Famous Personalities — Set 4

Correct Answer: B. B.V. Doshi

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi (B.V. Doshi), born in Pune but trained and working extensively in Ahmedabad and Gujarat, won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2018 — the highest honor in architecture. He designed several iconic buildings in Ahmedabad including the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) campus extensions and the Aranya Community Housing project in Indore. Doshi worked with Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn on Chandigarh and Ahmedabad projects, helping establish modern architecture in India.

Correct Answer: B. Mahagujarat Andolan for a separate Gujarati-speaking state

Indulal Yagnik (1892-1972) was a prominent Gujarati journalist, writer, and political activist who led the Mahagujarat Movement (1956-1960) demanding a separate state for Gujarati-speaking people from the bilingual Bombay State. His fiery journalism and passionate advocacy galvanized the Gujarati public and eventually led to the formation of Gujarat as a separate state on May 1, 1960. Yagnik also participated in the early nationalist movement and was a member of the Constituent Assembly.

Correct Answer: B. Unjust increase in land revenue by the British government

The Bardoli Satyagraha of 1928, led by Vallabhbhai Patel in the Bardoli taluka of Surat district, Gujarat, was a successful non-violent campaign against the British government's unjust 30% increase in land revenue. When farmers refused to pay the enhanced tax, the British government eventually backed down and appointed a committee that reduced the land revenue. The success of Bardoli Satyagraha elevated Vallabhbhai Patel to national prominence, and the women of Bardoli bestowed upon him the title 'Sardar' (leader).

Correct Answer: B. Akram Vignan spiritual movement

Ambalal Muljibhai Patel (1908-1988), known as Dada Bhagwan, was a Gujarati spiritual teacher who founded the Akram Vignan movement in Surat, Gujarat, in 1958. He claimed to have attained spontaneous self-realization and thereafter conducted 'Gnan Vidhi' (knowledge ceremony) to transmit spiritual knowledge to seekers. The Akram Vignan movement has millions of followers worldwide and emphasizes the path of Akram — stepless direct path to self-realization.

Correct Answer: B. Parsi community originating from Gujarat

Ratan Tata (1937-2024) belonged to the Parsi community (Zoroastrians), whose ancestors fled Persia and settled on the Gujarat coast around the 8th-10th century CE, making them a distinctly Gujarati community. The Tata family traces its business roots to Jamsetji Tata (1839-1904), born in Navsari, Gujarat, who founded the Tata Group. The Parsis of Gujarat, also known as 'Parsis of Surat/Navsari', have made extraordinary contributions to India's industrial, intellectual, and social development.

Correct Answer: B. Navsari

Jamsetji Tata (1839-1904), the founder of the Tata Group and father of Indian industry, was born on March 3, 1839, in Navsari, Gujarat. He founded the Empress Mills in Nagpur (1877), established the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai (1903), and laid the groundwork for Jamshedpur Steel Plant (now Tata Steel) and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. Though most of his business activities were centered outside Gujarat, his birth in Navsari is a source of great pride for Gujarat.

Correct Answer: A. Baroda (Vadodara)

Swami Vivekananda's journey to Chicago for the 1893 Parliament of World's Religions was partly supported by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda (Vadodara), Gujarat, along with the Raja of Khetri. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III (1863-1939) was one of India's most progressive princely rulers who supported social reform, education, and Indian cultural representatives. He introduced mandatory primary education in Baroda State, supported B.R. Ambedkar's education, and was a patron of arts, sciences, and Indian scholarship.

Correct Answer: C. 1917

Mahatma Gandhi established the Sabarmati Ashram (also called Satyagraha Ashram) on the banks of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad in 1917. The ashram became the base for many of Gandhi's major campaigns, including the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Dandi Salt March of 1930. Gandhi vowed not to return to the ashram until India achieved independence, and he never did — the ashram is now a national monument and museum visited by millions.

Correct Answer: B. Sabarmati Ashram

Mahatma Gandhi (not Indira Gandhi) started the famous Dandi Salt March on March 12, 1930, from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, walking 386 km (240 miles) to Dandi on the Gujarat coast with 78 followers to break the British salt laws. He arrived at Dandi on April 5, 1930 and made salt from seawater on April 6, 1930, defying British law and triggering civil disobedience across India. The march became one of history's most powerful acts of political protest.

Correct Answer: C. Mumbai (then Bombay)

Homi Jehangir Bhabha (1909-1966) was born in Mumbai (then Bombay) to a distinguished Parsi family originally from Gujarat/Maharashtra. Though born in Mumbai, Bhabha's Parsi heritage connects him to Gujarat's ancient Parsi community. He founded the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in 1945 and the Atomic Energy Establishment at Trombay in 1954 (now renamed Bhabha Atomic Research Centre-BARC in his honor). Bhabha died in the 1966 Air India plane crash near Mont Blanc.