During the anti-partition movement in 1905, who first clearly visualised and advocated the twin programme of Swadeshi (use of indigenous goods) and Boycott (rejection of foreign goods) in response to the partition of Bengal?

Introduction / Context:
The partition of Bengal in 1905 by Lord Curzon triggered a massive wave of national protest in India. In this phase, the Swadeshi and Boycott movements emerged as powerful tools of resistance, combining economic self-reliance with political agitation. This question asks which nationalist thinker first clearly visualised and articulated the twin programme of Swadeshi and Boycott as an organised response to the partition of Bengal.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The context is the anti-partition agitation of Bengal (around 1905).
• The key concepts are Swadeshi (promoting indigenous goods) and Boycott (refusing foreign goods and institutions).
• The options list leading nationalist figures active in the early twentieth century.
• We are looking for the intellectual architect who first clearly visualised this combined programme.

Concept / Approach:
To solve this, we must recall which leader not only participated in but also ideologically framed the Swadeshi and Boycott movements. Various leaders such as Surendranath Banerjee and B. C. Pal were prominent speakers and organisers, but one figure, Aurobindo Ghose, is especially noted for providing the radical ideological basis and envisioning Swadeshi and Boycott as powerful instruments of passive resistance and national regeneration.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Surendranath Banerjee played a major role in early Congress politics and in the anti-partition movement, but he was more moderate in his methods.2. B. C. Pal (Bipin Chandra Pal) was an important extremist leader who strongly supported Swadeshi and Boycott, but the conceptual framework was heavily shaped by Aurobindo Ghose.3. Aurobindo Ghose, through his writings and speeches, particularly in journals like Bande Mataram, advocated Swadeshi and Boycott as a comprehensive programme of national awakening, spiritual discipline, and economic struggle.4. Ras Behari Bose was associated more with later revolutionary activities and the Ghadar movement context, not primarily with the 1905 Swadeshi-Boycott formulation.5. Bal Gangadhar Tilak also championed similar ideas in western India, but in the context of this question on Bengal's partition, Aurobindo Ghose is widely credited with visualising the combined programme.6. Therefore, the correct answer is Aurobindo Ghose.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard history textbooks describing the Swadeshi movement highlight Aurobindo Ghose as a key ideologue who transformed the agitation from a mere constitutional protest into a broader movement of national self-assertion. His writings emphasised boycott of foreign cloth, goods, and institutions alongside building indigenous industries, national schools, and cultural self-confidence. These ideas clearly show that he did not just support Swadeshi and Boycott but systematically visualised them as a coordinated programme.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Surendranath Banerjee: A moderate leader who opposed the partition but preferred constitutional methods and did not conceptualise Swadeshi-Boycott as radically as Aurobindo.
• B. C. Pal: A powerful orator and supporter of Swadeshi, but the deeper ideological formulation is more strongly attributed to Aurobindo Ghose.
• Ras Behari Bose: Mainly associated with revolutionary plots and later the Indian National Army context, not with the earliest formulation of Swadeshi-Boycott.
• Bal Gangadhar Tilak: A leading extremist in western India, but the question is framed around the Bengal partition agitation where Aurobindo's role is central.

Common Pitfalls:
Many aspirants assume that any extremist leader associated with Swadeshi must be the answer, leading them to choose B. C. Pal or Tilak. Another mistake is to focus only on organisational leadership and ignore who actually elaborated the ideological and strategic framework. It is important in such questions to connect the movement with the thinker most credited for its intellectual blueprint, not just its public face.

Final Answer:
The twin programme of Swadeshi and Boycott during the anti-partition movement in Bengal was visualised most clearly by Aurobindo Ghose.