General: Mixed India Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was the first Nobel Laureate from South Asia. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913 for his "Gitanjali" or "Song Offerings". Two of his songs had been chosen as national anthems in two different countries--India and Bangladesh.

Answer: Amar Sonar Bangla, Aami Tomay Bhalobasi

Tagore wrote the song "Amar Sonar Bangla" in 1905. It was at the time of "Bangabhanga", or the Partition of Bengal. Tagore wrote the poem to infuse the spirit of oneness among the Bengalis living in both parts of Bengal.

Answer: Bengali

Rabindranath Tagore was a versatile personality. Though he received the Nobel Prize for literature for his collection of devotional songs in English entitled "Song Offerings", he was basically a Bengali poet. Most of his literary activity was in Bengali. The national anthem of Bangladesh was written in Bengali.

Answer: Abhilaash

Tagore wrote more than 2230 poems. The first published poem of Rabindranath Tagore was "Abhilaash". In 1874, Tagore's poem was published anonymously in an esteemed Bengali magazine of the time named "Tattobodhini".

Answer: The Abbey of Bliss

The first English publication title of "Anandamath" by Bankimchandra Chatterjee was "The Abbey of Bliss". It was published in 1882. The book was made into a movie in 1952.

Answer: Bharat (or Bharatbarsa)

The first Article of the Constitution of India states: "India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states." Thus, India and Bharat are both official names.

(source: Government of India Portal)

Answer: Sri Aurobinda

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee is called Sahitya Samrat Rishi Bankim Chandra. He was one of the first graduates from Calcutta University and a pro-Hindu intellectual of the time. He wrote a number of novels, poems, farces, etc. Most of his novels were translated into English.

Indian nationalists got their inspiring Mantra "Bande Mataram" from his famous novel "Annandamath". He served as a Deputy Collector for 32 years.

Answer: Pingali Venkayya

Pingali Venkayya, a nationalist from Machilipattamam, designed the Indian national flag in 1916. He designed the tricolour flag with a charkha at the centre. It was adopted by the National Congress committee in 1931 at the Karachi Session. It was made the national flag of India on July 22, 1947.

Answer: Raj Mohan's Wife

Prior to the publication of "Durgeshnandini", Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote his first novel in English. It was a small novel named "Raj Mohan's Wife" (1864). It was serialized in the famous English journal of the time named "Indian Field". It was published in book form in 1935.

Here, Bankim Chandra tried to explore the hearts of middle class Bengali women in the complex social scenario of the times.

Answer: The Morning Song of India

Rabindranath Tagore not only composed the national anthem of India in a highly Sanskritised Bengali language, but also translated it into English in 1919. While on a tour to South India in 1919, he spent some days at the Theosophical College, Madanapalle at the invitation of its principal James H Cousins. Tagore sang the song "Jana Gana Mana" at a college function there.

He then translated the song into English and entitled it "The Morning Song of India".