Who is the author of the Indian political memoir "Prison Diary" written during the Emergency period?

Introduction / Context:

This question tests knowledge of Indian political literature and, in particular, the memoir "Prison Diary". Such questions are common in competitive exams because they link important political events, like the Emergency, with key personalities and their writings. Knowing which leader wrote which book helps you connect historical movements with primary sources that describe them in detail.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The book is titled "Prison Diary".

• It is an Indian political memoir associated with resistance to authoritarian rule.

• The options include an Indian novelist, a political leader, a sportsperson, and a writer-activist.

• We assume the question refers to the famous work documenting experiences of political imprisonment during the Emergency period.

Concept / Approach:

The key idea is to associate the title "Prison Diary" with the correct political leader from modern Indian history. A simple elimination method works well: identify which option is a prominent political activist known for imprisonment during the Emergency and for writing about that experience. By recalling who led the fight against authoritarianism and documented it in a diary form, you can arrive at the correct match.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

You can verify the answer by checking standard lists of books written by notable Indian leaders. Jayaprakash Narayan is consistently credited with a jail diary style work that documents his experiences during imprisonment. By contrast, Amitav Ghosh is known for literary novels, Kapil Dev for cricket autobiographies, and Mala Sen for works on social issues such as "India's Bandit Queen". This cross-check confirms that Jayaprakash Narayan is the correct author of "Prison Diary".

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Amitav Ghosh is a renowned Indian English novelist known for books like "The Shadow Lines" and "The Glass Palace", not this political prison memoir.

Kapil Dev is a legendary Indian cricketer whose books focus on cricket and his sporting life rather than political imprisonment.

Mala Sen is associated with works on social and gender issues, not with an Emergency era political prison diary.

Common Pitfalls:

A common mistake is to choose Amitav Ghosh simply because he is a well known author, without considering the political nature of the title. Another error is to ignore the context of the Emergency and its key leaders. Students sometimes guess randomly if they do not systematically link the book with the political movement it describes.

Final Answer:

The correct author of the political memoir "Prison Diary" is Jayaprakash Narayan.