PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Caste, Religion & Ethnicity
Cultural and Regional differences are the enduring bases on which politics is played out in India.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
R1 Kothari: democracy works through society, not outside it → culture / region as durable ground, not mere survivals R2 India a mosaic of language-culture-region → identities reshaped by elections, parties, federal bargaining → hence the standing bases of politics
Body flow
Kothari framing → Brass: regionalism long-term, nationalism short-term → language proof (Andhra reorganisation → Tamil anti-Hindi → three- language formula) → varied forms (Shiv Sena sons-of-soil → Bodoland / Gorkhaland statehood → Nagasecession) → drivers: deprivation, uneven development, cultural anxiety, nativism
Counter-view
Kohli: mishandled movements turn secessionist (Punjab, J&K) → the danger is delayed accommodation, not diversity itself
Conclusion routes
R1 federal-democratic accommodation converts differences into channels of representation R2 institutionally accommodated, diversity strengthens rather than strains democracy
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
