RAS question
Lord Lytton (1876-1880) organized which grand event despite a severe famine in India?
Correct answer: (B) Delhi Durbar of 1877 to proclaim Queen Victoria as Empress of India.
Lord Lytton organised the Delhi Durbar of 1877 to proclaim Queen Victoria as Empress of India despite the severe Great Famine of 1876-78.
Explanation
Lord Lytton's grand event was the Delhi Durbar of 1877, also called the Imperial Assemblage or Proclamation Durbar. It began on 1 January 1877 and proclaimed Queen Victoria as Empress of India, under the imperial title associated with the Royal Titles Act, 1876. The Delhi Durbar was a British Raj imperial assembly at Coronation Park, Delhi, held to mark the accession of an Emperor or Empress of India, with Lytton present as Viceroy. The timing made it notorious: it took place during the Great Famine of 1876-78, in which 5.5 million people died, and the Durbar later drew criticism for diverting funds away from famine relief.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) There was no First Olympic Games in India under Lord Lytton; the event was an imperial political ceremony in Delhi, not a sporting event.
- (C) An International Trade Exhibition is not linked to Lytton's viceroyalty; the event associated with him here was the Delhi Durbar.
- (D) The ceremony in question was the Delhi Durbar at Delhi, while Calcutta is mentioned only in connection with an inscription at Victoria Memorial, not as the venue of Lytton's proclamation event.
Concept
This tests the cultural and political symbolism of high imperial rule under the British Raj. RAS repeats this theme because Lytton's viceroyalty connects pomp, famine policy, press restrictions and imperial titles in one compact Modern India topic.