2.Explain how the Uprising of 1857 constitutes an important watershed in the evolution of British policies towards colonial India.
Post the 1857 revolt the British policies changed significantly owing to an increasing need to control and exploit the gem in the british crown
1. Policy of conquest and annexation of princely states was abandoned in favour of respecting their suzerainty under the british crown. This was because the princely states had served as break waters in the 1857 storm.
2. India as per the 1858 act came under the direct control of british crown and the rule of east india company as a political power ended. The viceroy was to be a direct nominee of the british government along with a secretary of state, a cabinet member, to guide the indian administration from london. Thus the revolt highlighted to the britishers their unpreparedness in case of exigency, no longer could matters be trusted to the EIC and hence the direct involvement of government
3. Policy of divide and rule so as to break the indian unity -- the division of Army into martial and non martial groups (Peel commission report) , policy of placing hindus over muslims and its reversal post 1909 can all be traced to 1857 revolt
4. Policy of non interference in the socio cultural fabric Indian society. The immense support to the 1857 revolt was garnered from the hurt religious sentiments of both public and the army. The general service enlistment act 1856, widow remarriage act 1856, cancellation of batta, issue of enfield rifle cartridge, missionary activity of christian missionaries, the religious disabilities(removal) act 1856 had contributed to the momentum of the revolt
5. British repression in the form of Police act of 1861, censorship laws, sedition laws further increased. Both the army and police had more european officers compared to pre 1857 period.
1.Early Buddhist Stupa-art, while depicting folk motifs and narratives successfully expounds Buddhist ideals. Elucidate.
Early buddhist stupa art included paintings involving buddhist symbols, depicting stories such as the ones from Jataka tales and other local cultural variants. The Torana and the circumambulatory path of the stupa contained these narratives that expounded the buddhist ideals
1. lotus as symbolising the rise of followers from the daily mundanities of life and moving on the path of nirvana
2. Feet as symbolising Buddha himself
3. chakra as symbolising the unending cycle of life and death marked by desire and attachment (Dukkha)
4. The stupa itself emerged from the pre buddhist burial mounds and hence the elements constituting the stupa have various meanings to the followers.
Drew stupa --- explained the symbolism of Anda, Harmika, Torana
Buddhist ideals such as the 4 nobel truths (chattari ariya sacchani) and the 8 fold path (Atthigo maggo) were part and parcel of local folk narrative. Thus even today regional influences of important buddhists sites such as varanasi, gaya, lumbini can be seen in stupa art.
3 Krishnadeva Raya, the King of Vijayanagar, was not only an accomplished scholar himself but was also a great patron of learning and literature. Discuss.
the Vijayanagara Empire had almost a century of peace and stability, the prosperity levels grew owing to trade and commerce thus creating a conducive period of flourishment of art and literature. Krishnadeva Raya, himself wrote many epics in the form of poetry and prose work.
4.Discuss the role of women in the freedom struggle especially during the Gandhian phase.
Earlier women such as Laxmi Bai, Begum Hazrat were seen on the national struggle stage However their mass participation within the larger framework of nationalism and independence struggle begin with the advent of 20th century with the swadeshi movement of 1905.
1. women contributed to the swadeshi cause by supporting indigenous goods and boycotting imported ones
2. Their support to the men by looking after the home and the agricultural field.
3. During the militancy period heroic episodes were seen in women such as Bina Das, kalpana dutt.
4. contributions from women such as Madam Bikaji Cama and Anne Besant
However under the Gandhian leadership as the freedom movement became mass based, the women participation and contribution further increased
1. Active participation by women in both the non cooperation movement and the civil disobedience movement. Important women leaders during this time were Sarojini Naidu, Sucheta kriplani, Usha Mehta (From somewhere in India in 1942 revolution) Aruna Asif ali etc.
2. Rani Gadlineu of Nagaland supported the gandhian cause in NCM,
3. Plantation workers and factory workers (women) contributed to the Gandhi Raj euphoria and revolted against the exploitative practices of british mangement
4. Women such as Meeraben actively contributed to the social program of gandhi in ashrams and elsewhere.
5. Independent women organisations such as one under devi chaudharani cropped up.
conclusion
5. Highlight the differences in the approach of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for freedom.
Gandhi and Bose represented two different strands of the national struggle. While SC Bose stood up for the revolutionary and armed path to independence, Gandhi advocated methods of satyagraha (change of heart of the opressor) and the non violence. Both leaders saw the culmination of their differences in the 1939 congress elections(tripuri) where Bose won over the Gandhi nominee and later resigned from the party post owing to their differences.
1. Bose was highly critical of Gandhi's withdrawal of the Civil disobedience movement when he claimed that the people were at their supportive best.
2. He formed the Forward bloc in line with his socialist revolutionary ideology. While Gandhi supported the peasants and workers cause his socialism was not on the same grounds.
