Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in Current Affairs.

Owis – Archaeological Sources

Owis, folk songs, folk tales and similar literature that is not written but passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth are oral sources of history.

A reserved area where several animals and plants stay together is called a sanctuary.

Chipko movement- In the Garhwal area of Uttarakhand, contractors started cutting trees for their business. So, the people of the region protested it. They stuck themselves with trees to save them. This is called the Chipko Movement.

Amrita Devi was a lady of Khejarali village of Bishnoi community who sacrificed her life along with 3 63 people to save the khejari trees.

The community awareness in Rajasthan to save the environment is ages old. The land. area near the villages is conserved by naming it after any regional god. goddess, saint or a great person. These lands are called orAnswer:

Village of Khejarali.

For the construction of king’s palace.

The rulers of the princely states signed a document through which their state agreed to become a part of the Union of India. This document was called the ‘Instrument of Accession’. The signature on this document meant that princely states have agreed to become a part of India.

The two instances of communal riots immediately after the independence occurred Lahore and Kolkata. In 1947, during the partition, riots on the streets of Lahore and Kolkata were normal. The reason for riots in Lahore and Kolkata was that they were the capitals of the Punjab and Bengal province respectively, which were demanded by Jinnah. Lahore and Kolkata became divided into ‘communal zones’. Muslims would avoid going into an area where mainly Hindus or Sikhs lived; similarly, the Hindus and Sikhs stayed away from areas of Muslim predominance.

A unique discovery of modem technology in 20 century is Films.

(i) An institute called Indian News Review has produced various newsreels on important events in politics, social issues, art, sports and culture.

(ii) This department has also produced various documentaries on prominent social leaders, on people who have made major contributions for the country and about important locations in India. 

(iii) These news releases and documentaries are useful for studying the history of modern India.

(1) Before the invention of photography, paintings were an important source of history. But the authenticity of such paintings is doubtful. 

(2) Photographs are considered more reliable, as the lens capture the persons. events and objects exactly as they appear. 

(3) The photograph of a person gives information about the physical features, dressing style, etc. 

(4) Photographs enable us to recreate visual image of an event. The photograph of an object or structure helps in understanding its nature. Hence, photographs are important visual source of modem Indian history.

(i) All states of India have museums that depict the characteristics and display the cultural and social heritage of the state. 

(ii) They enable us to understand history (e.g., the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum at Mumbai, Reserve Bank Museum in Pune city). 

(iii) Apart from the Government Museums, some private collectors also set up their own museums. 

(iv) They are based on distinctive subjects; For example, coins, notes, lamps and nutcrackers in different shapes, cricket equipment, etc.

Haryana and Himachal Pradesh

After solving the problem of partition and integration of Princely States, India had to face additional challenges. It was not only a matter of administrative divisions. Now the challenge was to draw the internal boundaries of the Indian states. The boundaries had to be drawn in a way so that the linguistic and cultural plurality of the country could be reflected without affecting the unity of the nation. In 1920, during the Nagpur session, Congress had promised the linguistic principle as the basis of formation of states. But after the Independence and partition, our leaders felt that carving out states on the basis of language might lead to disruption and disintegration. Therefore, it was decided to postpone matters. But this decision was challenged by the local leaders and the people. Widespread protest began for the creation of Andra Pradesh during which Potti Sriramulu, a Congress leader and a veteran Gandhian, went on an indefinite fast that led to his death after 56 days. This caused great unrest and resulted in violent outbursts. Finally, a separate State of Andra Pradesh was formed in December 1952. The formation of Andhra spurred the struggle in other parts of the country for making of other states on linguistic basis. These struggles forced the Central Government into appointing a States Reorganisation Commission in 1953 to look into the question of redrawing of the boundaries of states. The Commission in its report accepted that the boundaries of the state should reflect the boundaries of different languages. On the basis of its report, the States Reorganisation Act was passed in 1956. This led to the creation of 14 states and six union territories. In 1960, Maharashtra and Gujarat were created as separate states on the basis of Guajarati and Marathi language speaking region. In 1966, Punjabi speaking region was made the State of Punjab and later on, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were carved out of Punjab. In 1972, reorganisation of north-eastern states began. In 1972, Meghalaya was carved out of Assam and the same year Manipur, Tripura were also created. Nagaland was given statehood much earlier in 1963 but Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram were created in 1987. Language did not, however, remain the sole basis of organisation of states. In later years, subregions raised demands for separate states on the basis of a separate regional culture or complaints of regional imbalance in development. Three such states, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand, were created in 2000. The same way Telangana was created in 2014. The story of reorganisation has not come to an end. There are many regions in the country where there are movements demanding separate and smaller states. These include Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Harit Pradesh in the western region of Uttar Pradesh and the northern region of West Bengal

