12.4 Books, Authors, Awards, Days & Organizations
Key Takeaways
- Bharat Ratna, instituted in 1954, is India's highest civilian award; the first recipients were C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and C.V. Raman.
- Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, becoming the first Asian Nobel laureate in literature.
- The United Nations was founded on 24 October 1945 with headquarters in New York and six official languages.
- International Yoga Day is observed on 21 June, following a UN declaration in 2014, and was first observed in 2015.
- BRICS expanded in January 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE, and Indonesia joined as a full member in January 2025; India chairs the grouping in 2026.
Last updated: August 2026
Why Books, Awards, Days, and Organisations Matter
About 2-4 of the 20 GA questions test famous books and authors, national awards, important days, and international organisations. These are pure memory items — high scoring if you revise them frequently.
Famous Books and Authors
Indian authors frequently asked:
| Book | Author |
|---|---|
| Discovery of India | Jawaharlal Nehru (written in Ahmednagar Fort prison) |
| Wings of Fire | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (autobiography) |
| India 2020 / Ignited Minds | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam |
| Gitanjali | Rabindranath Tagore (Nobel 1913) |
| The Guide | R.K. Narayan |
| Malgudi Days | R.K. Narayan |
| Midnight's Children | Salman Rushdie (Booker 1981) |
| The God of Small Things | Arundhati Roy (Booker 1997) |
| A Suitable Boy | Vikram Seth |
| Train to Pakistan | Khushwant Singh |
| Gora, Ghare-Baire | Rabindranath Tagore |
| Hind Swaraj | M.K. Gandhi (1909) |
World classics: 'Das Kapital' (Karl Marx), 'Origin of Species' (Charles Darwin, 1859), 'The Wealth of Nations' (Adam Smith, 1776), 'War and Peace' (Leo Tolstoy), 'Romeo and Juliet' (Shakespeare), 'The Republic' (Plato), 'Mein Kampf' (Adolf Hitler).
National Awards
| Award | Description |
|---|---|
| Bharat Ratna | Highest civilian award; instituted 1954; normally capped at three in a year; first recipients C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and C.V. Raman (1954). Five were conferred in 2024 — Karpoori Thakur, L.K. Advani, P.V. Narasimha Rao, Chaudhary Charan Singh and M.S. Swaminathan |
| Padma Vibhushan | Second highest; for exceptional and distinguished service |
| Padma Bhushan | Third highest; distinguished service of high order |
| Padma Shri | Fourth highest; distinguished service |
| Gallantry awards | Param Vir Chakra (highest wartime), Ashoka Chakra (highest peacetime), Vir Chakra, Shaurya Chakra |
| Sahitya Akademi Award | Literary award, given annually by the Sahitya Akademi since 1955 |
| Jnanpith Award | Highest literary honour in India; first recipient G. Sankara Kurup (1965) |
| National Sports Awards | Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (renamed from Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2021), Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award (coaches) |
Nobel Laureates of India
- Rabindranath Tagore (1913) — Literature; first Asian Nobel laureate in literature.
- C.V. Raman (1930) — Physics, for the 'Raman Effect'.
- Hargobind Khorana (1968) — Medicine; Indian-born American citizen.
- Mother Teresa (1979) — Peace.
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1983) — Physics.
- Amartya Sen (1998) — Economics.
- Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (2009) — Chemistry.
- Kailash Satyarthi (2014) — Peace, shared with Malala Yousafzai.
- Abhijit Banerjee (2019) — Economics.
Important National and International Days
| Day | Date | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Republic Day | 26 January | Constitution came into force, 1950 |
| Independence Day | 15 August | 1947 |
| Gandhi Jayanti | 2 October | Mahatma Gandhi's birthday; also International Day of Non-Violence |
| International Women's Day | 8 March | — |
| World Environment Day | 5 June | Established by the UN in 1972; India hosted in 2018 |
| International Yoga Day | 21 June | UN declaration 2014; first observed 2015 |
| World Health Day | 7 April | Founding of WHO, 1948 |
| Human Rights Day | 10 December | UN adopted the UDHR, 1948 |
| National Science Day | 28 February | C.V. Raman's discovery, 1928 |
| National Education Day | 11 November | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's birthday |
| National Sports Day | 29 August | Major Dhyan Chand's birthday |
| Engineers' Day | 15 September | M. Visvesvaraya's birthday |
International Organisations
| Organisation | HQ | Note |
|---|---|---|
| United Nations (UN) | New York | Founded 24 October 1945; 6 official languages; main organs — General Assembly, Security Council (5 permanent members), ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council, ICJ (The Hague), Secretariat |
| World Health Organization (WHO) | Geneva | Established 7 April 1948 |
| World Trade Organization (WTO) | Geneva | Replaced GATT in 1995; India is a founding member |
| International Monetary Fund (IMF) | Washington, D.C. | Founded 1944 (Bretton Woods); provides balance-of-payments support |
| World Bank | Washington, D.C. | IBRD + IDA; provides development loans |
| UNESCO | Paris | UN specialised agency for education, science, culture |
| UNICEF | New York | UN children's fund |
| SAARC | Kathmandu | Founded 1985; 8 South Asian members: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan |
| BRICS | No permanent secretariat; New Development Bank in Shanghai | Founded as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China); South Africa joined in 2010. Expanded on 1 January 2024 to add Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE (Saudi Arabia was also invited), and Indonesia became a full member in January 2025. A tier of partner countries was added in 2025. India holds the BRICS chairship in 2026. |
| G20 | — | Group of 20 major economies; India hosted the 2023 summit in New Delhi (theme 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam') |
| ASEAN | Jakarta | 10 Southeast Asian members |
On UN Security Council reform: India is a leading candidate for a permanent seat. The G4 (India, Brazil, Germany, Japan) jointly advocate expansion of the permanent membership.
Exam Scenario
A typical question: 'The book Wings of Fire was written by whom?' Answer: A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Or: 'Where is the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund?' Answer: Washington, D.C. The World Bank is also in Washington, D.C., so watch the subtle distinction — the WTO and WHO are in Geneva, while the IMF and World Bank are in Washington, D.C.
Test Your Knowledge
The book 'Wings of Fire' was written by whom?
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Test Your Knowledge
Where is the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund located?
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Test Your Knowledge
International Yoga Day is observed on which date?
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