Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Indian Opinion
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question belongs to modern Indian history and the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Before leading the freedom movement in India, Gandhi worked as a lawyer and community leader in South Africa. During that phase he experimented with satyagraha and used printed media to mobilise and educate the Indian diaspora. Knowing the names of publications associated with him in South Africa versus those associated with his later work in India is a frequently tested factual point.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Gandhi started the newspaper Indian Opinion in South Africa in 1903 to highlight issues faced by the Indian community and to argue against racial discrimination. After returning to India, he later edited and published Young India and Navajivan as influential journals of public opinion. Therefore, the correct answer for his South African period is Indian Opinion. The other titles are connected with his Indian phase and must not be confused with the earlier publication started abroad.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Separate Gandhi life into the South African phase and the Indian phase.
Step 2: Recall that in South Africa he started a newspaper aimed at representing the voice of Indians under discriminatory laws.
Step 3: Remember the name of this paper as Indian Opinion.
Step 4: Recognise that Young India and Nav Jivan are associated with his later Indian public work and campaigns.
Step 5: Choose Indian Opinion as the correct option for the South African context.
Verification / Alternative check:
Standard history textbooks and biographies of Gandhi mention that he founded Indian Opinion in Durban to support satyagraha campaigns against unjust laws. They also separately describe Young India as a weekly journal he edited after moving to India, used to express views on national issues and non cooperation. Navajivan similarly appears in accounts of his Indian activities. Since the question clearly anchors the time period in South Africa, only Indian Opinion fits the description of a periodical started there.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Young India was a journal Gandhi edited in India to communicate with educated readers and activists during the national movement. Nav Jivan or Navajivan was another Indian publication started later, focusing on constructive programmes and moral issues. None of these were launched during his South African years. Choosing None of these would ignore the well documented existence of Indian Opinion, so that option is also incorrect.
Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to recognise Young India as a familiar Gandhian journal and select it without reading the phrase in South Africa carefully. Another error is to think that all three names refer to Indian phase publications only and therefore mistakenly opt for None of these. To avoid confusion, students should link Indian Opinion with South Africa and Young India plus Navajivan with the Indian freedom struggle period, forming a simple memory association based on geography and chronology.
Final Answer:
During his stay in South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi published the periodical Indian Opinion to support and organise the Indian community.
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