UPSC Prelims 2016 · Question 83 of 98
UPSC Prelims 2016 question on Satyashodhak Samaj
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2016
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectModern History
- TopicSocio-Religious Movements
- DifficultyEasy
- TypeDirect
Satya Shodhak Samaj organized
Show answer
Answer: C. an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra
Verdict
The answer is an anti-caste movement in Maharashtra. The Satyashodhak Samaj was founded by Jyotirao Phule in Pune.
Analysis
Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj, the truth seekers' society, at Pune in 1873 to assert the worth of every person irrespective of caste. He demanded representation for all classes in local bodies, services and institutions, and established schools for those treated as untouchable and for girls. The movement was therefore a social reform effort directed against caste hierarchy and Brahmanical dominance, located in western India, and not a tribal, temple entry or peasant movement.
Source
Spectrum, Bipan Chandra and old NCERT material.
How to crack it
Translate the name, since satya means truth and shodhak means seeker, and a society for seeking truth in a nineteenth century Indian context signals a rationalist challenge to received religious authority rather than an economic or tribal movement. Then place each reform movement by region and target: Satyashodhak in Maharashtra against caste, the Self-Respect Movement in Tamil Nadu, the Aravippuram and temple entry movements in Kerala, and the Brahmo and Arya Samaj in the north.