“The Constitution makers faced the great task of forging a common national identity in the face of unparalleled social and cultural diversity in India.” Comment.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Route 1 diversity unmatched at once (language, religion, caste, tribe, region) → Partition + violence + 500+ princely states → fear of fragmentation → identity a “great task” → stake: unity by accommodation, not uniformity
Route 2 makers’ real choice: crush difference or constitutionalise it → they chose a plural, constitutional identity → diversity made the basis, not the enemy, of unity
shared constitutional values = common ground → Preamble values + Arts 14–18 (equality) + Art 17 (untouchability abolished) → one equal civic identity → diversity protected directly → Arts 29–30 (minorities) + Fifth/Sixth Schedules (tribal) + linguistic reorganisation (regional) → federalism binds both (Union / States / local)
fear that unparalleled diversity threatens unity → answered by Manor: cross-cutting heterogeneity (caste, class, sub-region) strengthens rather than weakens unity
Route 1 identity forged was plural and constitutional, not uniform or coercive
Route 2 unity by accommodation, not assimilation → diversity turned into unity’s strength
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
Also asked on this head
Making of the Indian Constitution — 10 questions in the Vault.
- The Constitution of India is the ‘cornerstone of a nation’. (Granville Austin). Analyze.
- Comment on the Objective Resolution of the Constituent Assembly in 150 words.
- Comment on the Constitutional morality in the Indian Constitution in 150 words.
How this is taught
The same flow snapshot, built for every head of the syllabus, with the answer written in class.
The first session of Foundation 2027 is published in full.
Six programmes across three levels.