He wrote biographies of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji and Shrikrishna ; stayed in America for some time; and was also elected to the Central Assembly. He was
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2018 Prelims]
(a) Aurobindo Ghosh
(b) Bipin Chandra Pal
(c) Lala Lajpat Rai
(d) Motilal Nehru
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
- Lala Lajpat Rai was a prolific writer with a perceptive mind, known for his works such as “Unhappy India”, “Young India: An Interpretation”, “History of Arya Samaj”, and “England’s Debt to India”.
- He also wrote popular biographies, including those of Mazzini, Garibaldi, Shivaji, Dayanand, and Shri Krishna.
- Rai’s purpose in selecting Mazzini and Garibaldi was to instill patriotic sentiments in the youth of Punjab, who had limited access to English books.
- His travels to the US in 1907 led him to draw sociological parallels between the notion of ‘color-caste’ in the US and caste in India.
- In 1926, he joined the Swaraj Party, becoming its Deputy Leader in the Central Legislative Assembly. However, he resigned from the party in August of the same year.
Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.