3. Post the beginning of world war 2, Bose strictly against Indian involvement in the war, however Gandhi felt that Indian involvement was needed to curb the forces of fascism. Bose on the other hand had no issues tying hands with the nazi's to defeat the britishers.
4. .............
Both leaders had their political differences, and it was on this account that Neta ji (due to lack of support from Gandhi and congress) gave the motto Ekla cholo rey. Yet both had immense respect for each other personally, it was in this regards that Bose called Gandhi ji as Mahatma while the latter called Neta ji as patriot of patriot
6.Has the formation of linguistic States strengthened the cause of Indian Unity?
Linguistic provinces as grounds for administrative division of the country was rejected by both the JVP committee and The Dhar commission as fomenting regionalism and insurgency. However the SRC 1956 accepted it, both as a matter of political and social pressure and also as "one" of the grounds for administrative convenience. Today, with almost 5 decades of time span, India and its units have overcome successfully any threats of regionalism and subnationalism. Clearly linguistic states helped preserved the cause of cultural preservation and homogenity while maintaining the unity of the nation.
In Srilanka imposition of Sinhalese and In the former east pakistan imposition of Urdu brought immense damage to the nations, thus considering the fact that India which has 24 scheduled languages (schedule 8) has maintained the linguistic diversity
Today however, problems such as further demands of autonomy (bodoland, gorkhaland etc) further bifurcation (vidarbha, telangana etc), problem of integration seen in racism (Violence against "outsiders" eg Nido Tania), son of the soil policy, attack on immigrants etc are issues working against the unity of the nation. However the problems need to appreciated in their context, the fact that India being an infant republic, the process of nation building is still continuing.
Explained the context of integration of princely states, North eastern state issues NEFA, sikkim, Nagaland etc and concluded with that these problems are not just that of language but also reflect the regional discrepancies in terms of socio economic development. Thus as fruits of development and growth will be spread equitably such issues will resolve paving the way for india's diversity including that of its language contributing to its unity.
7.The anti-colonial struggles in West Africa were led by the new elite of Western-educated Africans. Examine.
Mentioned names of nations such as Ghana and Congo Independence. Mentioned two names of western educated elites- kwamah nakrume and chinua achebe. rest was mere elaboration.
8. To what extent globalization has influenced the core of cultural diversity in India? Explain.
Globalisation has had an immense impact on the indian society. Core of cultural diversity constitutes its languages, religions, diet and food pattern, traditional knowledge, caste system. Following changes are observed.
1. Way of life. Increasingly and all across the spectrum of indian society the western values of consumerism and materialism are replacing the Indian values of need based and sufficiency orientation. A particular example can be seen in the rat race for getting good grades to become engineers and doctors, while this does promote nation's growth and industry but there is a negation of traditional art form such as classical music, yoga, classical dance folk paintings etc which show immense diversity as one moves across the geography of India.
2. Negation of caste - As the pattern of life is increasingly becoming urban based, anonymity and isolation of individual who is only know by the work he/she does is becoming the narrative. However due to pressure of resource constraints there has been an increased tendency towards caste lobbying and its resurgence as an institution eg- jat agitations, Maratha agitations. Consequently the inter caste rivalry too has increased. The pressure and resource constraint is also a contribution of globalisation that has promoted the MNC's at the cost of employment intensive MSME's.
3.Traditional Knowledge- In this case there has been a positive impact in that there has been a resurgence of traditional knowledge forms of India such as YOGA, Ayush, Astrology etc. The western world is increasingly being attracted by the Indian Philosophical systems such as yoga and advaitavad.
4.Language diversity. Many langauges are facing threats due to the mainstreaming of peripheral culture and English being the lingua franca of the nation.
5. Dietary food patterns , clothing etc have generally been affected by what has been called as the westernisation/mcdonalidisation/ homogenisation. Eg preference of jeans/denims over lion cloth or saari .
6. Religious diversity of India has remained little influenced by globalisation. However due to rising islamic fundamentalism (some such as Benzamin Barber -mcworld vs Jihad and Naom Chomsky attribute it to Globalisation and American hegemony) there is rising parochialism in these institutions.
Thus Indian core diversity is in a state of flux, marked by both assymilation (melting pot) and integration (salad bowl), due to the impact of globalisation.
9.“An essential condition to eradicate poverty is to liberate the poor from deprivation.” Substantiate this statement with suitable examples. 7+5.5 marks
Mentioned about Amratya Sen who has given the concept.
-vicious cycle of poverty
-poverty being a multidimensional concept
-deprivation can be of many types such as educational , social ,politcal and not just economic which tremendously impacts the individual
Examples
- the Schedule Caste and Tribes
- Poor representation of Women in Parliament and law making institutions-- good performance of PRI and municipal bodies having women head and good representation
- Sachar committee report on Muslims
etc
10.With a brief background of quality of urban life in India, introduce the objectives and strategy of the ‘Smart City Programme’. 4.5+8 marks
Started the question wrong by giving historical background from british era and mughal era. How cities of surat, murshidabad, bombay etc cropped up etc and later in 1980 only was ministry of urban development constituted as urbanisation increasingly became chaotic, unplanned and rural distress driven.
