SECTION B
Essay
125 marks
South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities.
WRITE IN
90 min
1,000–1,200 words
Reading the topic
The topic argues that South Asian societies hold together through layered cultural, linguistic, religious and caste identities rather than through the modern state, which is relatively recent. The examiner expects analysis of how plural identities sustain society and what happens when states try to impose a single identity.
ThesisIn South Asia, social cohesion has come from accommodating plural identities, and states that have recognised this pluralism have been more stable than those that tried to override it.
Dimensions to cover
- 1History: kingdoms and empires rose and fell while village communities, languages and faiths endured
- 2Language: attempts to impose one language on a diverse population have triggered resistance and even state breakup
- 3Religion: syncretic traditions like Bhakti and Sufism wove different communities together below the level of the state
- 4Polity: federalism and protection of minorities in constitutions show states adapting to plural societies
- 5Regional relations: shared cultures across borders, such as Bengali or Punjabi, connect peoples despite tense state relations
Counter-view
- Some argue that strong states are needed to protect minorities and deliver development, and that identity politics divides. The essay should reply that the best states draw legitimacy from plural identities instead of erasing them
Open and close
- Open: Open with a Sufi dargah in Ajmer where Hindu, Muslim and Sikh pilgrims tie threads side by side, a bond older than any modern South Asian state
- Close: Close by arguing that South Asian states will be strongest when they act as custodians of plural identities rather than as their replacements
Where marks usually go
- Writing only about India and ignoring other South Asian countries
- Arguing the state is irrelevant, instead of explaining its relationship with plural identities
- Drifting into a GS2 answer on SAARC and bilateral relations
Examples that fit
- HistoryThe 1952 Bengali Language Movement in East Pakistan, later a root of Bangladesh's creation, showed linguistic identity outweighing a shared religious state; UNESCO declared 21 February International Mother Language Day in 1999.UNESCO, International Mother Language Day
- HistorySri Lanka's Sinhala Only Act of 1956 alienated Tamil speakers and contributed to decades of ethnic conflict.Official Language Act No. 33 of 1956, Sri Lanka; K.M. de Silva, A History of Sri Lanka
- HistoryAkbar's policy of sulh-i-kul, peace with all, and his debates at the Ibadat Khana sought to rule a plural empire by accommodating its faiths.Abul Fazl, Akbarnama; Irfan Habib (ed.), Akbar and His India
- CaseNepal's 2015 constitution adopted federalism, but Madhesi protests over boundaries and representation showed the difficulty of designing a state around plural identities.Constitution of Nepal, 2015