The correct answer is C. Mahatma Gandhi.
Mahatma Gandhi was a pioneer of basic education in India. He believed that education should be practical and relevant to the needs of the people. He also believed that education should be imparted through a process of self-discovery and experience.
Gandhi’s ideas on basic education were influenced by his own experiences in life. He grew up in a poor family and had to work from a young age. He also spent time in South Africa, where he was exposed to the discrimination faced by Indians. These experiences made Gandhi believe that education was essential for social and economic progress.
Gandhi’s ideas on basic education were put into practice through the establishment of the Nai Talim (New Education) movement. The Nai Talim movement was based on the principles of self-reliance, simplicity, and non-violence. It emphasized the importance of manual labor, vocational training, and community service.
The Nai Talim movement had a significant impact on the development of education in India. It helped to promote the idea of basic education and to make education more accessible to the poor. It also helped to raise awareness of the importance of education for social and economic progress.
The other options are incorrect because:
- Dr. Zakir Hussain was the third President of India. He was a scholar and educationist who played a key role in the development of education in India. However, he did not propound the idea of basic education.
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India. He was a lawyer and freedom fighter who played a key role in the Indian independence movement. However, he did not propound the idea of basic education.
- Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali polymath who reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He founded the Shantiniketan school and university. However, he did not propound the idea of basic education.