Smart City objectives
1.to have 100 smart cities that are modelled on inclusion, transport , e governance, ict, water and electricity supply etc.
2. To ease the pressure on metropolitan cities and develop regional or medium cities.
3. Model cities for future patterns of urbanisation, and growth as cities have been called engines of growth
4.
Strategy
1. Finance contribution by both state and centre and also private entities.
2. A performance oriented model as funds for the centre would be availed only if the requisite criterias such as..... are met
3. Development of cities by SPV and not the urban local bodies
4. Both criterias of greenfield development and retrofitting
5. Involvement of citizenry in creating the plan for smart cities --suggestion and expertise
conclusion
11.Why are the tribals in India referred to as the Scheduled Tribes? Indicate the major provisions enshrined in the Constitution of India for their upliftment. 4.5+8 marks
Scheduled tribes are called so because of the protection offered to them under the constitutional provision of schedule v and schedule vi. these tribes under the british regime have been subject to exploitation - forced settlement/mainstreaming, forced labour for increasing agricultural produce, forced evacuation from traditional and forest dwelling areas,(the forest act 1927), loss of culture and language. Post independence the tribes of India were accorded due protection by the constitution under the Nehruvian Panchsheel policy.
The tribes under schedule 6 have been accorded the protection due to concerns autonomy and self regulation.
Major constitutional provisions
1. schedule 5 - provision of governors intervention; Tribal advisory council; PESA 1996 adds to the constitutional measures
2. Schedule 6- The areas and tribes under this category have been provided the most extensive liberty to govern and manage their affairs under the constitution. autonomous District council and regional council along with governors intervention are mentioned.
2. Article 338- NAtional commission for SC
3. Article 15,16,17 to promote social harmony by ending discriminatory practices. The SC ST atrocities(Prevention) act derives from these articles. art 16(4)-- reservation in employment to sebc/sc/st
4. DPSP --article 46, to give special attention in terms of employment education to SC ST
5. Article 243(d) 73rd and 74th amendment act that gives reservation to sc/st in proporation of their population in the local bodies
6. Reservation in parliament
7. 16(4)(a) reservation in promotion if inadequately represented
other articles that cover st's but not specifically are art 23, 24, 32 , 226, etc
conclusion
12. What is the basis of regionalism? Is it that unequal distribution of benefits of development on regional basis eventually promotes regionalism? Substantiate your answer. 3.5 + 9 marks
Regionalism occurs when institutions such as language, region, culture from being a source of pride turn into a source of prejudice by the people inhabiting there. It is when these institutions and sentiments are promoted at the cost of national and unitary framework that regionalism/parochialism crops up. Basis of regionalism may include
-caste
-race/skin tone
-region
-language
-or other forms of cultural identity
-regional disparities in terms of socio economic development
etc
Regionalism mainly is a result of unequal distribution of resources; as the inhabitants of a region feel unjustly treated vis-a-vis other regions the feeling of us versus them(vidharbha, saurashtra, telangana vs AP; AP vs former state of Madras; Gorkhaland vs West Bengal; the case of jharkhand uttarakhand and chattisgarh are all a case in point) is generated. Regionalism in case of such discrepancy is also brought out to take matters of governance and development into ones own hand. This may take the form of identity/vote bank politics.
Thus socio economic disparities have more often than not been a cause of regionalism. However other factors too give rise to this problem
1.Historical problem-- the regionalism(insurgency) in Nagaland/Manipur/Kashmir are more due to historical and cultural factors rather than disparity in income and growth.
2.Cultural Preservation- In all the protected tribal areas including schedule 5 and 6.
3. Quest for power- the parochial feeling of us vs them may not be a result of deprivation alone but to create conflict between two groups and attain power. The attrocities on Dalits and minorities are example of such regionalism. Even in prosperous regions of the world there is an increased intolerance towards the other eg The rising Xenophobia in Europe and America.
Given that India is both geographically and socio economically diverse, and the process of nation building is still unfinished the govt has come out with schemes such as Backward grant fund, Ek Bharat Shresht Bharat, SC ST sub plans, etc
14. Discuss the concept of air mass and explain its role in macro-climatic changes.
Wrote in general about air mass being a large body of air , deriving points from air fronts.
15.“The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation.
