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Who among the following is associated with ‘Songs from Prison’, a translation of ancient Indian religious lyrics in English?

  1. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
  2. Jawaharlal Nehru
  3. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
  4. Sarojini Naidu

Explanation

Option (c) is correct
  • The collection known as “Songs from Prison” comprises translations of Sanskrit hymns and lyrics from the Upanishads and other scriptures. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi undertook the task of translating these works during his imprisonment in Yeravada Prison in 1930. Gandhi’s translations were later compiled and prepared for publication in the Western world by John Hoyland under the title “Songs From Prison.”
  • Important Books written by Gandhiji:
    • Hind swaraj or Indian home rule (1909): Gandhi wrote it in his native language, Gujarati, while travelling from London to South Africa in 1909. The British government in India banned the book in 1910 as a seditious text. It has also been translated into French.
    • My Experiment with Truth: The Story of My Experiments with Truth is Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography, covering his life from early childhood to 1921. It was written weekly and published in his journal Navjivan from 1925 to 1929. Mahadev Desai translated it from Gujarati to English.
    • Third Class in Indian Railway (1917): Third Class in Indian Railways, a short book published in 1917 that chronicles the Mahatma’s two-day train journey from Bombay to Madras.
    • India of My Dreams (1947)

Books written by Jawaharlal Nehru

  • Letters from a Father to His Daughter
  • An Autobiography: Nehru completed his ‘Autobiography’ in Almora Jail on February 14, 1935.
  • Discovery of India: Nehru wrote the book ‘The Discovery of India’ during his imprisonment at Ahmednagar Fort for participating in the Quit India Movement
  • Glimpses of World History
  • India and the World
  • Letters for a Nation: From Jawaharlal Nehru to His Chief Ministers (1947-1963) – It is a compilation of Nehru’s fortnightly communique to Chief Ministers

Books written by Bal Gangadhar Tilak

  • The Orion or Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas (1893)
  • The Arctic Home in the Vedas (1903)
  • Gita Rahasya: Tilak composed Gita Rahasya while in prison at Mandalay. It contains the message of the Bhagwat Gita and Tilak’s own interpretation of life

Books written by Sarojini Naidu

  • The Golden Threshold (1905)
  • The Bird of Time (1912) – Songs of Life, Death & the Spring: It includes the poem – “In the Bazaars of Hyderabad”
  • The Broken Wing (1912) – Songs of Love, Death & the Spring: It includes the poem “The Gift of India“. The poem is a tribute to the contribution of Indian soldiers in World War I.
  • Muhammad Jinnah: An Ambassador of Unity, 1916
  • The Sceptred Flute: Songs of India
Answer: (c) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi; Difficulty Level: Hard
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