Consider the following statement : "A sound body means one which bends itself to the spirit and is always a ready instrument at its service." The above statement is attributed to

The correct answer is C, Mahatma Gandhi. The line comes from Gandhi's writings on health, where he treats the body as a servant of the spirit.

Gandhi wrote widely on diet, fasting, nature cure and self-control, most famously in his little book on health. For him a healthy body was not one built for strength or pleasure but one that obeyed the inner self and stayed ready for service. This idea ran through his life at Phoenix Settlement, Tolstoy Farm and Sabarmati Ashram, where simple food, physical labour and discipline were part of daily routine. The quote is often used to explain his link between health, morality and self-rule.

Option A is wrong because Sardar Patel, the Iron Man of India, is remembered for integrating the princely states, not for writings on health. Option B is wrong because Winston Churchill was Britain's wartime Prime Minister and a strong opponent of Gandhi. Option D is wrong because Robert Baden-Powell founded the Scout movement, whose motto is Be Prepared.

Exam tip: body as a ready instrument of the spirit = Gandhi; Be Prepared = Baden-Powell's Scouts.