The Himalayas are young fold mountains and are one of the largest and highest mountain chains in the world. The orogenic process is still continuing(Indian plate subducting under eurasian plate) making them relatively unstable and prone to earthquakes However there are major other reasons -
1. Himalayas form effective barrier to both south west monsoon and south east monsoon (North east and the Arakan divided monsoonal wind) barrier. Consequently they are prone to heavy rainfall particulary the Shivalik himalayas(Uttarakhand) and parts in himachal. In the north east part of India, states such as meghalaya, assam, etc receive heavy rainfall in the mountains. This contributes to erosion and weakening of the structure leading to landslides
2. Associated problems of cloud bursts and flooding that destroys levies and natural vegetation. Avalanche triggered land slide
3. Human and animal population pressure leads to change in their vegetation pattern by overgrazing or plantations, unplanned/unregulated settlements/irresponsible tourism etc
4. Himalayan mountains form effective watershed for the northern rivers. However these rivers including ganga, jhelum, satluj, kosi are all resposible for washing away and eroding the rocks and soil leading to a vulnerable topography
Mitigation measures
1. Afforestation and construction of natural levies such as bandhs and barricades
2. Creation of channels/nalas for channelising the flow of water
3. Regulation of human settlement, industry including tourism
4. Preparation of vulnerability index as mandated by the NDM act 2005
5. Using geo spatial data such as from remote sensing satellites to better predict such vulnerability and take preventive measures
6. Incorporating traditional knowledge system into the development planning eg- the use of elevated bamboo huts(as used in north east) to allow the flow of flood water
16.The effective management of land and water resources will drastically reduce the human miseries. Explain
Drew a chart showing percentage of land pattern for various purposes
% agriculture
% forest
% urban housing
% barren
% industrial use / Development projects
etc
therefore need for more land
Citied the national water commission report on the per capita reduction of water availability in india. Gave general concerns of rising population and ippcc vth report on climate change vulnerability on food and water.
Miseries on human present day -- poverty in the form of food and nutritional insecurity/ education and health problem. Problems such as subsidies and inequitable resources have further aggravated the problem.
equitable use. ---wrote in general -success of kerala model; need to make people develop a sense of ownership over resources and give them self governance rights as far as possible. Social audit, Environment/social impact assessment etc should be done.
17. South China Sea has assumed great geopolitical significance in the present context. Comment.
Drew the diagram of south china sea and the 9 dash line with bordering countries.
the increased Geo strategic significance can be seen in
1. Rich reserve of oil and gas (estimated). Oilfield disputed with vietnam and near the scarborough shoal will come under china's territories if its claims are accepted therin.
2. Increased chinese naval and military presence in south china sea will have repurcussions on indian ocean as well which forms vital SLOC(sea lane of communication) for India and other east asian, s.e. asian nations.
3. Chinese regional hegemony in the ASEAN region -- a sign of its growing military and economic power. A case of realism in International relations wherein domination by brute force is the order-- this will lessen the leverage power nations have over china including India. Already china has rejected the international tribunal award ruling against chinese claim
4.China's military build up in the SCS has been estimated by experts as a direct response to the USA's pivot to Asia. Thus China can be seen emerging as a credible power next to america. This needs to be noted in the context of rising chinese involvement in middle east and Afghanistan.
5. China's expansion has been compared to the German expansion during the pre world war 2 period. Thus like yesteryears germany china too may take a more hostile stand as is already seen in its disputes with japan.
6. With china gaining strength India will have to ally more closely with Russia as the latter is drawing closer to china. Experts have estimated Russia china pak angle countering India.
However the increased hostility shown by china also offers a golden chance for India to play its card right and gain trust of the affected regions.(Increasing ties with japan and vietnam). The LEMOA with USA is also a step in this direction
18. Major cities of India are becoming more vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss.
Major cities in India such as Chennai (2016), Kolkata(2016) , Mumbai () and others are all subject to increased cases of flooding. This is due to
1. Unplanned urbanisation which is fuelled by distress migration from villages. Consequently very less number of cities have had as extensive sewerage and drainage planning and infrastructure as Chandigarh. In times of heavy rain or flooding, the drainage system is put to pressure, mostly clogging up (attributed to poor waste disposal) rather than allowing the water to flow in the natural gradient.
2. Depletion of forests and wetlands -- wetlands are the sponges that absorb water during excessive rain and discharge them during times of drought/ less rain. However due to unregulated/corrupt(in administration) expansion of cities the wetlands have given way to concrete jungles. this was one of the reasons for chennai floods. Similarly the uttarakhand flood of 2013 brought to light many structures built in ecosensitive zones and the flood banks of the rivers.
3. Natural flooding - in cases such as the 2014 jhelum flooding (Kashmir region) , due to the very location of the place nothing much can be done. This is more attributed to act of god than man.
4.Climate change and the increased intensity of weather related events -droughts cyclones floods etc. Ipcc report has highlighted the increased vulnerability of tropical nations due to the climate change phenomenon.
5. Absence of timely prediction or delay be executive to take action after informed warning. The CAG report highlighted despite 10 years of (NDMA 2005) no national level plan on disaster management was prepared.
