The 'Bombay Mill Hands Association' was the first of a kind of trade union in India. It was founded by:

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Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2:

The Bombay Mill Hands Association, established in 1890, is widely recognized as the first organization of its kind in India, marking the formal beginning of the organized labor movement in the country. It was founded by **Narayan Meghaji Lokhande (N. M. Lokhande)**, who is considered a pioneer of the working-class movement in India. Lokhande was an associate of social reformer Jyotiba Phule and dedicated his life to improving the abysmal working conditions and poor wages of the mill workers, particularly in Bombay. The Association, though not a formal registered trade union in the modern sense (as it lacked a constitution and membership fees), successfully agitated for and achieved a weekly holiday for mill workers, demonstrating the power of collective action and establishing a critical precedent for future labor rights struggles.

The incorrect option is 1:
Sasipada Banerjee was an early social reformer who focused on workers' welfare, but he primarily organized labor activities in Bengal, founding the 'Working Men's Club' in 1870. While he was active in promoting labor causes before N. M. Lokhande, he was not the founder of the Bombay Mill Hands Association.

The incorrect option is 3:
M. N. Roy (Manabendra Nath Roy) was a prominent 20th-century Indian revolutionary, radical activist, and communist theorist. His involvement in the labor movement came much later, especially after World War I and during the formative years of the formal Communist movement in India, long after the Bombay Mill Hands Association was founded.

The incorrect option is 4:
S. M. Joshi (S. M. Joshi) was a key socialist leader and freedom fighter, predominantly active in the mid-20th century, particularly influential in post-independence politics and the formation of the Praja Socialist Party. His political and labor activities occurred decades after the formation of the Bombay Mill Hands Association.