Question

Where was the first cotton mill set up in India?
A. Mumbai
B. Coimbatore
C. Surat
D. Kolkata

Answer 1

Hint: Indian cotton textile had been famous for thousands of years. When the British came to India, they wanted to capitalize on it, so they tried to set up a cotton mill in the area under their control. It was during the times of their initial conquest of India.

Complete answer:
Historically, Indian cotton textiles date back thousands of years and India had a monopoly over cotton textile manufacturing from around 1500 BC to 1500 AD. It was so highly regarded that it served as an ideal medium of exchange in a barter economy of ancient times. During medieval times, it was exported to East Asia and European nations. When Europeans found the sea route to India, they wanted to grow their profits by the means of cotton textile goods. Cotton was already being grown in many parts of the country, so it was decided to set up cotton mills. It mechanized the cotton textile production, which at that time was being done by traditional methods. The first cotton mill that was set up in India was a commercial failure. It was set up in 1818 at Fort Gloster which was near Kolkata. The second cotton mill was set up as Bombay Spinning and Weaving Company in 1854 by KGN Daber. This company was said to be the one that marked the dawn of the modern cotton industry in India.

Thus, option (D) is correct.

Note:Kolkata is the correct answer only if the question asked about the setup of the first cotton mill of India. If asked about the first successful cotton mill, then the answer would be Mumbai.