6. Disaster mitigation funds remain either not available or untilised. Modern day flood check such as levies, flood gate, flood plain zoning, etc aren't put to use.
drew diag of flood plain zoning and flood gate e
Consequ
Post the 1857 revolt the British policies changed significantly owing to an increasing need to control and exploit the gem in the british crown
1. Policy of conquest and annexation of princely states was abandoned in favour of respecting their suzerainty under the british crown. This was because the princely states had served as break waters in the 1857 storm.
2. India as per the 1858 act came under the direct control of british crown and the rule of east india company as a political power ended. The viceroy was to be a direct nominee of the british government along with a secretary of state, a cabinet member, to guide the indian administration from london. Thus the revolt highlighted to the britishers their unpreparedness in case of exigency, no longer could matters be trusted to the EIC and hence the direct involvement of government
3. Policy of divide and rule so as to break the indian unity -- the division of Army into martial and non martial groups (Peel commission report) , policy of placing hindus over muslims and its reversal post 1909 can all be traced to 1857 revolt
4. Policy of non interference in the socio cultural fabric Indian society. The immense support to the 1857 revolt was garnered from the hurt religious sentiments of both public and the army. The general service enlistment act 1856, widow remarriage act 1856, cancellation of batta, issue of enfield rifle cartridge, missionary activity of christian missionaries, the religious disabilities(removal) act 1856 had contributed to the momentum of the revolt
5. British repression in the form of Police act of 1861, censorship laws, sedition laws further increased. Both the army and police had more european officers compared to pre 1857 period.
1.Early Buddhist Stupa-art, while depicting folk motifs and narratives successfully expounds Buddhist ideals. Elucidate.
Early buddhist stupa art included paintings involving buddhist symbols, depicting stories such as the ones from Jataka tales and other local cultural variants. The Torana and the circumambulatory path of the stupa contained these narratives that expounded the buddhist ideals
1. lotus as symbolising the rise of followers from the daily mundanities of life and moving on the path of nirvana
2. Feet as symbolising Buddha himself
3. chakra as symbolising the unending cycle of life and death marked by desire and attachment (Dukkha)
4. The stupa itself emerged from the pre buddhist burial mounds and hence the elements constituting the stupa have various meanings to the followers.
Drew stupa --- explained the symbolism of Anda, Harmika, Torana
Buddhist ideals such as the 4 nobel truths (chattari ariya sacchani) and the 8 fold path (Atthigo maggo) were part and parcel of local folk narrative. Thus even today regional influences of important buddhists sites such as varanasi, gaya, lumbini can be seen in stupa art.
3 Krishnadeva Raya, the King of Vijayanagar, was not only an accomplished scholar himself but was also a great patron of learning and literature. Discuss.
the Vijayanagara Empire had almost a century of peace and stability, the prosperity levels grew owing to trade and commerce thus creating a conducive period of flourishment of art and literature. Krishnadeva Raya, himself wrote many epics in the form of poetry and prose work.
4.Discuss the role of women in the freedom struggle especially during the Gandhian phase.
Earlier women such as Laxmi Bai, Begum Hazrat were seen on the national struggle stage However their mass participation within the larger framework of nationalism and independence struggle begin with the advent of 20th century with the swadeshi movement of 1905.
1. women contributed to the swadeshi cause by supporting indigenous goods and boycotting imported ones
2. Their support to the men by looking after the home and the agricultural field.
3. During the militancy period heroic episodes were seen in women such as Bina Das, kalpana dutt.
4. contributions from women such as Madam Bikaji Cama and Anne Besant
However under the Gandhian leadership as the freedom movement became mass based, the women participation and contribution further increased
1. Active participation by women in both the non cooperation movement and the civil disobedience movement. Important women leaders during this time were Sarojini Naidu, Sucheta kriplani, Usha Mehta (From somewhere in India in 1942 revolution) Aruna Asif ali etc.
2. Rani Gadlineu of Nagaland supported the gandhian cause in NCM,
3. Plantation workers and factory workers (women) contributed to the Gandhi Raj euphoria and revolted against the exploitative practices of british mangement
4. Women such as Meeraben actively contributed to the social program of gandhi in ashrams and elsewhere.
5. Independent women organisations such as one under devi chaudharani cropped up.
conclusion
5. Highlight the differences in the approach of Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi in the struggle for freedom.
Gandhi and Bose represented two different strands of the national struggle. While SC Bose stood up for the revolutionary and armed path to independence, Gandhi advocated methods of satyagraha (change of heart of the opressor) and the non violence. Both leaders saw the culmination of their differences in the 1939 congress elections(tripuri) where Bose won over the Gandhi nominee and later resigned from the party post owing to their differences.
1. Bose was highly critical of Gandhi's withdrawal of the Civil disobedience movement when he claimed that the people were at their supportive best.
2. He formed the Forward bloc in line with his socialist revolutionary ideology. While Gandhi supported the peasants and workers cause his socialism was not on the same grounds.
