Important Dates in Indian History

Indian Opinion was started in 1903. Link it with Gandhi's spread of ideas and struggle in South Africa.

Tolstoy Farm was established in 1910. Remember it with Gandhi's satyagraha training and community life.

Sabarmati Ashram was established in 1917. In exams, link it with Gandhi's constructive work and the Dandi March.

The Kheda Satyagraha took place in 1918 in the Kheda district of Gujarat. Farmers faced crop failure and difficult economic conditions, yet revenue demands remained a serious burden. Gandhi and other leaders supported the peasants’ request for suspension or relief from land revenue when they could not pay. The movement used collective, non-violent resistance and negotiations rather than violent action. It is remembered as an important early example of organised peasant action associated with Gandhi.

Option B, 1918, is correct. Option A, 1917, is commonly associated with the Champaran Satyagraha, while 1919 is associated with the Rowlatt Act and the national agitation around that period. The year 1922 belongs to a later phase of the freedom movement. Connecting Kheda with Gujarat farmers’ demand for tax relief and the year 1918 gives the correct answer. The question asks for the year of Gandhi’s leadership, not the year of every related event.

The Ahmedabad mill workers' strike is associated with 1918. Remember it with Gandhi's labour struggle and satyagraha method.

The direct answer is option C, 1920. The Non-Cooperation Movement was a major national movement led by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule. To understand the date, remember the sequence: the First World War ended in 1918; the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre increased anger in 1919; Gandhi then began the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920. People were asked to withdraw cooperation from British institutions, such as government schools, colleges, courts and foreign goods. Option A, 1917, is wrong because it is associated with Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha, not this movement. Option B, 1919, is wrong because it was the year of the Rowlatt Satyagraha and Jallianwala Bagh, which helped create the background. Option C, 1920, is correct because the movement was launched in that year. Option D, 1922, is wrong because Gandhi withdrew the movement after the Chauri Chaura incident in 1922; it did not begin then. Memory cue: background in 1919, launch in 1920, withdrawal in 1922.

The Dandi March was an important protest against the British salt law. Mahatma Gandhi began it in 1930, and it ended at Dandi on the Gujarat coast. By making salt, Gandhi challenged the colonial government’s control over salt and turned an everyday necessity into a symbol of freedom and resistance. This event is also called the Salt March or Salt Satyagraha.

Option C is correct because it gives the year 1930. The march was part of the Civil Disobedience Movement, which began in that period. The other years do not match this event: 1928 and 1929 relate to important developments before the march, while 1932 belongs to a later phase of the freedom struggle. Thus, the correct choice is C.

Mahatma Gandhi called for the Quit India Movement in August 1942. At the All India Congress Committee session in Bombay on 8 August 1942, he gave the message “Do or Die.” The year 1930 is more closely associated with the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Dandi March. Exam tip: remember Quit India Movement with 1942 and “Do or Die.”

Bal Gangadhar Tilak started the newspapers Kesari and The Mahratta in 1881. Kesari was published in Marathi, while The Mahratta was an English newspaper. Through these papers, Tilak discussed public issues, criticised colonial policies, and encouraged political awareness and national feeling among people. Thus, the newspapers were important instruments of public education and national awakening, not merely commercial publications.

The other years do not match the established founding date of these newspapers. Option B, 1881, is therefore correct. A useful way to remember the fact is to connect the year with Tilak’s early nationalist journalism. The newspapers helped him reach readers in different language communities and spread ideas about public participation, rights, and self-rule. The answer asks for the starting year, so the relevant date is 1881.

Tilak popularised the public Ganesh festival in 1893. Link it with national unity and public awakening.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak established his Home Rule League in 1916, during the period when Indian political leaders were demanding self-government. The Home Rule movement tried to build public support for the idea that Indians should have a greater role in governing their own country. Tilak’s organisation was especially active in parts of western and central India, while Annie Besant led a separate but related league.

Among the given years, 1916 is the historically correct date, so option C follows. The other dates belong to different stages or events in the nationalist period and do not identify the founding of Tilak’s Home Rule League. Linking 1916 with the Home Rule demand is a useful way to remember the answer, while keeping in mind that Tilak and Besant operated related leagues in the same movement.

Annie Besant started the Home Rule League in 1916. Link it with the spread of the demand for self-government in India.

The Servants of India Society was founded in 1905. Remember it with Gokhale's public service and educational work.

The East India Association was founded in 1866. Link it with raising Indian interests in Britain.

The Indian National Association was formed in 1876. Remember it as a political organisation before the Congress.

The Servants of the People Society was founded in 1921. Link it with Lala Lajpat Rai's social service work.

