In the Indian freedom struggle, which national leader affectionately gave Subhas Chandra Bose the honorific title Desh Nayak meaning Leader of the Nation?

Introduction / Context:
Subhas Chandra Bose was one of the most charismatic and radical leaders of the Indian freedom movement. Many titles and honorifics were given to him by his contemporaries and by the people. One of the most famous of these titles is Desh Nayak, which means Leader of the Nation. This question tests your knowledge of modern Indian history, especially the relationship between Bose and other key national leaders, and helps you remember which personality used this specific expression of respect and admiration for him.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question is about Subhas Chandra Bose, a major leader of the Indian freedom struggle.
• The title in focus is Desh Nayak, literally meaning Leader of the Nation.
• We are asked to identify which national leader addressed Bose with this title.
• The options include several prominent leaders from the national movement.

Concept / Approach:
To answer this correctly, you need recall based knowledge from modern Indian history and biographies of freedom fighters. Subhas Chandra Bose shared different kinds of relationships with leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore. Gandhi was often called Father of the Nation and Netaji was a popular title for Bose given by Indian soldiers and nationalists. However, the phrase Desh Nayak is specifically associated with a tribute from Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Prize winning poet. Understanding these associations helps in eliminating incorrect options and selecting the one leader whose words became historically famous in this context.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Subhas Chandra Bose was popularly called Netaji by his followers and by soldiers of the Indian National Army. Step 2: Remember that Mahatma Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose had ideological differences, although Bose respected Gandhi as the leader of the masses. Gandhi did not coin the title Desh Nayak for Bose. Step 3: Focus on Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore was not only a great poet but also someone who coined powerful patriotic expressions such as Jana Gana Mana and other nationalistic phrases. Step 4: Historical records mention that Tagore addressed Bose as Desh Nayak in his writings and public tributes, acknowledging Bose s courage and leadership in the struggle against British rule. Step 5: Since this phrase is directly attributed to Rabindranath Tagore, we select him as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by checking biographies of Subhas Chandra Bose and works on Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore also gave titles to others, for example he is often credited with calling Gandhi Mahatma. In a similar way, his description of Bose as Desh Nayak became popular in nationalist literature and later in public memory. No such specific reference is commonly documented for the other options in connection with this exact title for Bose, which confirms our choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Mahatma Gandhi: Gandhi and Bose were important leaders, but Gandhi did not coin the expression Desh Nayak for Bose. Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Tilak was an earlier nationalist leader known as Lokmanya, but he is not associated with giving this title to Bose. Lala Lajpat Rai: He was a prominent extremist leader from Punjab, yet there is no historical record that he used the title Desh Nayak for Bose. Jawaharlal Nehru: Though close to Bose at certain stages, Nehru is not known for coining this specific phrase.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes quickly select Mahatma Gandhi because they associate big titles with him or assume that since Gandhi had a central place in the freedom struggle, he must have given this title. Another typical mistake is to confuse Tagore s titles and think of him only in connection with national songs, forgetting that he also addressed individuals with powerful honorifics. It is important to distinguish between the various titles and who gave them, as these details are frequently asked in competitive exams.

Final Answer:
The title Desh Nayak was given to Subhas Chandra Bose by Rabindranath Tagore.