Famous Personalities — Set 7
Gujarat GK · प्रसिद्ध व्यक्तित्व · Questions 61–70 of 100
Dhirubhai Ambani's son Mukesh Ambani has expanded Reliance into which sector that has transformed India's digital economy?
Correct Answer: B. Jio telecommunications and digital services
Mukesh Ambani, son of Dhirubhai Ambani and inheritor of Reliance Industries, launched Jio (Reliance Jio Infocomm) in September 2016, offering free or extremely low-cost 4G data services that disrupted India's telecommunications market. Jio's entry brought affordable internet to over 400 million Indians, dramatically accelerating digital adoption across the country. Mukesh Ambani was born in 1957 in Aden (Yemen) where Dhirubhai was working, but grew up in Gujarat and Mumbai, inheriting his father's entrepreneurial legacy.
Which Gujarati religious teacher is associated with the famous verse 'Ek Omkar' and the Sikh tradition?
Correct Answer: D. Gujarat has no direct connection to Sikh tradition
Gujarat does not have a direct founding connection to the Sikh tradition, though Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, is believed to have traveled through Gujarat during his extensive journeys across India. The Gurudwara Pathar Sahib in Ahmedabad marks one of Guru Nanak's stops. Gujarat's own mystical tradition includes Narsinh Mehta's Vaishnavism, Kabir-inspired saints, and the rich Sufi tradition in Kutch and Saurashtra regions.
Hemchandracharya, the great 12th-century Jain polymath who served the Solanki dynasty, was known for which contribution?
Correct Answer: B. Writing a comprehensive grammar of Apabhramsha language and encyclopedic works
Hemchandracharya (1088-1173) was a Jain monk and polymath who served at the court of Solanki king Kumarapala in Anhilwada Patan, Gujarat. He wrote comprehensive works on Jain philosophy, grammar (the 'Siddhahema' grammar covering Sanskrit, Apabhramsha, and Prakrit), yoga, and biography, earning him the title 'Kalikala Sarvagya' (omniscient of the Kali Age). His influence convinced Kumarapala to adopt Jainism as state religion, making Gujarat a major center of Jain culture and learning.
Ketki Desai was a famous Gujarati actress associated with which field of entertainment?
Correct Answer: A. Gujarati cinema and theatre
Gujarat has a rich tradition of theatre and cinema with many celebrated artists. Upendra Trivedi was one of the most beloved actors in Gujarati cinema and theatre, known as the 'Superstar of Gujarati Cinema'. Gujarati theatre (Rangbhoomi) has produced legendary figures like Chandravadan Mehta who wrote pioneering Gujarati plays. Gujarati folk theatre forms like Bhavai are ancient traditions that continue to be performed across the state.
Sundaram Balbhadradas Bhatt (Sundaram) was a celebrated Gujarati poet who won which award?
Correct Answer: A. Jnanpith Award
Sundaram (1908-1991), pen name of Tribhuvandas Purushottamdas Luhar, was a celebrated Gujarati poet who won the Jnanpith Award in 1975 — one of India's highest literary honors. Known for his romantic and symbolic poetry collection 'Venu', he later turned to progressive literature and social themes. Sundaram's contemporaries and literary circle in Gujarat included figures like Umashankar Joshi, who also won the Jnanpith Award, creating a golden era of Gujarati literature in the mid-20th century.
Umashankar Joshi, the famous Gujarati poet and literary figure, served as the President of which institution?
Correct Answer: B. Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters)
Umashankar Joshi (1911-1988) was a distinguished Gujarati poet, playwright, and academic who served as President of the Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters) from 1978 to 1983. He won the Jnanpith Award in 1967 for his poetry collection 'Nishitha'. Joshi's poetry is marked by humanist values, nature imagery, and concern for social justice, making him one of the most revered figures in Indian literature of the 20th century.
Vinoba Bhave, the Gandhian leader who launched the Bhoodan Movement, was born in which state but worked extensively in Gujarat?
Correct Answer: A. Maharashtra
Vinoba Bhave (1895-1982) was born in Gagode, Maharashtra, but worked extensively across India including Gujarat as a close disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. He launched the Bhoodan (Land Gift) Movement in 1951, walking across India and convincing landowners to voluntarily donate land to the landless poor. In Gujarat, Vinoba conducted intensive Bhoodan campaigns and received significant land donations from wealthy Gujarati farmers and zamindars to redistribute to the poor.
The famous Chandragupta Maurya, founder of the Maurya Empire, is believed to have spent his last years in which region of Gujarat?
Correct Answer: C. Girnar area
According to Jain tradition, Emperor Chandragupta Maurya abdicated his throne, became a Jain monk under Acharya Bhadrabahu, and migrated south to Shravanabelagola in Karnataka where he fasted to death. However, the Girnar rock inscriptions (Junagadh) from Chandragupta's era, the Ashoka edicts at Junagadh, and the Girnar area's historical significance as Saurashtra's capital city demonstrate Gujarat's deep connections to the Mauryan Empire. The Junagadh rock edict contains inscriptions from Chandragupta, Ashoka, and Rudradaman.
Bapurao Ajabe, a notable Gujarati artist, is associated with which art form?
Correct Answer: A. Rogan Art — a traditional fabric painting art of Kutch
Rogan Art is a rare, 300-year-old Gujarati craft from Nirona village in Kutch, where paint is made from castor oil and natural colours and applied to fabric using a metal rod. The Khatri family of Nirona has been the sole custodian of this dying art form. Abdul Gafur Khatri brought Rogan Art to international attention by presenting a Rogan Art piece to then-US President Barack Obama during PM Modi's 2014 US visit, making it a symbol of Gujarat's craft heritage.
Who was Swami Sahjanand Saraswati, connected to the peasant movement in British India?
Correct Answer: B. The founder of Bihar Kisan Sabha who mobilized peasants across Bihar and Gujarat
Swami Sahajananda Saraswati (1889-1950) was a Hindu monk and activist from Bihar who founded the Bihar Kisan Sabha and became one of India's foremost peasant rights leaders. While primarily active in Bihar, his agrarian agitations inspired similar movements across India including Gujarat. The Gujarat Kisan Sabhas drew inspiration from his methods of organizing peasants against exploitative landlords and colonial revenue policies, demonstrating how Gujarat's farmers connected with broader nationalist and agrarian movements.