The direct answer is option C, 1926. The Naujawan Bharat Sabha was founded by Bhagat Singh and his colleagues to involve young people in the freedom movement and develop a spirit of patriotism, social awareness and opposition to colonial rule. To reason step by step: first identify the organisation; second connect it with Bhagat Singh and revolutionary youth work; third recall its founding year, 1926. Option A, 1924, is wrong because the Sabha was not founded in that year. Option B, 1925, is also wrong; it is an earlier nearby date and can confuse students, but it is not the accepted founding year. Option C, 1926, is correct because this is the year in which the Naujawan Bharat Sabha was established. Option D, 1928, is wrong because it is later; Bhagat Singh was already active in the organisation by then. The important idea is that the Sabha was a youth organisation, not merely a political meeting or a later event. Memory cue: connect “Naujawan” with young people and remember 1926 as its founding year.

The Kakori incident took place in 1925. Remember it with the revolutionary action of the Hindustan Republican Association.

Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar founded the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha in 1924. The organisation worked for the education, social progress, and rights of people who faced exclusion and discrimination. It aimed to create opportunities for disadvantaged communities and encouraged them to become aware of their dignity and lawful rights. This makes the organisation an important part of Ambedkar’s wider movement for social justice.

Option B is correct because 1924 is the established year of its foundation. The other dates refer to different periods or activities and do not identify this organisation’s founding. The name itself refers to helping excluded people, so it can be linked with removing social barriers, improving education, and promoting equality. Remembering the year together with these purposes is more useful than memorising the date alone.

The Mahad Satyagraha was led by Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar in 1927. Its immediate issue was the right of people from oppressed communities to use the water of the Chavdar Tank at Mahad. The action challenged untouchability and the denial of equal civic rights. It showed that access to public resources should not depend on caste and that dignity and equality must be claimed in public life.

Option B, 1927, is correct. The year 1924 belongs to the founding of the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha, so it is a plausible but incorrect choice in this set. The years 1930 and 1936 do not match the Mahad event. To remember the answer, connect Mahad with the public-water rights struggle and Ambedkar’s campaign against caste discrimination; both point to 1927.

The Independent Labour Party was founded in 1936. Link it with labour rights and social representation.

The direct answer is option C, 1942. Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar founded the Scheduled Castes Federation to provide an organised political platform for the representation and rights of Scheduled Castes. Follow the fact chain: Ambedkar worked for equality and political safeguards; he formed a separate organisation for Scheduled Caste political representation; that organisation was established in 1942. Option A, 1932, is wrong because it is associated with an earlier period of debates about political representation, not the founding of this Federation. Option B, 1936, is wrong; it is connected with another stage of Ambedkar’s political work but is not the Federation’s founding year. Option C, 1942, is correct. Option D, 1956, is wrong because it was the year of Ambedkar’s death and is much later than the organisation’s formation. The Federation aimed to make the political voice of Scheduled Castes stronger; it was not a school, welfare office or temporary campaign. Memory cue: remember “Scheduled Castes Federation—Ambedkar—1942” as one three-part link.

The girls' school in Pune was started in 1848. Link it with pioneering work for women's education in India.

The direct answer is option C, 1873. Satyashodhak Samaj means the Society of Seekers of Truth. Jyotirao Phule founded it in Pune to challenge caste inequality, social discrimination and the domination of privileged groups. His aim was to promote equality, education and dignity for women and oppressed communities. Follow the date carefully: 1848 is linked with Phule’s work for girls’ education and the opening of a girls’ school, but it is not the founding year of Satyashodhak Samaj. Option A, 1848, is therefore wrong. Option B, 1856, is not the accepted year for this organisation and is irrelevant to the question. Option C, 1873, is correct because Phule established Satyashodhak Samaj in that year. Option D, 1897, is wrong because Phule died in 1890, so he could not have founded it in 1897. The organisation encouraged people to question unfair customs and supported social equality. Memory cue: Phule’s truth-seeking organisation was founded in 1873.

The direct answer is option C: 1856. The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act was passed in British India in 1856 after the strong efforts of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. He studied religious texts, argued that widow remarriage was acceptable, spread awareness and petitioned the authorities. Therefore the fact chain is: Vidyasagar’s reform campaign → legal support for widow remarriage → Act of 1856. Option A, 1829, is wrong because it is associated with the abolition of sati under Lord William Bentinck. Option B, 1848, is not the year of this Act. Option C, 1856, correctly gives the year of the Widow Remarriage Act. Option D, 1873, is also unrelated to this legislation. Memory cue: Vidyasagar and widow remarriage go together with 1856.