Nirod C. Chaudhury, the controversial Indian Quiz

Answer: Autobiography of an Unknown Indian

Nirod C. Chaudhury's autobiography, entitled 'Autobiography of an Unknown Indian', was published when he was 53. It stormed to popularity just after its publication. It became his masterpiece. 'My Days' was the autobiography of R.K. Narayan while 'Story of My Life' and 'My Confessions' were the autobiographies of George Sand and Leo Tolstoy respectively.

Answer: History

Nirod C. Chaudhury passed his graduation securing the top position in History as his Major at the Scottish Church College in Calcutta in 1918. But, because of his diffuse and haphazard study he could not pass in his M.A examination in History at Calcutta University.

Answer: 100

Nirod C. Chaudhury was an untiring writer. He was called the oldest writer of the world at the time of the publication of his last book 'Three Horsemen of the New Apocalypse' in 1997. He was 100 at the time.

Answer: Autobiography of an Unknown Indian (1951)

'Autobiography of an Unknown Indian' was published in 1951. It was the first book in English by Nirod C. Chaudhury. Altogether, he wrote 20 controversial books and collections of essays. He published six books in Bengali.

Answer: 1990

Nirad C. Chaudhuri was a versatile scholar and prolific writer. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1975 for his biography of Max Müller entitled 'Scholar Extraordinary'. He received an honorary D.Litt. from Oxford University for his extraordinary literary creativity in 1990.

Answer: A Passage to England

Nirod C. Chaudhury went to England at the invitation of The British Council and the BBC in 1955. He delivered eight lectures on British life which were subsequently published as a book form entitled 'Passage to England' in 1959. It was reviewed by E.M.Forster in 'The Times Literary Supplement'.

Answer: Cicero

The very dedication of the book 'Autobiography of an Unknown Indian' raised a hue and cry in the intellectual world in India. The mock-imperial rhetoric was misunderstood by nationalistic intellectuals and politicians of the time. Chaudhury used a quote "Civis romanus sum" of ancient the Roman philosopher Cicero to draw a parallel between the oppression of the Indian people by the British rulers in India and that of ancient Sicilian Roman citizens in Sicily by Verres, a Roman Proconsul.

Answer: Political Commentator at All India Radio (Calcutta and Delhi)

Nirod C. Chaudhury was a political commentator with All India Radio (first in Calcutta and then in Delhi) when he was invited by the British Council and the BBC in 1955.

Answer: Duff Cooper Memorial Award

In 1965, Chaudhury's monumental work 'The Continent of Circe' was published. He was awarded the prestigious Duff Cooper Memorial Award for this. He was the only Indian to receive the award in the 20th century.

Answer: Thy Hand, Great Anarch!

Nirod C.Chaudhury was a dynamic personality. He published a sequel to his autobiography in 1988 entitled 'Thy Hand, Great Anarch!' He felt the need to write the sequel because his autobiography was published in 1951 when he was only 53.It did not contain his complete life. He died at 101 having another 48 active years studded with numerous activities.