3. Post the beginning of world war 2, Bose strictly against Indian involvement in the war, however Gandhi felt that Indian involvement was needed to curb the forces of fascism. Bose on the other hand had no issues tying hands with the nazi's to defeat the britishers.
4. .............
Both leaders had their political differences, and it was on this account that Neta ji (due to lack of support from Gandhi and congress) gave the motto Ekla cholo rey. Yet both had immense respect for each other personally, it was in this regards that Bose called Gandhi ji as Mahatma while the latter called Neta ji as patriot of patriot
6.Has the formation of linguistic States strengthened the cause of Indian Unity?
Linguistic provinces as grounds for administrative division of the country was rejected by both the JVP committee and The Dhar commission as fomenting regionalism and insurgency. However the SRC 1956 accepted it, both as a matter of political and social pressure and also as "one" of the grounds for administrative convenience. Today, with almost 5 decades of time span, India and its units have overcome successfully any threats of regionalism and subnationalism. Clearly linguistic states helped preserved the cause of cultural preservation and homogenity while maintaining the unity of the nation.
In Srilanka imposition of Sinhalese and In the former east pakistan imposition of Urdu brought immense damage to the nations, thus considering the fact that India which has 24 scheduled languages (schedule 8) has maintained the linguistic diversity
Today however, problems such as further demands of autonomy (bodoland, gorkhaland etc) further bifurcation (vidarbha, telangana etc), problem of integration seen in racism (Violence against "outsiders" eg Nido Tania), son of the soil policy, attack on immigrants etc are issues working against the unity of the nation. However the problems need to appreciated in their context, the fact that India being an infant republic, the process of nation building is still continuing.
Explained the context of integration of princely states, North eastern state issues NEFA, sikkim, Nagaland etc and concluded with that these problems are not just that of language but also reflect the regional discrepancies in terms of socio economic development. Thus as fruits of development and growth will be spread equitably such issues will resolve paving the way for india's diversity including that of its language contributing to its unity.
7.The anti-colonial struggles in West Africa were led by the new elite of Western-educated Africans. Examine.
Mentioned names of nations such as Ghana and Congo Independence. Mentioned two names of western educated elites- kwamah nakrume and chinua achebe. rest was mere elaboration.
8. To what extent globalization has influenced the core of cultural diversity in India? Explain.
Globalisation has had an immense impact on the indian society. Core of cultural diversity constitutes its languages, religions, diet and food pattern, traditional knowledge, caste system. Following changes are observed.
1. Way of life. Increasingly and all across the spectrum of indian society the western values of consumerism and materialism are replacing the Indian values of need based and sufficiency orientation. A particular example can be seen in the rat race for getting good grades to become engineers and doctors, while this does promote nation's growth and industry but there is a negation of traditional art form such as classical music, yoga, classical dance folk paintings etc which show immense diversity as one moves across the geography of India.
2. Negation of caste - As the pattern of life is increasingly becoming urban based, anonymity and isolation of individual who is only know by the work he/she does is becoming the narrative. However due to pressure of resource constraints there has been an increased tendency towards caste lobbying and its resurgence as an institution eg- jat agitations, Maratha agitations. Consequently the inter caste rivalry too has increased. The pressure and resource constraint is also a contribution of globalisation that has promoted the MNC's at the cost of employment intensive MSME's.
3.Traditional Knowledge- In this case there has been a positive impact in that there has been a resurgence of traditional knowledge forms of India such as YOGA, Ayush, Astrology etc. The western world is increasingly being attracted by the Indian Philosophical systems such as yoga and advaitavad.
4.Language diversity. Many langauges are facing threats due to the mainstreaming of peripheral culture and English being the lingua franca of the nation.
5. Dietary food patterns , clothing etc have generally been affected by what has been called as the westernisation/mcdonalidisation/ homogenisation. Eg preference of jeans/denims over lion cloth or saari .
6. Religious diversity of India has remained little influenced by globalisation. However due to rising islamic fundamentalism (some such as Benzamin Barber -mcworld vs Jihad and Naom Chomsky attribute it to Globalisation and American hegemony) there is rising parochialism in these institutions.
Thus Indian core diversity is in a state of flux, marked by both assymilation (melting pot) and integration (salad bowl), due to the impact of globalisation.
9.“An essential condition to eradicate poverty is to liberate the poor from deprivation.” Substantiate this statement with suitable examples. 7+5.5 marks
Mentioned about Amratya Sen who has given the concept.
-vicious cycle of poverty
-poverty being a multidimensional concept
-deprivation can be of many types such as educational , social ,politcal and not just economic which tremendously impacts the individual
Examples
- the Schedule Caste and Tribes
- Poor representation of Women in Parliament and law making institutions-- good performance of PRI and municipal bodies having women head and good representation
- Sachar committee report on Muslims
etc
10.With a brief background of quality of urban life in India, introduce the objectives and strategy of the ‘Smart City Programme’. 4.5+8 marks
Started the question wrong by giving historical background from british era and mughal era. How cities of surat, murshidabad, bombay etc cropped up etc and later in 1980 only was ministry of urban development constituted as urbanisation increasingly became chaotic, unplanned and rural distress driven.
