Question

Who was known as Grand Old Man of India?
A. Mahadev Govind Ranade
B. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
C. Surendernath Banerjee
D. Dadabhai Naroji

Answer 1

HintIn 1885, the Grand Old Man of India along with ‘Dinshaw Wacha’ and ‘Allan Octavian Hume’ - founded the “Indian National Congress”.
He also became the President of the Congress party in the years 1886, 1893 and 1906 respectively.

Complete answer:
Dadabhai Naroji, also known affectionately as ‘Grand Old Man of India’, was born on 4 September 1825. He was born to a Gujarati-speaking Parsi family in Bombay, British India.
In 1855, he started working as a Professor at the Elphinstone College of Bombay and lectured in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. He became the first Indian to hold such a position. Later on, Naroji also became a professor of Gujarati at the University College London.

His political career began in 1874, as the Dewan of the Maharaja of Baroda.

In 1865, he formed the ‘London India Society’ to cast out views on Indian political, social and literary subjects.

In 1867, he founded the ‘East India Association’ with the objective of putting Indian viewpoints in front of the British public. Many prominent Englishmen supported this association and it was able to exert some influence on the British Parliament. Importantly, this organisation was the first to have members from different Indian provinces.

During 1885 – 88, he also became a member of the Legislative Council of Bombay.
In 1885, Dadabhai Naroji along with ‘Dinshaw Wacha’ and ‘Allan Octavian Hume’ - founded the “Indian National Congress”.

Notably, he was the first Asian to become a British MP when he was elected to the House of Commons in 1892. He had been elected from Finsbury Central as a Liberal Party representative.

He became the President of the “Indian National Congress” in the years 1886, 1893 and 1906 respectively

He acted as a mentor to Mahatma Gandhi, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
He passed away at 91 years of age, in the year 1917.

Option (A) Mahadev Govind Ranade: This option is incorrect. He was given the title ‘Rao Bahadur’.

Option (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak: He was the first leader of the Indian Independence Movement and hence the British called him ‘The Father of the Indian unrest’. He was also given the title ‘Lokmanya’.

Option (C) Surendernath Banerjee: He was called ‘Surrender Not’ by the British because of his persistence.

Therefore the correct answer is D

Note
In 1851, Dadabhai Naroji founded the “Rahnumae Mazdayasne Sabha” which aimed at reviving the Zoroastrian religion.
The society is still functional in Mumbai.