UPSC Prelims 2020 · Question 46 of 100
UPSC Prelims 2020 question on Desher Kather
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2020
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectModern History
- TopicIndian National Movement
- DifficultyHard
- TypeStatement
With reference to the book 'Desher Kather' written by Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar during the freedom struggle, consider the following statement:
1. It warned against the Colonial States hypnotic conquest of the mind.
2. It inspired the performance of swadeshi street plays and folk songs.
3. The use of 'desh' by Deuskar was in the specific context of the region of Bengal.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Show answer
Answer: A. 1 and 2 only
Verdict
Correct statements: 1 and 2 → Option (a).
Statement by statement
Statement 1 – CORRECT: Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar (1869–1912) was a close associate of Sri Aurobindo. His text, titled Desher Katha (Story of the Nation/Country), written in 1904, warned against the colonial state's 'hypnotic conquest of the mind'. Hence statement 1 is correct.
Statement 2 – CORRECT: By the time Desher Katha was banned by the colonial state in 1910, it had sold over 15,000 copies, inspired swadeshi street plays and folk songs, and had become a mandatory text for an entire generation of swadeshi activists. Hence statement 2 is correct.
Statement 3 – INCORRECT: Deuskar used 'desh' to mean nation. The overlap of place of origin and nation, as well as jati (literally birth, family or caste) and nationality inflected understandings of the nation/country in distinct ways. The use of 'desh' was not restricted to the specific context of the region of Bengal — it had a broader national connotation. Hence statement 3 is not correct.