QUESTION 19
GS1
15 marks
Are tolerance, assimilation, and pluralism the key elements in the making of an Indian form of secularism? Justify your answer.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Take a clear stand on whether tolerance, assimilation and pluralism are the building blocks of Indian secularism, and justify it with history, the Constitution and present-day limits.
JustifyGive reasons and evidence that support the statement.
Demand-wise check
- 1Tolerance: Ashoka's dhamma, Akbar's sulh-i-kul; meaning of sarva dharma sambhava≈50 words
- 2Assimilation: Bhakti–Sufi synthesis, Indo-Islamic architecture and music; note that assimilation must not mean forced uniformity≈50 words
- 3Pluralism: constitutional equal respect and principled distance (Articles 25–30), contrasted with Western separation≈50 words
- 4Limits and other elements: state intervention for reform, communal tensions≈50 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Stand (yes, with a caveat)ToleranceAssimilationPluralismIndian vs Western modelPresent challengesConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Not stating a position, though the directive is 'justify'
- Treating assimilation as erasure of minority identity instead of cultural exchange
Draw this
- Three pillars (tolerance, assimilation, pluralism) holding up 'Indian secularism', with constitutional articles at the base
Value addition
- Case lawS.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994): secularism is part of the basic structure of the Constitution.Supreme Court of India, 1994
- ConceptRajeev Bhargava's 'principled distance': the Indian state may engage with religion to protect equality, unlike strict US/French separation.Rajeev Bhargava, Secularism and its Critics
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Ritika Chitlangia · Page 28 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 9 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 35 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
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