QUESTION 2
GS1
10 marks
What was the difference between Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore in their approach towards education and nationalism?
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Compare Gandhi's and Tagore's ideas on education and on nationalism, bringing out both differences and common ground.
CompareSet out the similarities and the differences side by side.
Demand-wise check
- 1Education: Gandhi's Nai Talim (craft-centred, mother tongue, self-reliance) vs Tagore's Santiniketan/Visva-Bharati (freedom, arts, nature, global outlook)≈35 words
- 2Nationalism: Gandhi's mass, swadeshi, non-cooperation politics vs Tagore's critique of nationalism and his universalism≈35 words
- 3Shared ground: rejection of colonial education, rootedness in Indian culture≈35 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Brief introEducation comparisonNationalism comparison (e.g. 1921 debate on non-cooperation)Common groundConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Covering education only and skipping nationalism, or vice versa
- Describing each separately without an explicit point-by-point comparison
Draw this
- Comparison table: Gandhi vs Tagore on aim of education, method, language, view of nationalism
Value addition
- Primary sourceTagore's lectures 'Nationalism' (1917) criticised the nation-state as a machine of power; Gandhi replied that his nationalism was humane and non-exclusive.Rabindranath Tagore, Nationalism (1917)
- Policy linkNai Talim was set out at the Wardha Education Conference (1937), and its ideas echo in NEP 2020's emphasis on vocational exposure.Wardha Scheme 1937; National Education Policy 2020
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Monika Srivastava · AIR 16 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 23 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
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