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Between the social reformers and Mahatma Gandhi there are thirty-four years that papers ask about constantly and students skip constantly. They are the years in which Indians learnt to organise politically — and then argued bitterly about what political organisation is for.
The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by men who believed British rule could be reasoned with. By 1907 a second generation had concluded it could not, and the two halves broke apart at Surat in a session that ended in flying chairs. They came back together at Lucknow in 1916, and three years later Gandhi took charge of a Congress that had already been built, split and repaired for him.
That arc — founding, moderation, confrontation, split, reunion — is the whole story, and every date below hangs on it. Learn the arc first and the dates stop being loose facts.
1. Who presided over the first session of the Indian National Congress in 1885?
2. The split of the Congress at Surat in 1907 came to a head over:
3. Who was the first Muslim president of the Indian National Congress?
4. The Partition of Bengal came into effect on:
5. "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it" is associated with:
6. At which session did the Moderates and Extremists reunite?
7. The 'drain of wealth' theory was set out in the book 'Poverty and Un-British Rule in India', written by:
8. Who was the first woman to preside over a session of the Indian National Congress?