QUESTION 11
GS1
15 marks
The spirit of tolerance and love is not only an interesting feature of Indian society from very early times, but it is also playing an important part at the present. Elaborate.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Elaborate how tolerance and love have marked Indian society historically and still shape it today.
ElaborateAnswer exactly what the question asks.
Demand-wise check
- 1Ancient: Vedic 'ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti', Ashoka's edicts, Jain anekantavada≈50 words
- 2Medieval: Bhakti and Sufi saints (Kabir, Nanak), Akbar's sulh-i-kul, syncretic shrines≈50 words
- 3Modern: Gandhi, Vivekananda, constitutional secularism (Articles 25–28), composite festivals, community kitchens in disasters≈50 words
- 4Present: shared festivals, relief in Kerala floods, Covid help; challenges like communal violence show it must be nurtured≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
AncientMedievalNational movementPresent examplesChallengesConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Only historical examples, nothing on the present
- Ignoring contemporary strains
Draw this
- Timeline of tolerance traditions
Value addition
- EdictAshoka's Rock Edict XII asks people to honour other sects and restrain their speech.Ashokan edicts
- QuoteVivekananda at Chicago (1893): 'a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance'.World's Parliament of Religions, 1893
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 9 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 35 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 11 minutes, then get it checked.