RAS question
Annie Besant launched the Home Rule League in 1916 from:
Correct answer: (B) Madras (September 1916).
Annie Besant launched her Home Rule League in September 1916 from Madras, with its headquarters at Adyar.
Explanation
Annie Besant announced the formation of her Home Rule League in September 1916 and placed its headquarters at Adyar in Madras, now Chennai. Madras is therefore the correct location. Balagangadhar Tilak had already started his separate Home Rule League on 23 April 1916, and the two organisations demarcated their areas of activity to avoid friction. Besant’s movement was run from Adyar, and she also used New India and Common Weal to argue for self-government and publicise the demand for Home Rule.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Pune points to Tilak’s separate Home Rule League, whereas Besant’s League had its headquarters at Adyar in Madras.
- (C) Bombay was not Besant’s base; her League had its headquarters at Adyar in Madras.
- (D) Calcutta was not the launch base; Besant’s League had its headquarters at Adyar in Madras.
Concept
This tests the Home Rule Movement within Modern Indian History, especially the distinction between Besant’s and Tilak’s parallel leagues. RAS repeats such questions because dates, founders and headquarters are compact factual markers of the national movement.