The two goals of Nehru-proposal for nation-building were Socialism and Secularism. An economy based on the principles of Socialism and Secularism made possible beginning of industrialisation, scientific and technological development at faster and wider level and strong parliamentary democracy. This way Nehru laid the foundation of developing nation.

Those Indian Provinces, that were ruled by princes and had accepted British supremacy in return to enjoy some form of control over their internal affairs were called ‘Princely States’. There were 565 Princely States at the time of independence.

Muslim League advanced the two-nation theory saying that India is a nation of two ‘people’, Hindus and Muslims are demanded separate nation for Muslims. The Congress opposed the two nation theory and the demand for Pakistan but could not prevent partition.

After independence, India had a huge challenge of reorganisation of states. Initially it was to reorganise states on the basis of language. But later on the decision was postponed due to the apprehension of disruption and disintegration of the country. This was challenged by the local leaders and the people. Protests began in the Telugu speaking areas of the old Madras province, who demanded for the creation of Andhra Pradesh. Finally, the Prime Minister announced the formation of a separate Andhra state in December 1952. Thereafter state of Kerala, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were created on the basis of language. But in the later years, states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttrakhand were created on the basis of regional culture, development and regional imbalance.

Muslim league was formed to protect the rights of Muslim in colonial India.

Muslim League advanced the two-nation theory saying that India is a nation of two ‘people’, Hindus and Muslims are demanded separate nation for Muslims. The Congress opposed the two nation theory and the demand for Pakistan but could not prevent partition.

Following are the two challenges that India faced just after the independence: 

(i) To shape a nation that was united, yet accommodative of the diversity in our society and establish democracy.

(ii) To ensure the development and well being of the entire society and not only of some sections.

1. Unification: The first challenge was to maintain unity of the country because India was a country where people spoke different languages, had different culture and religion. It was not easy to maintain unity of the nation with such a vast diversity. For a moral and diverse country like India, it was a very complicated task. 

It had three stages: 

• Emotional level, where attention was to be paid to the lowest class of the society. 

• Physical level, where all the citizens were equal before the law and were provided equal protection of law. 

• Spiritual level, where the entire society had to understand the needs and desires of diverse ethnic classes of the society. 

2. Establish Democracy: The second challenge before India was to establish democracy. For this purpose, India adopted representative democracy based on the parliamentary form of the government. These features ensured that there will be political competition within the democratic framework. Democracy requires democratic constitution. In India also, constitution was framed and citizens were given right to vote and fundamental rights. But the challenge was to ensure the functioning of the country in accordance with the constitution. 

3. Homogeneous Development: The third challenge before India was to ensure such development wherein the entire society could be benefited and not just some regions. To ensure this, provisions were made in the constitution for right to equality and special right were granted to backward classes and cultural and religious minorities. The constitution provided for Directive Principles of State Policy to achieve the goal of public welfare, which must be fulfilled by political establishment. Now the real challenge was to evolve effective policy for economic development and eradication of poverty.

1. Unification: The first challenge was to maintain unity of the country because India was a country where people spoke different languages, had different culture and religion. It was not easy to maintain unity of the nation with such a vast diversity. For a moral and diverse country like India, it was a very complicated task. 

It had three stages: 

• Emotional level, where attention was to be paid to the lowest class of the society. 

• Physical level, where all the citizens were equal before the law and were provided equal protection of law.

• Spiritual level, where the entire society had to understand the needs and desires of diverse ethnic classes of the society.

2. Establish Democracy: The second challenge before India was to establish democracy. For this purpose, India adopted representative democracy based on the parliamentary form of the government. These features ensured that there will be political competition within the democratic framework. Democracy requires democratic constitution. In India also, constitution was framed and citizens were given right to vote and fundamental rights. But the challenge was to ensure the functioning of the country in accordance with the constitution.

