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Q16 (IAS/2021) History & Culture › National Movement (1857–1947) › Nationalist ideology and thought Official Key

With reference to Madanapalle of Andhra Pradesh, which one of the following statements is correct?

Result
Your answer:  ·  Correct: C
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.
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to Madanapalle of Andhra Pradesh, which one of the following statements is correct? [A] Pingali Venkayya designed the tri…
At a glance
Origin: Mixed / unclear origin Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 0/10
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This 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.

How this question is built

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?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Nationalism in India > 4 The Sense of Collective Belonging > p. 48
Strength: 4/5
“revival. In Madras, Natesa Sastri published a massive four-volume collection of Tamil folk tales,The Folklore of Southern India. He believed that folklore was national literature; it was 'the most trustworthy manifestation of people's real thoughts and characteristics'. As the national movement developed, nationalist leaders became more and more aware of such icons and symbols in unifying people and inspiring in them a feeling of nationalism. During the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, a tricolour flag (red, green and yellow) was designed. It had eight lotuses representing eight provinces of British India, and a crescent moon, representing Hindus and Muslims. By 1921, Gandhiji had designed the Swaraj flag.”
Why relevant

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.

How to extend

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.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART III, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 12: FRAMING THE CONSTITUTION > 1.2 The dominant voices > p. 320
Strength: 5/5
“The Constituent Assembly had 300 members. Of these, six members played particularly important roles. Three were representatives of the Congress, namely, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabh Bhai Patel and Rajendra Prasad. It was Nehru who moved the crucial "Objectives Resolution", as well as the resolution proposing that the National Flag of India be a "horizontal tricolour of saffron, white and dark green in equal proportion", with a wheel in navy blue at the centre. Patel, on the other hand, worked mostly behind the scenes, playing a key role in the drafting of several reports, and working to reconcile opposing points of view.”
Why relevant

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.

How to extend

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.

Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 19: Civil Disobedience Movement and Round Table Conferences > December 31, 1929 > p. 369
Strength: 3/5
“At midnight on the banks of River Ravi, the newly adopted tricolour flag of freedom was hoisted by Jawaharlal Nehru amidst slogans of Inquilab Zindabad.”
Why relevant

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.

How to extend

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.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 92: World Constitutions > PART I GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIONAL FLAG > p. 731
Strength: 4/5
“PART I-GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIONAL FLAG .1 The national flag shall be a tri--colour panel made up of three rectangular panels or sub-panels of equal widths. The colour The top panel shall be India saffron (kesari) and the bottom panel shall be India green. The middle panel shall be white, bearing at its centre the design of Ashoka Chakra in navy blue color with 24 equally spaced spokes. The Ashoka Chakra shall preferably be screen printed or otherwise printed or stenciled or suitably embroidered and shall be completely visible on both sides of the flag in the center of the white panel. • 1.2 The national flag shall be made of hand spun and hand woven or machine made, cotton/ polyester/wool/silk/khadi bunting. • 1.3 The national flag shall be rectangular in shape.”
Why relevant

Gives the official modern specifications of the national flag (colour order, Ashoka Chakra, proportions), highlighting differences a claimed earlier design must be compared against.

How to extend

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.

Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 14: The State Legislature > New States added since 1950 > p. 293
Strength: 3/5
“Apart from those States which have merely changed their names (eg, Madrali has changed its name to Tamil Nadu', Mysore to Karnataka; United Provinces was renamed Uttar Pradesh immediately after the adoption of the Constitution), there has been an addition of various items in the list of States in the First Schedule to the Constitution, by reason of which a brief note should be given as to the new items to make the reader familiar as to their identity. . Andhra Pradesh. The State of "Andhra" was created by the Andhra State Act, 1953, comprising certain areas taken out of the State of Madras, and it was renamed "Andhra Pradesh" by the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.”
Why relevant

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.

How to extend

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.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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