Smart City objectives
1.to have 100 smart cities that are modelled on inclusion, transport , e governance, ict, water and electricity supply etc.
2. To ease the pressure on metropolitan cities and develop regional or medium cities.
3. Model cities for future patterns of urbanisation, and growth as cities have been called engines of growth
4.
Strategy
1. Finance contribution by both state and centre and also private entities.
2. A performance oriented model as funds for the centre would be availed only if the requisite criterias such as..... are met
3. Development of cities by SPV and not the urban local bodies
4. Both criterias of greenfield development and retrofitting
5. Involvement of citizenry in creating the plan for smart cities --suggestion and expertise
conclusion
11.Why are the tribals in India referred to as the Scheduled Tribes? Indicate the major provisions enshrined in the Constitution of India for their upliftment. 4.5+8 marks
Scheduled tribes are called so because of the protection offered to them under the constitutional provision of schedule v and schedule vi. these tribes under the british regime have been subject to exploitation - forced settlement/mainstreaming, forced labour for increasing agricultural produce, forced evacuation from traditional and forest dwelling areas,(the forest act 1927), loss of culture and language. Post independence the tribes of India were accorded due protection by the constitution under the Nehruvian Panchsheel policy.
The tribes under schedule 6 have been accorded the protection due to concerns autonomy and self regulation.
Major constitutional provisions
1. schedule 5 - provision of governors intervention; Tribal advisory council; PESA 1996 adds to the constitutional measures
2. Schedule 6- The areas and tribes under this category have been provided the most extensive liberty to govern and manage their affairs under the constitution. autonomous District council and regional council along with governors intervention are mentioned.
2. Article 338- NAtional commission for SC
3. Article 15,16,17 to promote social harmony by ending discriminatory practices. The SC ST atrocities(Prevention) act derives from these articles. art 16(4)-- reservation in employment to sebc/sc/st
4. DPSP --article 46, to give special attention in terms of employment education to SC ST
5. Article 243(d) 73rd and 74th amendment act that gives reservation to sc/st in proporation of their population in the local bodies
6. Reservation in parliament
7. 16(4)(a) reservation in promotion if inadequately represented
other articles that cover st's but not specifically are art 23, 24, 32 , 226, etc
conclusion
12. What is the basis of regionalism? Is it that unequal distribution of benefits of development on regional basis eventually promotes regionalism? Substantiate your answer. 3.5 + 9 marks
Regionalism occurs when institutions such as language, region, culture from being a source of pride turn into a source of prejudice by the people inhabiting there. It is when these institutions and sentiments are promoted at the cost of national and unitary framework that regionalism/parochialism crops up. Basis of regionalism may include
-caste
-race/skin tone
-region
-language
-or other forms of cultural identity
-regional disparities in terms of socio economic development
etc
Regionalism mainly is a result of unequal distribution of resources; as the inhabitants of a region feel unjustly treated vis-a-vis other regions the feeling of us versus them(vidharbha, saurashtra, telangana vs AP; AP vs former state of Madras; Gorkhaland vs West Bengal; the case of jharkhand uttarakhand and chattisgarh are all a case in point) is generated. Regionalism in case of such discrepancy is also brought out to take matters of governance and development into ones own hand. This may take the form of identity/vote bank politics.
Thus socio economic disparities have more often than not been a cause of regionalism. However other factors too give rise to this problem
1.Historical problem-- the regionalism(insurgency) in Nagaland/Manipur/Kashmir are more due to historical and cultural factors rather than disparity in income and growth.
2.Cultural Preservation- In all the protected tribal areas including schedule 5 and 6.
3. Quest for power- the parochial feeling of us vs them may not be a result of deprivation alone but to create conflict between two groups and attain power. The attrocities on Dalits and minorities are example of such regionalism. Even in prosperous regions of the world there is an increased intolerance towards the other eg The rising Xenophobia in Europe and America.
Given that India is both geographically and socio economically diverse, and the process of nation building is still unfinished the govt has come out with schemes such as Backward grant fund, Ek Bharat Shresht Bharat, SC ST sub plans, etc
14. Discuss the concept of air mass and explain its role in macro-climatic changes.
Wrote in general about air mass being a large body of air , deriving points from air fronts.
15.“The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable measures of mitigation.
