Question map
With reference to Madanapalle of Andhra Pradesh, which one of the following statements is correct?
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 3. Madanapalle, located in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, holds immense historical significance in the context of India's national identity.
In early 1919, Rabindranath Tagore visited the Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalle. During his stay, he translated the lyrics of "Jana Gana Mana" from Bengali to English, titling it "The Morning Song of India." Crucially, it was here that he, along with Margaret Cousins (the college vice-principal's wife), set the anthem to the musical tune that is used today.
Regarding other options:
- Option 1: Pingali Venkayya presented his flag design to Gandhi during the Bezwada (Vijayawada) session, not Madanapalle.
- Option 2: Pattabhi Sitaramaiah operated primarily from the Machilipatnam/Krishna region.
- Option 4: The Theosophical Society's headquarters were established in Adyar, Madras (Chennai), in 1882, not Madanapalle.
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a classic 'Centenary Trap' disguised as a static question. The event (Tagore's translation) occurred in 1919, making the 2019-2021 period its centenary celebration. While standard books miss this specific location, it was widely covered in 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' features.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Did Pingali Venkayya design the Indian tricolour national flag in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh?
- Statement 2: Did Pattabhi Sitaramaiah lead the Quit India Movement of the Andhra region from Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh?
- Statement 3: Did Rabindranath Tagore translate the Indian National Anthem from Bengali into English in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh?
- Statement 4: Did Helena (Madame) Blavatsky and Colonel H. S. Olcott establish the headquarters of the Theosophical Society first in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh?
Says different tricolour flags were designed during the freedom movement and that Gandhiji had designed a Swaraj flag by 1921, indicating multiple earlier flag designs and designers existed before the later official flag.
A student could use this to infer that attribution of the currently recognised tricolour may be contested or involve earlier prototypes and then check timelines and individual claims (e.g., Pingali Venkayya) against 1921 and later developments.
Records the Constituent Assembly resolution specifying a horizontal tricolour (saffron, white, dark green) with a wheel, showing the final official design was a formal adoption process distinct from earlier versions.
A student could compare the Constituent Assembly's description and date with claims about where/when Pingali proposed his design to see if his design matches or predates the Assembly's decision.
Notes a tricolour flag of freedom being hoisted in 1929, showing public use of tricolours before formal adoption and multiple events/places associated with the flag.
Use this to check whether Pingali's claimed design was the flag used in 1929 or whether other versions were in circulation, and to place possible designers in a chronological/public context.
Gives the official modern specifications of the national flag (colour order, Ashoka Chakra, proportions), highlighting differences a claimed earlier design must be compared against.
Compare any claim about Pingali's design (colors, wheel, proportions) to these specifications to judge whether his design corresponds to the ultimately adopted flag or to an earlier variant.
Describes Andhra/Andhra Pradesh as an administrative entity created post‑Independence, implying that places now in Andhra Pradesh (like Madanapalle) may have been in different provinces historically.
A student could use a historical map or basic administrative-history facts to check whether Madanapalle lay in the Madras Presidency or another unit at the time of the alleged design, to test the geographic claim.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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