MAINS 2015
GS1
12.5 marks
Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, despite having divergent approaches and strategies, had a common goal of amelioration of the downtrodden. Elucidate.
WRITE IN
9 min
200 words
What the examiner wants
Explain how Gandhi and Ambedkar used different routes towards the same goal of uplifting the depressed classes.
ElucidateExplain the statement clearly and bring out its meaning with examples.
Demand-wise check
- 1Gandhi: reform within Hinduism, change of heart of caste Hindus, 'Harijan', temple entry, Harijan Sevak Sangh (1932), varna without hierarchy≈35 words
- 2Ambedkar: rights-based, legal and political route - separate electorates, Mahad (1927), Kalaram temple (1930), Annihilation of Caste (1936), conversion (1956), constitutional safeguards≈35 words
- 3Clash and compromise: Communal Award and Poona Pact 1932 - reserved seats in joint electorates≈35 words
- 4Common goal: Article 17, reservations, dignity - both shaped the Constitution's outcome≈35 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Shared goalGandhi's approachAmbedkar's approachPoona Pact as meeting pointConstitutional legacy
Where marks usually go
- Only describing the conflict and missing the 'common goal' demand
- Not citing the Poona Pact terms
Draw this
- Two-column comparison table: method, view of caste, key actions, legacy
Value addition
- EventPoona Pact (1932) replaced separate electorates for depressed classes with 148 reserved seats in provincial legislatures under joint electorates.Poona Pact, 1932
- BookAmbedkar's 'What Congress and Gandhi Have Done to the Untouchables' (1945) set out his critique of Gandhian reform.Ambedkar, 1945
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 9 minutes, then get it checked.