[GK/Hist] Guru Gobind Singh

·       Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru, was born as Gobind Rai in Patna on December 22, 1666. He was a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. Gobind Singh was the only son of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh guru, and Mata Gujri.

·       He was born in Patna (Bihar) while his father was visiting Bengal and Assam. His birth name was Gobind Rai, and a shrine named Takht Sri Patna Harimandar Sahib marks the site of the house where he was born and spent the first four years of his life.

·       He was anointed as the spiritual leader of the Sikhs at the mere age of nine and is the tenth Sikh Guru. He was the last of the living Sikh Gurus. His four sons died during his lifetime in Mughal-Sikh wars, two in battle, two executed by the Mughal army.

·       Guru Gobind Singh is known to have initiated the five ‘K’s that the Sikhs devotedly abide by. These include:

ü Kesh: uncut hair

ü Kangha: a wooden comb

ü Kara: an iron or steel bracelet worn on the wrist

ü Kirpan: a sword

Kacchera: short breeches

[CA] 350th anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh

350th Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti was celebrated across the world on January 5, 2017.Marking the occasion, a huge festival known as Prakash Utsav also known as Prakash Parv has been organized in Patna, Bihar– the birth place of the Guru.

·       The festival which is celebrated every year in Patna is attended by nearly 5 lakh devotees each year. The festival has been organized at the city’s iconic, sprawling Gandhi Maidan.

·       Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi attended the Prakash Utsav. The Bihar government announced a three-day holiday for the event at Takht Harmandir Sahib from January 3 to January 5, 2017.

·       A makeshift Gurudwara has been set up at Gandhi Maidan. The Holy Gurugranth Sahib has been installed in view of Prakash Parv celebrations.

·       The ceremony was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, ministers and other dignitaries from the state. A large number of Sikhs from India and abroad are participating in the week-long festival.

Commemorative Postage stamp

Prime Minister Mr. Modi released a commemorative postage stamp to mark the occasion of 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh.

Committee Formed for the Celebration

·       Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal held a detailed discussions  regarding the celebrations of the mega event with Shiromani Akali Dal President and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) Avtar Singh and the president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) Manjit Singh G.K.

·       After the meeting a high-powered committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Punjab chief minister, with Deputy chief minister, president SGPC, and president DSGMC, besides eminent Sikh scholars and intellectuals as its members to work out the modalities for the commemoration of this historic occasion with religious fervour, enthusiasm and devotion.

·       The Bihar chief minister told that nearly 75 acres of land had already been identified in Patna for the setting up of a ‘tented city’ for the celebrations in view of the expected massive participation of Sikhs from not only different parts of the country but from across the world.

[CA/Hist] Savitribai Phule

A trailblazing figure in field of women’s education in India, Savitribai Phule is the subject of Tuesday’s (Jan 03, 2017) Google Doodle on the occasion of her 186th birthday.

·        Born in Naigaon in Maharashtra on January 3, 1831, Phule is widely regarded as one of India’s first generation modern feminists for her significant contributions in ensuring equal education opportunities under the British raj.

·        She became the first female teacher in India in 1848 and opened a school for girls along with her husband, social reformer Jyotirao Phule. The two also worked against discrimination based on caste-based identity, something vehemently opposed by the orthodox sections of society in Pune.

·        She went on to establish a shelter for widows in 1854 which she further built on in 1864 to also accommodate destitute women and child brides cast aside by their families.

·        Phule also played a pivotal role in directing the work of the Satyashodhak Samaj, formed by her husband with the objective to achieve equal rights for the marginalised lower castes. She took over the reins of the organisation after Jyotirao’s death in 1890.

·        Savitribai opened a clinic in 1897 for victims of the bubonic plague that spread across Maharashtra just before the turn of the century.

·        In her honour, University of Pune was renamed Savitribai Phule University in 2014.

