QUESTION 18
GS1
15 marks
Analyse the salience of ‘sect’ in Indian society vis-a-vis caste, region and religion.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Define sect and weigh how far sect, rather than caste, region or religion, shapes identity, mobilisation and conflict in India.
AnalyseBreak it into parts, show how the parts connect, and judge which matter most.
Demand-wise check
- 1Define sect (a voluntary, often reformist group inside or across a religion) and contrast it with caste (ascribed) and religion≈65 words
- 2Where sect is salient: Sikh deras, Lingayat–Veerashaiva, Shia–Sunni, Kabirpanthis, Sufi silsilas, Jain Digambar–Shvetambar≈65 words
- 3Where caste, region or religion still dominate, and how sects cut across or reproduce them≈65 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Definitions (Weber/Troeltsch sect vs church)Examples of sect salienceComparison with caste, region, religionPolitical useBalanced conclusion
Where marks usually go
- Never defining sect, so the comparison has no base
- Writing a caste essay and mentioning sect only in the conclusion
Draw this
- Matrix: sect / caste / region / religion against membership (chosen or ascribed), basis, political use
Value addition
- ExamplePunjab's deras (Dera Sacha Sauda, Dera Sachkhand Ballan) draw large Dalit followings and act as alternative identity centres to caste-dominated gurdwaras.Studies on deras in Punjab, e.g. Ronki Ram (EPW)
- ExampleThe Lingayat movement of Basavanna began as a sect rejecting caste and ritual, yet later demands for separate religion status (2018) show a sect hardening into a community.Karnataka government recommendation on Lingayat status, 2018
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Ritika Chitlangia · Page 25 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 35 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 9 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 15 ↗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.