SECTION B
Essay
125 marks
Dreams which should not let India sleep.
WRITE IN
90 min
1,000–1,200 words
Reading the topic
The topic asks which national aspirations should keep India awake: dreams that demand urgent action, not passive wishes. The examiner expects a vision of a just, prosperous, healthy and secure India, alongside honest acknowledgment of the gaps that make these dreams urgent.
ThesisIndia's most urgent dreams are those of dignity for every citizen, and they should keep the nation restless until poverty, exclusion and ignorance end.
Dimensions to cover
- 1Economy: decent jobs and prosperity for a young population are the dream that cannot wait
- 2Social justice: ending caste and gender discrimination is the constitutional dream still unfinished
- 3Health and nutrition: ending child malnutrition is a basic dream
- 4Education: quality learning for every child decides all other dreams
- 5Environment: a clean, climate-resilient India is a dream for future generations
- 6Global role: India's dream of a respected, peaceful global voice depends on internal strength
Counter-view
- Some argue grand dreams distract from practical governance. The essay should show dreams give direction, but must be translated into measurable goals
Open and close
- Open: Open with Nehru's desk, where he kept Robert Frost's lines about miles to go before sleep, and ask what dreams should keep India awake today
- Close: End by arguing that India's dreams should become a sleepless commitment until every citizen enjoys dignity
Where marks usually go
- Writing a vague wish list without priorities
- Being purely celebratory without acknowledging gaps
- Ignoring the 'should not let sleep' urgency
Examples that fit
- HistoryNehru's 'Tryst with Destiny' speech in 1947 spoke of ending poverty, ignorance and disease, dreams still unfinished.Jawaharlal Nehru, speech in the Constituent Assembly, 14 August 1947
- HistoryAmbedkar warned the Constituent Assembly in November 1949 that India was entering a life of contradictions, political equality alongside social and economic inequality, a dream still unfinished.B.R. Ambedkar, speech in the Constituent Assembly, 25 November 1949
- ThinkerA.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Y.S. Rajan laid out a vision for India as a developed nation in their book.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Y.S. Rajan, India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium (1998)
- CurrentThe Viksit Bharat @2047 vision sets the goal of a developed India by the centenary of independence.NITI Aayog, Viksit Bharat @2047 documents