The Himalayas are young fold mountains and are one of the largest and highest mountain chains in the world. The orogenic process is still continuing(Indian plate subducting under eurasian plate) making them relatively unstable and prone to earthquakes However there are major other reasons -
1. Himalayas form effective barrier to both south west monsoon and south east monsoon (North east and the Arakan divided monsoonal wind) barrier. Consequently they are prone to heavy rainfall particulary the Shivalik himalayas(Uttarakhand) and parts in himachal. In the north east part of India, states such as meghalaya, assam, etc receive heavy rainfall in the mountains. This contributes to erosion and weakening of the structure leading to landslides
2. Associated problems of cloud bursts and flooding that destroys levies and natural vegetation. Avalanche triggered land slide
3. Human and animal population pressure leads to change in their vegetation pattern by overgrazing or plantations, unplanned/unregulated settlements/irresponsible tourism etc
4. Himalayan mountains form effective watershed for the northern rivers. However these rivers including ganga, jhelum, satluj, kosi are all resposible for washing away and eroding the rocks and soil leading to a vulnerable topography
Mitigation measures
1. Afforestation and construction of natural levies such as bandhs and barricades
2. Creation of channels/nalas for channelising the flow of water
3. Regulation of human settlement, industry including tourism
4. Preparation of vulnerability index as mandated by the NDM act 2005
5. Using geo spatial data such as from remote sensing satellites to better predict such vulnerability and take preventive measures
6. Incorporating traditional knowledge system into the development planning eg- the use of elevated bamboo huts(as used in north east) to allow the flow of flood water
16.The effective management of land and water resources will drastically reduce the human miseries. Explain
Drew a chart showing percentage of land pattern for various purposes
% agriculture
% forest
% urban housing
% barren
% industrial use / Development projects
etc
therefore need for more land
Citied the national water commission report on the per capita reduction of water availability in india. Gave general concerns of rising population and ippcc vth report on climate change vulnerability on food and water.
Miseries on human present day -- poverty in the form of food and nutritional insecurity/ education and health problem. Problems such as subsidies and inequitable resources have further aggravated the problem.
equitable use. ---wrote in general -success of kerala model; need to make people develop a sense of ownership over resources and give them self governance rights as far as possible. Social audit, Environment/social impact assessment etc should be done.
17. South China Sea has assumed great geopolitical significance in the present context. Comment.
Drew the diagram of south china sea and the 9 dash line with bordering countries.
the increased Geo strategic significance can be seen in
1. Rich reserve of oil and gas (estimated). Oilfield disputed with vietnam and near the scarborough shoal will come under china's territories if its claims are accepted therin.
2. Increased chinese naval and military presence in south china sea will have repurcussions on indian ocean as well which forms vital SLOC(sea lane of communication) for India and other east asian, s.e. asian nations.
3. Chinese regional hegemony in the ASEAN region -- a sign of its growing military and economic power. A case of realism in International relations wherein domination by brute force is the order-- this will lessen the leverage power nations have over china including India. Already china has rejected the international tribunal award ruling against chinese claim
4.China's military build up in the SCS has been estimated by experts as a direct response to the USA's pivot to Asia. Thus China can be seen emerging as a credible power next to america. This needs to be noted in the context of rising chinese involvement in middle east and Afghanistan.
5. China's expansion has been compared to the German expansion during the pre world war 2 period. Thus like yesteryears germany china too may take a more hostile stand as is already seen in its disputes with japan.
6. With china gaining strength India will have to ally more closely with Russia as the latter is drawing closer to china. Experts have estimated Russia china pak angle countering India.
However the increased hostility shown by china also offers a golden chance for India to play its card right and gain trust of the affected regions.(Increasing ties with japan and vietnam). The LEMOA with USA is also a step in this direction
18. Major cities of India are becoming more vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss.
Major cities in India such as Chennai (2016), Kolkata(2016) , Mumbai () and others are all subject to increased cases of flooding. This is due to
1. Unplanned urbanisation which is fuelled by distress migration from villages. Consequently very less number of cities have had as extensive sewerage and drainage planning and infrastructure as Chandigarh. In times of heavy rain or flooding, the drainage system is put to pressure, mostly clogging up (attributed to poor waste disposal) rather than allowing the water to flow in the natural gradient.
2. Depletion of forests and wetlands -- wetlands are the sponges that absorb water during excessive rain and discharge them during times of drought/ less rain. However due to unregulated/corrupt(in administration) expansion of cities the wetlands have given way to concrete jungles. this was one of the reasons for chennai floods. Similarly the uttarakhand flood of 2013 brought to light many structures built in ecosensitive zones and the flood banks of the rivers.
3. Natural flooding - in cases such as the 2014 jhelum flooding (Kashmir region) , due to the very location of the place nothing much can be done. This is more attributed to act of god than man.
4.Climate change and the increased intensity of weather related events -droughts cyclones floods etc. Ipcc report has highlighted the increased vulnerability of tropical nations due to the climate change phenomenon.
5. Absence of timely prediction or delay be executive to take action after informed warning. The CAG report highlighted despite 10 years of (NDMA 2005) no national level plan on disaster management was prepared.
6. Disaster mitigation funds remain either not available or untilised. Modern day flood check such as levies, flood gate, flood plain zoning, etc aren't put to use.
drew diag of flood plain zoning and flood gate e
Consequ
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