3. Homogeneous Development: The third challenge before India was to ensure such development wherein the entire society could be benefited and not just some regions. To ensure this, provisions were made in the constitution for right to equality and special right were granted to backward classes and cultural and religious minorities. The constitution provided for Directive Principles of State Policy to achieve the goal of public welfare, which must be fulfilled by political establishment. Now the real challenge was to evolve effective policy for economic development and eradication of poverty.

1. Unification: The first challenge was to maintain unity of the country because India was a country where people spoke different languages, had different culture and religion. It was not easy to maintain unity of the nation with such a vast diversity. For a moral and diverse country like India, it was a very complicated task. 

It had three stages:

• Emotional level, where attention was to be paid to the lowest class of the society.

• Physical level, where all the citizens were equal before the law and were provided equal protection of law.

• Spiritual level, where the entire society had to understand the needs and desires of diverse ethnic classes of the society.

2. Establish Democracy: The second challenge before India was to establish democracy. For this purpose, India adopted representative democracy based on the parliamentary form of the government. These features ensured that there will be political competition within the democratic framework. Democracy requires democratic constitution. In India also, constitution was framed and citizens were given right to vote and fundamental rights. But the challenge was to ensure the functioning of the country in accordance with the constitution. 

3. Homogeneous Development: The third challenge before India was to ensure such development wherein the entire society could be benefited and not just some regions. To ensure this, provisions were made in the constitution for right to equality and special right were granted to backward classes and cultural and religious minorities. The constitution provided for Directive Principles of State Policy to achieve the goal of public welfare, which must be fulfilled by political establishment. Now the real challenge was to evolve effective policy for economic development and eradication of poverty.

The three incidents responsible for the downfall of Congress were:

(i) The imposition of Emergency was highly criticized and led to a decrease in popularity of Indira Gandhi. The excesses such as forced sterilization, conflict with judiciary, etc. alienated the people and they refused to support the Congress in election.

(ii) There was an acute economic crisis in India that led to the increased costs, rise in unemployment and other economic hardships for Indians. The government was unable to support its slogan of ‘Garibi Hatao’.

(iii) The opposition was united and formed a coalition under ‘anti-congressism’. They were able to showcase their governance in multiple States in India before Emergency and formed alliances and coalitions after the Election.

The art of making long threads using small pieces of cotton from cotton balls and joining them together is called art of spinning.

Leather was prominently used for making ‘Masak’ and kos, drum, dholak, table and the bellows used by blacksmiths and various types of footware. It was also used for making belts to tie animals, etc.

In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait and annexed it. After a lot of discussions, the Liberation Army led by America forcefully freed Kuwait from Iraq. In this liberation army there were 660,000 soldiers. They came from 34 nations. This operation was known as “Operation Desert Storm”. This shows the disparity between America and other countries in technology. In the UN allied forces, more than 75% of the soldiers were Americans. Some people call this war as a computer war. Since it was telecast everywhere in the world, it is also called video game war. One could watch on TV how Iraq was defeated by sitting in one’s room.

In 1998, there were bomb attacks in the American embassies in Nairobi (Kenya), Dare-salaam and Tanzania. The attacks were carried by the Muslim terrorist organization  AlQaida. After these attacks, American President Bill Clinton started his “Operation Infinite Reach”. He attacked the terrorist camps in Sudan and Afghanistan by dropping missiles there. These attacks were not carried out with the permission of the UN or according to the International Laws. On 11 September 2001,19 terrorists hijacked 4 American planes and made them fly against some strategic buildings in America. Two of them hit the twin towers of the World Trade Centre.

One crash landed on the Pentagon, which is the headquarters of American defence. The 4th one had to land in field in Pennsylvania. The American Congress Headquarters is nearby there. This attack is known as 9/11 (which menns September). Some 3000 people died in the attacks. It was the biggest attack America ever faced after its formation in 1776. After this, America started its operation “Enduring Freedom”. It is aimed against the terrorists like the AlQaida and the Taliban of Afghanistan.

George W. Bush

1 – c , 2 – a, 3 – d, 4 – b

Operation Enduring Freedom was the US response against 9/11 attack to arrest all those who were suspected to be behind the attack, mainly Al-Qaeda and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The US arrested the persons all over the world often without the knowledge of government of the person being arrested, transported them and detained in secret prisons.

