UGC NTA NET/JRF Exam, INDIAN CULTURE, June-2023

(d) Saint Janabai (1258-1350) was a Marathi poet and saint in the Hindu tradition. She is considered a Varkari saint and may have the largest collection of poems among female Varkari saints. Janabai was a low-caste maidservant. Janabai is significant as a shudra (lower caste) woman author. Some say that one day, while Janabai was singing an abhang, Vitthal began writing it down.
(a) Lalla Ded (1320-1392) was a Kashmiri mystic poet and saint. She was also known as Lalleshwari and Mother Lalla. Lalla Ded was a Hindu and yogi who lived during the height of Kashmiri Shaivism in the 14th century. She was a revolutionary mystic who defied social convention in her search for God. Her verses are some of the earliest Kashmiri compositions and are an integral part of Kashmiri literature.
(b) Habba Khatoon (1554-1609) was a 16th century Kashmiri Muslim poet and ascetic. She is also known as the "Nightingale of Kashmir" and is considered one of the most popular mystic poets from the valley. Habba Khatoon was born Zoon, which means "the moon". She was known for her beauty, intelligence, and courage. She rose to fame during the reign of the last independent Kashmiri ruler, Yusuf Shah Chak.
(c) Bahinabai Chaudhari (1880-1951) was a Marathi poet and saint from the Jalgaon district of Bombay State, India. She became a notable poet after her death. Bahinabai's words often emphasize simplicity and the truth of rural life, which connect with her readers. Her quotes and thoughts come from her poetic knowledge and life experiences.

(b) Memoirs of a Map of Hindoostan is a rare book written by James Rennell and published in 1783. The book is a companion to Rennell's 1782 map of Hindoostan. The book describes the editing and corrections Rennell made to the map, and include a map of the countries between the Indus and the Caspian Sea.
(c) A Journey from Madras through the Countries of Mysore, Canara, and Malabar was published in 1807 by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton. The book is a three-volume survey that covers agriculture, arts and commerce, religion, manners and customs, and natural and civil history and antiquities.
(a) Himalayan Journals is a travel literature book by Joseph Dalton Hooker. The book was first published in 1854 and is a description of Hooker's travels through northern India, the Himalayan Mountains, and parts of Tibet.
(d) A Memoir on the Indian Surveys is a historical book written by Sir Clements Robert Markham in 1878. Markham was a leader in historical geography in the late 19th century. Scholars have selected the book as being culturally important.
(e) Jungle Life in India: Or, The Journeys and Journals of an Indian Geologist is a book by Valentine Ball, first published in 1880. The book is about the travels of a member of the Indian Geological Survey between 1864 and 1878, mainly in Bengal, but also in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

(c) Portuguese missionaries brought the printing press to Goa in the middle of the 16th century. By 1674, Jesuit priests had printed about 50 books in the Konkani and Kanara languages. The first book published by the Portuguese in India was Conclusoes eoutras coisas in 1556. In 1567, missionary priests at Rachol, Goa published the first Konkani-Portuguese dictionary.
(a) James Augustus Hickey began editing the Bengal Gazette in 1780. The weekly magazine was a private English enterprise that started English printing in India. The magazine described itself as a commercial paper open to all, but influenced by none. Hickey published many advertisements, including some about the buying and selling of slaves.
(e) William Carey, along with other British Baptist missionaries, established the Serampore Mission Press on January 10, 1800. The press operated from 1800 to 1837. The press's initial purpose was to publish scripture translations. In May 1800, the first leaf of Carey's Bengali New Testament was published.
(d) The first printed edition of Ramcharitmanas by Tulsidas was published in Calcutta in 1810. The book is written in the Awadhi language, and some consider it a poetic retelling of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana. Ramcharitmanas is a 16th-century epic poem written by Tulsidas, an Indian bhakti poet. It was the first sacred text to be published in a vernacular language.
(b) The first publication of the Delhi Urdu Akbar was in 1837. It was the first Urdu language daily newspaper, and the first newspaper in North India. The newspaper was dedicated to the Nationalist cause after the revolt of 1857. Baqir began publishing on Sundays instead of Saturdays as a way to defy the British, who observed the Sabbath on Sundays.

