Indian Society, Culture & Values
Essay Category: 1.6 | Last updated: 2026-07-20
PYQs Asked
- Culture is what we are, civilization is what we have. -2020
- Indian culture today: a myth or a reality? -2000
- Modernism and our traditional socio-ethical values. -2000
- The composite culture of India. -1998
- The Indian society at the crossroads. -1994
- From traditional Indian philanthropy to the gates-buffet model — a natural progression or a paradigm shift? -2010
- New cults and godmen: a threat to traditional religion. -1996
Content Bank
Key Arguments & Ideas
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Facts & Data
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Contemporary Examples
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- A "Uniform" Civil Code that exempts Scheduled Tribes (2026): The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet approved a draft UCC Bill banning polygamy and nikah halala across all communities, declaring verbal divorce and informal-panchayat decrees illegal, mandating registration of marriages and divorces, removing the term "illegitimate" from the legal framework (equal status for children who are biological, adopted, or born via surrogacy or ART), and requiring live-in couples to register with the local registrar — with parental notification if either partner is under 21 and record-sharing with police. But it exempts Scheduled Tribes (Bhil, Gond, Korku, Baiga, Sahariya, Bharia) under Articles 342 and 366(25) and Part XXI, to protect their "unique cultural heritage and traditional lifestyle" — as Uttarakhand's UCC did before it. The essay-grade paradox: a Uniform Civil Code that carves out an exemption has already conceded that legal pluralism can be constitutionally legitimate — which invites the obvious question of on what principle religious personal law is denied the same deference. Balance with the genuine gender-justice gains, and with the privacy objection to live-in registration after Puttaswamy (2017). (The Hindu, 20-07-2026)
- A museum for words — Shabdalok (2026): India's first immersive language museum, the Museum of Word, opened at the National Library, Kolkata, developed by the Union Culture Ministry — nine galleries using holograms and motion-sensor technology to trace India's languages from oral traditions and manuscripts to printed and electronic text, celebrating the 22 Eighth Schedule languages. It attempts something hard: exhibiting intangible heritage. But it also invites the critical question an essay should raise — which languages get represented? Census 2011 recorded 121 languages and 270 mother tongues, and UNESCO classifies 197 Indian languages as endangered, the highest for any country. Recognition is itself a form of power, and a language survives by being used in schools, courts and commerce — not by being displayed. Curating a living language as virasat risks quietly consigning it to the past tense. (The Hindu, 20-07-2026)
- A panel on whether tribals lose benefits by converting (2026): Maharashtra constituted a 27-member committee to examine whether Scheduled Tribe members remain entitled to reservation after religious conversion, following Assembly allegations about missionary activity in Navapur, Nandurbar. The constitutional point is clean and worth knowing precisely: unlike Scheduled Castes — whose status is religion-qualified by the 1950 Presidential Order (Hindu/Sikh/Buddhist only) — Article 342 contains no religious qualification for STs, because tribal identity is ethnographic, not doctrinal. A converted tribal retains ST status. Note too the data that cuts against the premise: Census 2011 shows Maharashtra's Christian ST population fell 34.8% over the decade in question. Useful for essays on identity, conversion and the limits of state power to define community. (The Hindu, 20-07-2026)
Historical Examples
- Jainism — Anekantavada (doctrine of many-sidedness): The Jain principle that reality has multiple perspectives and no single viewpoint is absolute — a foundational philosophical argument for India's composite, pluralistic culture. Useful for essays on "The composite culture of India" and tolerance as India's civilisational value. (Class notes, 02-03-06-2026)
- Buddhism — Middle Path: Buddha rejected both extreme asceticism and indulgence, advocating the Middle Path. Strong analogy for essays on modernism vs tradition, or development vs environment — India's civilisational approach has always sought balance, not extremes. (Class notes, 02-03-06-2026)
- Jainism — Ahimsa as core value: Jainism's absolute non-violence (ahimsa) influenced Gandhi's satyagraha and India's civilisational identity. Relevant to essays on Indian values, composite culture, and why India's culture has survived without breakdown. (Class notes, 02-03-06-2026)
Useful Quotes
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Essay Angles & Structure Tips
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