850s aristocrat with an 1880s mass organization, it's false.
The provided references describe the merger (1851) of earlier societies that formed the British Indian Association and its early activities.
High-yield for UPSC history: knowing formation dates, predecessor organisations, and core demands helps answer questions on early political mobilisation and continuity before the INC. Connects to topics on Bengal’s political organisations and petitioning the British Parliament. Study strategy: memorise key formations, dates, and representative demands to differentiate similar organisations in MCQs and mains.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Political Associations in Bengal > p. 244
References list early associations (Landholders' Society, Bengal British Indian Society) that preceded and influenced later bodies like the British Indian Association and eventually the INC.
Important for framing the evolution of organised politics in India—helps answer essay and prelim/comparative questions on continuity from localized associations to all-India platforms. Links to socio-economic bases of these groups and to later nationalist leadership patterns.
- Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 12: Growth of New India—The Nationalist Movement 1858—1905 > Predecessors of the Indian National Congress > p. 204
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Political Associations in Bengal > p. 244
Evidence notes these associations were mostly regional/local, dominated by landlords/elite, and pursued administrative and economic demands.
Useful to distinguish phases of nationalist politics in prelims and mains: elite-led petitioning era vs mass politics of later decades. Enables structured answers explaining why early associations had limited popular reach and how that shaped later organisation-building.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Political Associations Before the Indian National Congress > p. 243
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Political Associations in Bengal > p. 244
References link Gajula/Gazulu Lakshminarasu to the Madras Native Association (1852), while the Madras Mahajana Sabha is shown as a separate organisation formed in 1884.
High-yield for UPSC: many questions test chronology and correct attribution of early political organisations. Mastering this prevents confusion between similarly named bodies and their leaders; it connects to broader topics on the rise of political associations and the growth of nationalist activity in the Presidency.
- History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > a) Madras Native Association > p. 7
- History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > b) Madras Mahajana Sabha (MMS) > p. 8
- History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > Summary > p. 12
References explicitly list the founders/leading participants of the Madras Mahajana Sabha (e.g., M. Viraraghavachari, B. Subramaniya Aiyer, P. Anandacharlu; G. Subramaniam, Viraraghavachari, Ananda Charlu).
Directly useful for prelims and mains: questions often ask founders or key members of regional political organisations. Understanding these names also helps link local leadership to later national movements and political networks.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Political Associations in Madras > p. 245
- History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > b) Madras Mahajana Sabha (MMS) > p. 8
References present a sequence: Madras Native Association (1852) → Madras Mahajana Sabha (1884) → Indian National Congress (1885).
Important for framing answers on the emergence of modern nationalism: shows evolution from local associations to all-India bodies, useful for essays and structured answers. Helps correlate dates, causes, and institutional developments in the rise of political consciousness.
- History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > a) Madras Native Association > p. 7
- History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > Summary > p. 12
- History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > c) Indian National Congress (INC) > p. 10
Reference [1] names the Indian Association (1876) and states its founders and aims, directly relevant to the founding question.
High-yield for UPSC: questions frequently ask about precursor organisations to the INC, their founding years, founders, and objectives. Understanding this helps answer timeline, cause-effect, and organisation-based questions and links to broader themes of early nationalist mobilization.
- Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 10: Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India > Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India ✫ 245 > p. 245
The 'Indian League' (1875) founded by Sisir Kumar Ghosh. It was short-lived and superseded by the Indian Association (1876). UPSC often swaps Sisir Kumar Ghosh with S.N. Banerjee to confuse the timeline of Bengal associations.
Chronological Intuition: Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty (Pair 2) is an 'Early Phase' name (associated with the post-1857 grievances). 'Mahajana Sabha' (Great People's Assembly) is a 'Later Phase' (1880s) nomenclature style. A pioneer name paired with a pre-Congress era institution is a likely mismatch. If you eliminate Pair 2, you are left with A or B. Since Pair 3 (S.N. Banerjee) is the most famous fact in the chapter, it must be true. Thus, Option B.
Mains GS1 (History): Use this evolution to argue the shift from 'Class Interests' (Landholders' Society protecting zamindars) to 'National Interests' (Indian Association demanding Civil Service reform). This transition is the foundational argument for the birth of the INC.