(c) Charles Wilkins was the first to translate the Bhagavad Gita into English in 1785. Wilkins was a typographer and employee of the East India Company who became interested in the Sanskrit language during his time in India. The translation was published by the Nourse printing press in Central London in 1785.
(a) Bharatendu Harishchandra, the "father of modern Hindi literature" and "Hindi Theatre", died on January 6, 1885 at the age of 34. He was an Indian poet, writer, and playwright who lived from 1850-1885. He wrote dramas, life sketches, and travel accounts, and used new media to influence public opinion.
(d) The poem "Saare Jahan Se Achcha" was published in the weekly journal Ittehad on August 16, 1904. The poem was written by poet Muhammad Iqbal and is considered a patriotic poem in the Urdu language. The poem is also known as "Tarana-e-Hind".
(b) The Nobel Prize in Literature 1913 was awarded to Rabindranath Tagore "because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West".
(e) Gita Press is an Indian books publishing company, headquartered in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is world's largest publisher of Hindu religious texts. It was founded in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyanka and Ghanshyam Das Jalan for promoting the principles of Hinduism.

Statement I: Plough agriculture was known to the Harappans: This statement is true. Evidence suggests that the Harappans were engaged in agriculture, and the use of the plough has been inferred from various archaeological findings. The presence of agricultural tools and terracotta models, including those resembling ploughs, supports the understanding that plough agriculture was known to the Harappans.
Statement II: A terracotta plough model has been found in the mature Harappan level at Banawali: This statement is also true. The site of Banawali, located in Haryana, India, is one of the Harappan sites where archaeological excavations have taken place. Among the findings at Banawali are terracotta models that resemble ploughs. These artifacts provide tangible evidence that the Harappans were familiar with the use of the plough in their agricultural practices.

Statement I: One of the important features of Buddhism is Anatmavada: Anatmavada, also known as Anatta, is a key concept in Buddhism that refers to the doctrine of non-self or non-soul. It suggests that there is no permanent, unchanging self or soul in living beings. Instead, Buddhism teaches that all phenomena, including the individual self, are impermanent and subject to the law of dependent origination.
Statement II: Gautama Buddha believed in rebirth: This statement is generally true. According to Buddhist doctrine, what undergoes rebirth is not a permanent self but rather the continuum of consciousness (mindstream), influenced by karma. The goal in Buddhism is to attain enlightenment and liberation from the cycle of rebirth.

Statement I: This statement is true. This statement is highlighting that despite having Abdul Samad, who was trained in the Safavid tradition, as part of the court, Akbar had a strong admiration for Timurid painting. Specifically, Akbar was particularly interested in the tradition associated with Bihzad, who was a renowned artist of the Timurid period. This indicates Akbar's preference for a specific style of art.
Statement II: This statement is also true. This statement provides historical context about the influence of two Iranian masters brought to India by Humayun. These painters were considered conservative in their style. The statement suggests that the transformation of the Mughal artistic style, influenced by the pure Timurid ideal, occurred later, specifically at the end of Akbar's reign, after Abdus Samad, another influential figure in the court, was no longer present.

Assertion (A) provides information about European military superiority over Indian armies. It highlights several aspects of this superiority, including the efficiency of armies, conduct on the field, and organization. It also mentions specific technological advancements in firearms, such as the transition from the matchlock to the flintlock, the addition of bayonets for close combat, and the use of cartridges to increase the firing frequency of muskets.
Reason (R) states that European progress in the military sphere was not an isolated process but part of a general development of science and technology that marked European culture before the Industrial Revolution. This reason provides a broader context, suggesting that the advancements in military technology were interconnected with the overall progress in science and technology within European culture.

Assertion (A): "The French traveler Francois Bernier mostly praised Indian culture and society. His account does not fall into the category of Orientalist writings discussed by Edward Said." This assertion is based on the claim that Francois Bernier, the French traveler, had a positive view of Indian culture and society in his writings. Furthermore, it asserts that his writings do not align with the Orientalist writings criticized by Edward Said. Orientalism, as discussed by Said, refers to a Western study and interpretation of Middle Eastern and Asian societies, often characterized by stereotypes and a Eurocentric perspective.
Now, the potential issue with Assertion A lies in the subjective interpretation of Bernier's writings. The categorization of his account as non-Orientalist might be debated, as perspectives on what constitutes Orientalism can vary among scholars.
Reason (R): "Bernier learned to speak one major Asian language, Persian, which was a kind of lingua franca in India under the Mughals." This reason provides a factual statement about Francois Bernier learning Persian, a significant language in India during the Mughal period. Learning the language suggests a level of engagement with the culture and society, as Persian was widely used in Mughal administration, literature, and daily life.