On what date did India attain independence amid the partition of British India?
At midnight on 14–15 August 1947.
Whom did the national movement broadly agree independent India’s government should serve?
Everyone, especially the poor and socially disadvantaged groups.
What three broad challenges faced independent India?
National unity, establishing democratic practices, and securing development and well-being for all.
What did Partition divide British India into?
The nation-states of India and Pakistan.
What did the Muslim League’s two-nation theory claim about Hindus and Muslims?
They were two distinct peoples.
What territorial demand did the Muslim League’s two-nation theory support?
A separate Muslim country.
How did Partition assign areas between Pakistan and India?
Muslim-majority areas went to Pakistan; the remaining areas went to India.
What did Partition force minorities on both sides to do?
Flee homes where their families had lived for generations.
How many people migrated across the new border during Partition?
About 80 lakh people.
How many people were killed in Partition-related violence?
Between five and ten lakh people.
What citizenship principle did India’s national movement leaders seek after Partition?
Equal citizenship regardless of religion.
What did India’s secular ideal say should not determine citizenship?
Religious belief.
Where was India’s secular ideal enshrined?
In the Constitution.
Who directly governed British Indian Provinces?
The British governed them directly.
Who ruled Princely States under British paramountcy?
Princes who retained some internal control.
What legal choices did the 565 Princely States have when paramountcy lapsed?
They could join India, join Pakistan, or remain independent.
What did the Instrument of Accession agree about a princely state?
It would become part of the Indian Union.
What prompted the Indian army to enter Hyderabad in September 1948?
The Nizam’s oppressive rule and the razakars’ violence prompted resistance.
What happened after several days of fighting in Hyderabad in 1948?
The Nizam surrendered, and Hyderabad acceded to India.
What made Manipur’s June 1948 election historically distinctive?
It was the first election in India based on universal adult franchise.
Why did national leaders postpone linguistic state formation after Independence and Partition?
They feared disruption and disintegration, prioritised other challenges, and faced unsettled princely-state futures.
What did the Vishalandhra movement demand for Telugu-speaking areas of Madras Province?
A separate Andhra province.
What happened after Potti Sriramulu’s 56-day fast for a separate Andhra state?
His death triggered unrest and protests in the Andhra region.
How long did Potti Sriramulu fast for a separate Andhra state?
56 days.
When was the States Reorganisation Commission appointed, and what prompted its appointment?
It was appointed in 1953 after Andhra’s formation strengthened demands elsewhere.
What did the States Reorganisation Commission’s report support?
Linguistic state boundaries.
In which year was the States Reorganisation Act passed?
1956.
What effect did linguistic states have on India’s national unity?
They strengthened national unity rather than disintegrating India.
Whose political participation widened with the creation of linguistic states?
People beyond the small English-speaking elite.
What two concerns have motivated later demands for separate states?
Distinct regional cultures and regional development imbalances.
Which rights did the Constitution grant to every Indian citizen?
Fundamental rights and voting rights.
What system of government did the Constitution establish for India?
Representative democracy under a parliamentary system.
What principle did the Constitution establish for disadvantaged groups and religious and cultural communities?
Equality and special protection.
What did the Constitution’s Directive Principles set as goals for democratic politics?
Welfare goals.
Which two regions made up Pakistan at Partition?
West Pakistan and East Pakistan.
Why were Punjab and Bengal divided at district or lower levels?
Each province had large areas where non-Muslims were the majority.
How were districts assigned when Punjab and Bengal were partitioned?
According to their religious majorities.
What was Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan’s position on the two-nation theory?
He opposed it.
Which forms of violence and loss affected people during Partition?
Killings, migration attacks, abductions, forced marriages, family separations, and loss of homes and livelihoods.
What share of India’s population was Muslim in 1951?
10–12 per cent.
What share of the British Indian Empire’s land did Princely States cover?
One-third.
What share of Indians lived under princely rule?
One in four.
Which states announced plans for independence as British rule ended?
Travancore and Hyderabad.
What considerations shaped the government’s approach to princely integration?
Popular wishes to join India, regional autonomy, and territorial consolidation after Partition.
How was Junagadh’s accession to India resolved?
A plebiscite confirmed that its people wanted to join India.
What geographical status did Hyderabad have among the Princely States?
It was the largest Princely State and was entirely surrounded by Indian territory.
What did the Nizam seek for Hyderabad?
Independence.
When did the Maharaja of Manipur sign the Instrument of Accession?
Shortly before Independence.
In which month and year did Manipur’s Maharaja sign the Merger Agreement with India?
September 1949.
What linguistic principle had the national movement endorsed for reorganising states?
Linguistic reorganisation.
How did Congress organise many Provincial Congress Committees after the 1920 Nagpur session?
By linguistic zones.
In which month and year did the Prime Minister announce a separate Andhra state?
December 1952.
How many states and Union Territories did the States Reorganisation Act of 1956 create?
14 states and six Union Territories.
What did linguistic states make more uniform?
State boundaries.
What did linguistic states demonstrate about Indian democracy?
It recognised and accepted differences in ideas and ways of life.
In which year did Nagaland become a state?
1963.
What did popular agitation create from bilingual Bombay State in 1960?
Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Which territories were separated from Punjab during its 1966 reorganisation?
Present-day Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Which three states emerged from Assam and its surrounding region in 1972?
Meghalaya, Manipur, and Tripura.
In which year did Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh become states?
1987.
Which three states were created in 2000?
Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Jharkhand.
On what date did Telangana become a state?
2 June 2014.
Answer 15 questions on Challenges of Nation Building.
1. What were the three broad challenges facing independent India?
2. Which principles broadly united the national movement regarding independent India’s government?
Go over the full study guide for Challenges of Nation Building.
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