[QandA] History - Mains Mock Questions

TNPSC Group I Mains Mock Questions – HISTORY     INDIAN HISTORY GS – INDIAN HISTORY Register No INDIAN HISTORY Paper – I Duration: 3 Hours Max. Marks: 300 General Instructions to the Candidates: i) This Question Paper is descriptive type in Degree Standard ii) Candidates should write their Register Numbers in the space provided for in the main answer-book only and should not write anywhere else iii) Candidates must write the correct number of the question and sub-question. Failure to do so will entail loss of credit for the answer. iv) There is no reservation of marks for neatness of execution and correctness of spelling in respect of this paper. SECTION – A (Very Short Answer Type) Note: i) Answer not exceeding 30 words each ii) Each question carries three marks. iii) Answer any thirty questions out of the thirty five questions 30 * 3 = 90 1. Who is Debendranath Tagore? 2. What is Tatvadhodini Sabha? 3. What is Sati? 4. Chola architecture 5. Sarda Act 6. Ilbert Bill 7. Sangam Literature 8. Fort William College 9. William Jones 10. Brahmagupta 11. Gandhara School of Art 12. Granth Sahib 13. Tantia Tope 14. Prarthana Samaj 15. T. Prakasam 16. Contribution of Velu Natchiyar to Tamil Nadu 17. Theeran Chinnamalai 18. Dandi March 19. Keshab Chandra Sen 20. Al - Hilal 21. Saranath Pillar 22. Mahayana Cult 23. Jyotirao Phule 24. Sir Thomas Roe 25. Peacock Throne 26. Lala Hara Dayal 27. Vaikom Satyagraha 28. Three books written by Raja Ram Mohan Roy 29. Egmore Faction 30. Justice Party 31. Muthulakshmi Reddy 32. Chadar Party 33. The Deccan Education Society 34. List the classical dance forms of India as per the Sangeet Natak Akademi 35. Kohinoor Diamond SECTION – B (Brief Answer Type) Note: i) Answer not exceeding 120 words each ii) Each question carries eight marks. iii) Answer any fifteen questions out of the eighteen questions. 15 * 8 = 120 36. Trace the formation of the Swaraj Party. What were its demands? 37. How did Nehru's plan for modernization make rapid stride during the decade 1951 − 61? 38. Discuss the aims and objects of the Khilafat Movement. To what extent was it successful? 39. Why did Gandhi launch the Salt Satyagraha in 1930 and with what results? 40. Contribution of Kalyana Sundaranar to Tamil Nadu 41. Trace the growth of the Indian Home Rule Movement in Britain. 42. Evaluate the attitudes of different political parties towards Quit India Movement 43. Bring out the ideological basis of the Moderate-Extermist divide in the Indian National Congress. 44. Discuss the character of major tribal uprisings in British India in the nineteenth Century. 45. Write a note on the Theosophical Society. 46. Discuss the main findings of the Hartog Committee (1929). 47. Evaluate Subhas Chandra Bose's contribution to India's freedom. 48. Why and how did the Congress come to accept the partition of the country? 49. Importance of Government of India Act, 1935 50. Simon Commission 51. Explain the contribution of Bhagat Singh to the cause of India's Struggle of independence SECTION – C (Detailed Answer Type) Note: i) Answer not exceeding 250 words each ii) Each question carries fifteen marks. iii) Answer any six questions out of the nine questions. 6 * 15 = 90 54. How could the local self-government under the Cholas adjust with their centralised administrative structure? 55. Discuss the main objectives of the Indian national movement up to 1905. What were its basic weaknesses during this period? 56. What administrative changes were introduced in India after 1858? What were the objectives of these changes? 57. Analyse E. V. R. Periyar’s  Contribution to Women 58. Discuss the problem that impeded the integration of the princely states into the Indian Union. How were these problems tackled? 59. Form a critical assessment of the Non-Cooperation Movement 60. What in your opinion were the positive steps taken by the British to modernise India? 61. Trace the importance of Regulating Acts passed by the Birtish 62. Trace the history and services done by B. R. Ambedkar to the nation in detail. ç===========================THE END===========================è  The above Questions in pdf:- Click Here

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[CA - Notes] Lala Lajpat Rai: 150th birth anniversary

Lala Lajpat Rai – 150th birth anniversary

Lala Lajpat Rai-150th Birth Anniversary completed in 2015 (he was born on 28/01/1865). 

Birth and death	Birth:  28th January 1865 at a small village of Dhudike in district Ferozepur, Punjab.
	Death: Simon Commission protest in Lahore on 30th October 1928, he was injured in Lathi charge and succumbed to severe injuries on 17th November 1928.
Thoughts	“There is no life without freedom and there is no Freedom without ‘Swarajya’ or self –government”
Influenced By	Influenced by the Arya Samaj  founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati, and Associated with Hindu Mahasabha
Apart from Freedom	Fought against Untouchability and other social evils.
Opposed	Opposed the Partition of Bengal and led the extremist wing of the Congress along with Bipin Chandra Pal and Bal Gangadhar Tilak (trio known as Lal-Bal –Pal.)
	Opposed Punjab Colonization Bill along with Ajit Singh (uncle of Shaheed Bhagat Singh). For this he was deported without trial to Mandalay, Burma
	1928: he moved the resolution in the Central Legislative Assembly refusing co-operation with the Simon Commission as the latter had no Indian   member
Other	Supported Gandhi’s Non-cooperation with the British. At Nagpur congress session (1920)
Elected	1920: Calcutta Congress (Special) Session President
	1926: Member of Swaraj Party (but resigned in same year)
	1926: Deputy Leader of Central Legislative Assembly.
Countries visited	USA, Japan, England
Founded	DAV School at Lahore with Mahatma Hans Raj (1886)
	Punjab National Bank along with Lala Harkishan Lal at Lahore (1894)
	Lakshmi Insurance Company
	Punjab Shiksha Sangh(1911)
	Radha Kishan High School at Jagraon (1913)
	Tilak School of Politics (1920), Lahore
	Quami Vidyapeeth  (1921), Lahore
	Servants of People Society (1921)
Author & Editor	Biography of Swami Dayanand Saraswati (1899)
	Book on the history of Arya Samaj (1915)
	England’s Debt to India: India, The Problems Of National Education In India
	Swaraj and Social Change
	The United States of America: A Hindu’s impressions and a study
	three English weeklies, The Regenerator of Aryavarta (1883); The Panjabee (1904) and The people (1925)
	An Urdu weekly Deshopkarak(1883)
	An Urdu daily Bande Mataram(1920)

MoS for Culture and Tourism, Dr Mahesh Sharma released a Commemorative Coin of Rs 150 and a Circulation Coin of Rs 10 on Late Lala Lajpat Rai (on Jan 28, 2016). The Commemorative Coin of Rs 150 is made of Quaternary alloy with diameter of 44 mm and weight of 35 grams and the Circulation coin of Rs 10 is made of bi-metallic material with diameter of 27 mm and weight of 7.71 grams. Ministry of Culture has been celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai from 28th January 2015 to 28th January 2016.

The Ministry of Culture organized a function and an exhibition in Lala Lajpat Rai’s memory in Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML), New Delhi on 13th January, 2016. State Government of Punjab has been sanctioned an amount of Rs 5.00 crore for construction of an Auditorium and Rs 3 cr for installation of Astroturf Flooring in Hockey Stadium at Lalaji’s Birth Place.

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