The whole life of men revolves around the clay from the cradle to the grave.

Potters used to make toys, pots, pitchers, earthen lamps, clay stove (chulha), etc. Clay was also used in making utensils to store grains, milk, ghee, curd and buttermilk. Most of the kitchen wares were made up to clay. Mixture of clay and cow-dung was also used to plaster the walls of the houses and making kubas (huts).

The clay utensils were found from Laghnaj in Mehsana district of Gujarat.

The artisans of Harappa age used to draw geometrical designs and sketches on clay utensils.

The Potter’s wheel is considered to be the first device for clay work in India.

(d) Footwear, belt, wallets, palan

Correct option is (d) Jat

The Solanki Era was the golden era for Gujarat. India’s weaving work developed quite well in that era. During the reign of Siddharaj Jaysingh, many artisans (weavers) came and settled in Patan and started making patola sarees. The art of patola is more than 850 years old. Patola is a double ikt i.e. ‘bevad ikt’ woven saree (ikt means weaving). The unique characteristic of this saree is that it has exactly same design on both the sides. Hence, one can wear it from either side.

Patola sarees are extremely durable and their colours remain intact even after several years. Owing to these unique characteristics it is said on Gujarati that which means the design in Patola shall never fade even if the cloth gets tom. Owing to such unique characteristics the Patola of Patan became world famous. Making patola sarees is an extremely complicated and time demanding art. Today, only a handful of artisans have the skill to create patolas.

(a) Stone inscription: Dehradun

India is famous for rich cultural heritage all over the world.

(c) Forts and minarets

During the Gupta period, architecture, sculpture, painting, dancing and music flourished. Parvati temple at Jabalpur (Ninava), Bhumara (Nagoda) Shiva temple, Vishnu temple and Narsinh temple of Madhya Pradesh, Gopmandir at Jamnagar are some of the examples of Gupta temple architecture.

Stupas, chaityas, maths, viharas, flags and pillars are the unique examples of. Gupta art. Buddha statue at Samath, statue of Lord Vishnu at Mathura, Statue of Mahavir Swami, caves of Udaygiri and statue of Vishnu in the form of Varah in Madhya Pradesh, etc. are the best specimens of sculpture of Gupta period. Hence, we can conclude that the Gupta period was known as the Golden Age.

The first Governor General of India was C. Rajagopalachari.

1. Vastu
2. Harappa; Mohenjodaro
3. Larkana
4. Drainage
5. Ravindra Singh Bisht.

The division of India was carried out on the basis of the Two Nation Theory put forward by the Muslim League. According to that theory, in India there were two nations the Hindus and Muslims. Therefore the Muslim League demanded a separate nation, Pakistan, for the Muslims. The formation of Pakistan was based on the majority of the population of an area. Thus the areas which had Muslim majority became Pakistan and the remaining areas remained as Indian Territory.

It was not easy to implement such a division. There were three reasons for that. First of all in British India, there was not a single area which had only Muslims. There were two areas in which the majority was Muslims, one in the West and the other in the East. Therefore Pakistan was formed consisting of two areas – West Pakistan and East Pakistan. Between therm there were large areas of Indian Territory.

Secondly, not all areas with majority Muslirri population wanted to become part of Pakistan. Khan Abdul Gaffer Khan, who was the leader Of the North - Western Province had objected to the Two Nation Theory. But ignoring his objection, the North West Province was included in Pakistan.

The third problem was that British India’s Punjab and Bengal were areas with Muslim majority. But in these huge provinces there were very many non- Muslims. Therefore the Provinces were divided into Districts and Panchayats depending on the religious majority of the population there. The result was that on the day of Independence many people did not know to which circuitry they belonged  India or Pakistan.

It deeply wounded the people. The problem of the minorities in each country was the worst of all. The Hindus and Sikhs in the Pakistani areas and the Muslims in Punjab and Bengal were unfortunate preys to this division of the country. When the division was decided upon, there was large scale violence against the minorities in both the countries.

To understand the present, information of the past is necessary.

Dhank caves are situated in Dhankgiri in Dhank village of Upleta taluka of Rajkot district.