Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon – December 18

The Gandhara School of Art (50 B.C. to 500 A.D.):

The Gadhara region extending from Punjab to the borders of Afghanistan was an important centre of Mahayana Buddhism up to the 5th century A.D. The region became famous throughout the world since a new school of Indian sculpture known as the Gandhara School developed during that period. Owing to its strategic location the Gandhara School imbibed all kinds of foreign influences like Persian, Greek, Roman, Saka and Kushan. The Gandhara School of Art is also known as the Graeco-Buddhist School of Art since Greek techniques of Art were applied to Buddhist subjects. The most important contribution of the Gandhara School of Art was the evolution of beautiful images of the Buddha and Bodhisattavas, which were executed in black stone and modelled on identical characters of Graeco-Roman pantheon. Hence it is said, “theGandhara artist had the hand of a Greek but the heart of an Indian.”

The important characteristics of Gandharaschool are:

• Depiction of Lord Buddha in the standing or seated positions. The seated Buddha is always shown cross-legged in the traditional Indian way.
• Rich carving, elaborate ornamentation and complex symbolism.
• Use of Grey stone

The best specimens of Gandhara art are from Jaulian and Dharmarajikastupa at Taxila and from Hadda near Jalalabad in modern Afghanistan. The tallest rock-cut statue of Lord Buddha is also located at Bamiyan in modern Afghanistan.

The Motilal Nehru Report 1928 was a report by a committee headed by Pt. Motilal Nehru. This committee was created when Lord Birkenhead, Secretary of State of India asked the Indian leaders to draft a constitution for the country. The report, which demanded a Dominion Status for India was considered by the Congress.

Key Points of Nehru Report

The main points of the Nehru report were as follows:

• India would be given Dominion status. This means independence within the British Commonwealth.
• India will be a federation which shall have a bicameral legislature at the centre and Ministry would be responsible to the legislature.
• Governor General of India would be the constitutional head of India and will have the same powers as that of British Crown.
• There will be no separate electorate.
• The draft report also defined the citizenship and fundamental rights.

• The Indian Republican Army was a revolutionary group in Chittagong included various Indian revolutionaries and Indian freedom fighters who conducted and participated in the well known Chittagong Armoury Raid Case in the year 1930.The Indian Republican Army was led by Masterda Surya Sen.
• Abhinav Bharat Society (Young India Society) was a secret society founded by VinayakDamodarSavarkar and his brother GaneshDamodarSavarkar in 1903. Initially founded at Nasik as MitraMela when VinayakSavarkar was still a student Fergusson College at Pune, the society grew to include several hundred revolutionaries and political activists with branches in various parts of India, extending to London after Savarkar went to study law. It carried out a few assassinations of British officials, after which the Savarkar brothers were convicted and imprisoned. The society was formally disbanded in 1952.
• Rash Behari Bose was one of the unsung heroes of the Indian freedom struggle laid the foundation of the Indian Independence League in Japan, with the prime objective to form Azad Hind Fauz.

Statements 1 and 2 are correct:

The ‘1857 revolt’ forced the British Government to introduce changes in the structure of army. Several steps were taken to minimize, if not completely eliminate, the capacity of Indian soldiers to revolt.

After 1857 Revolt:

(a) The European troops were kept in key geographical and military positions.

(b) The crucial branches of army like artillery and later in 20th century, tanks and armoured crops were put exclusively in European hands.

(c) Soldiers from Awadh, Bihar and Central India were declared Non- martial as they took part in 1857 revolt against british, hence they were not recruited in large scale. Whereas, Punjabis, Gurkhas and Pathans were declared martial and they were recruited in large numbers.

Statement 3 is incorrect:

(d) The older policy of excluding Indians from the officers’ corps was strictly maintained. Till 1914 no Indian could rise higher than the rank of a subedar.

Statement 1 is incorrect:

Vernacular Press Act, in British India, law enacted in 1878 to curtail the freedom of the Indian-language (i.e., non-English) press was Proposed by Lord Lytton, then viceroy of India (governed 1876–80).

Statements 2 and 3 re correct:

The provisions of the Act included the following:

1. The district magistrate was empowered to call upon the printer and publisher of any vernacular newspaper to enter into a bond with the Government undertaking not to cause disaffection against the Government or antipathy between persons of different religions, caste, race through published material; the printer and publisher could also be required to deposit security which could be forfeited if the regulation were contravened, and press equipment could be seized if the offence re-occurred.
2. The magistrate’s action was final and no appeal could be made in a court of law.
3. A vernacular newspaper could get exemption from the operation of the Act by submitting proofs to a government censor.

The Act came to be nicknamed “the gagging Act”. The worst features of this Act were—(i) discriminator between English and vernacular press, (ii) no right of appeal.

Under VPA, proceedings were instituted against SomPrakash, Bharat Mihir, Dacca Prakash and Samachar.

(Incidentally, the Amrita BazarPatrika turned overnight into an English newspaper to escape the VPA.)

Later, the pre-censorship clause was repealed, and a press commissioner was appointed to supply authentic and accurate news to the press.

There was strong opposition to the Act and finally Ripon repealed it in 1882.

Statement 1 is incorrect:

Ramakrishna Mission is a humanitarian organisation founded by Sri Rama Krishnan Paramahamsa’s  Chief disciple Swami Vivekananda in 1897.

Statements 2, 3 and 4 are correct:

• The aims and ideals of the mission are purely spiritual and humanitarian and has no relation with politics.
• The principles of Karma Yoga in BhagavadGita are one of the main source of inspiration for the Ramakrishna Mission.
• The Mission conducts extensive work in heatlhcare, disaster relief , rural management, tribal welfare, elementary and higher education and culture.
• The headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission is at Belur Math near Kolkata.

Mohiniyattam:

It is a classical dance form from Kerala

The term Mohiniyattam comes from the words “Mohini” meaning a woman who enchants onlookers and “aattam” meaning graceful and sensuous body movements. The word “Mohiniyattam” literally means “dance of the enchantress”.

The dance involves the swaying of broad hips and the gentle movements of erect posture from side to side. This is reminiscent of the swinging of the palm leaves and the gently flowing rivers which abound Kerala.

There are approximately 40 basic movements, known as atavukal.

The vocal music of Mohiniyattam involves variations in rhythmic structure known as chollu.

Statement 2 is correct:

It is considered a very graceful dance meant to be performed as solo recital by women.