Where did Mahatma Gandhi mark his first major public appearance in 1916?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Banaras Hindu University
Gandhiji returned to India from South Africa in January 1915 and spent a year travelling round the country. His first major public appearance was at the opening of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in February 1916. Before an audience of princes, philanthropists and Congress leaders, he charged the Indian elite with a lack of concern for the labouring poor, contrasting the “richly bedecked noblemen” present with the millions of poor Indians who were absent.
The peasant movements came later: Kheda in 1918 and Bardoli in 1928.
NCERT (2025-26): “1. A Leader Announces Himself … On Gokhale’s advice, Gandhiji spent a year travelling around British India, getting to know the land and its peoples. His first major public appearance was at the opening of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in February 1916.… …When his turn came to speak, Gandhiji charged the Indian elite with a lack of concern for the labouring poor.…” |