In Indian political history, who is the author of the book "Keeping the Faith: Memoirs of a Parliamentarian"?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Somnath Chatterjee

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Keeping the Faith: Memoirs of a Parliamentarian is a well known political autobiography by Somnath Chatterjee, a respected Indian parliamentarian and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Questions based on this book test awareness of contemporary Indian political history and authorship of important memoirs. Knowing who wrote major autobiographical works helps candidates link events in post independence politics with the personal experiences of key leaders and law makers.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The title mentioned is "Keeping the Faith: Memoirs of a Parliamentarian".
  • The book is an autobiographical or memoir style account by an Indian public figure.
  • The options list four different public personalities: David Omand, Raja Shehadeh, Raghav Bahl, and Somnath Chatterjee.
  • We assume the exam expects recognition of the correct match between author and title.


Concept / Approach:
The approach in such general knowledge questions is simple factual recall. One must connect the specific title with the correct author based on background reading of Indian politics and important memoirs. A useful method is to remember that Somnath Chatterjee had a long parliamentary career and therefore a title that includes the phrase "Memoirs of a Parliamentarian" fits him very naturally, while the other names in the options are associated with different professional domains or books. Associating themes in the title with the public roles of the authors makes such questions easier.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note the key words in the title: "Keeping the Faith" and "Memoirs of a Parliamentarian". The phrase clearly points toward the life of someone who spent decades in Parliament. Step 2: Recall that Somnath Chatterjee was a veteran Member of Parliament and also served as Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He was widely regarded as a principled parliamentarian who tried to uphold the dignity of the House. Step 3: Remember that he authored a memoir that reflected on his political journey and his efforts to maintain faith in parliamentary democracy, which aligns perfectly with the given title. Step 4: Compare the other names. David Omand is a British civil servant and security expert, Raja Shehadeh is a Palestinian author and lawyer, and Raghav Bahl is an Indian media entrepreneur and commentator. None of these is primarily remembered as a long serving Indian parliamentarian writing such a memoir. Step 5: Conclude that Somnath Chatterjee is the only logically consistent and factually correct match for the book "Keeping the Faith: Memoirs of a Parliamentarian".


Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification strategy is to recall newspaper reviews and book discussions around the time of publication. Many features in Indian newspapers described Somnath Chatterjee reflecting on coalition politics, constitutional values and his tenure as Speaker, all under this book title. Another check is to remember typical subject areas of the other options. Raghav Bahl is associated with business and media themed books. Raja Shehadeh writes about Palestinian land, law and personal reflections. David Omand writes on intelligence and national security. None of these fields naturally matches the specific phrase "Memoirs of a Parliamentarian" in an Indian political context. Therefore, the identification of Somnath Chatterjee as the author is consistent and can be treated as verified knowledge rather than a guess.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
David Omand is known as a British security and intelligence official and author on related topics, not as an Indian parliamentarian or the writer of this memoir, so option A is incorrect. Raja Shehadeh is a Palestinian writer and lawyer whose works focus on Palestinian experiences and legal struggles, and he has no connection to this specific Indian parliamentary memoir, so option B is wrong. Raghav Bahl is an Indian media founder and commentator who writes about business, economics and policy but not this autobiographical account of life in Parliament, so option C is also incorrect. Only Somnath Chatterjee matches both the content and the title of the book.


Common Pitfalls:
One common pitfall is to focus only on the phrase "Keeping the Faith" and think of religious or philosophical writers, ignoring the important subtitle "Memoirs of a Parliamentarian". Another mistake is to make a guess based solely on nationality and pick any Indian sounding name without checking whether the person actually wrote political memoirs. Candidates may also confuse this book with other memoirs by Indian leaders. The safest method is to link Somnath Chatterjee directly with the role of Speaker and Parliamentarian and remember that his memoir about preserving democratic faith carries this specific title.


Final Answer:
Somnath Chatterjee

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