The spirit of tolerance and love is not only an interesting feature of Indian society from very early times, but it is also playing an important part at the present. Elaborate.
Approach · directive: “elaborate”
What it asks · Trace the long roots of tolerance and love in Indian society, show how they continue to shape present life and institutions, and acknowledge the strains on them.
It asks 3 things — answer each
- Elaborate: tolerance and love as a feature of Indian society from early times
- Elaborate: the part this spirit plays at present, in the Constitution and daily life
- Note the strains on it and the way to sustain it
Open with · The Preamble names fraternity beside liberty and equality, but the habit it names is far older: tolerance (accepting difference) and love (active fellowship) have long bound India's many faiths, languages and sects, and both still do public work.
Cover
- Ashoka's dhamma: the Girnar rock edict tradition of sects learning each other's best teachings
- Plural thought: satyameva jayate from the Mundaka Upanishad and vasudhaiva kutumbakam
- Refuge: Syrian Christians on the Malabar coast; Parsis and Jews among India's minorities
- Bhakti–Sufi love: Kabir, Guru Nanak, the Chishti dargah at Ajmer; Akbar's sulh-i kul
- Present: freedom of religion, 'Secular' in the Preamble (1976), Article 51A(e), UNESCO-listed Kumbh Mela
- Strains: partition violence, riots, hate speech, caste prejudice; way forward through law, education, civil society
Close with · Ashoka's call that sects learn from one another and Article 51A(e)'s duty of common brotherhood express the same idea across two millennia; India's task is to keep practising this inheritance.
Add value (verified)
- UNESCO describes the Kumbh Mela, on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, as the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth.Kumbh Mela — UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ↗“Kumbh Mela (the festival of the sacred Pitcher) is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2017, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 369words · Minimalist IAS
The Preamble names fraternity beside liberty and equality, but the habit it names is far older. Tolerance (accepting difference) and love (active fellowship) have long bound India's many faiths, languages and sects, and both still do public work.
Tolerance and love from early times
- Ashoka's dhamma: his edicts, such as the rock edict at Girnar, urged all sects to study and accept each other's best teachings.
- Plural philosophy: the Mundaka Upanishad's satyameva jayate (truth alone triumphs) and the ideal of vasudhaiva kutumbakam, the world as one family, placed truth above sect.
- Refuge for strangers: Syrian Christians found on the Malabar coast a home where they could worship freely; Parsis and Jews became part of India's minorities.
- Bhakti and Sufi love: Guru Nanak (1469–1539) and Kabir taught devotion beyond ritual, while Chishti dargahs such as Shaikh Muinuddin Sijzi's at Ajmer drew devotees of every faith.
- Statecraft: Akbar abolished the jizya and promoted sulh-i kul, literally 'peace with all'.
| Era | Expression | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mauryan | Dhamma | Girnar rock edict |
| Medieval | Bhakti–Sufi love | Kabir; Ajmer dargah |
| Republic | Secular Constitution | Article 51A(e) |
Its part in the present
- Constitutional backbone: Part III guarantees freedom of conscience and religion, and the 42nd Amendment (1976) wrote 'Secular' into the Preamble.
- Civic duty: Article 51A(e) asks every citizen to promote harmony and common brotherhood across religious, linguistic and regional diversities.
- Lived pluralism: UNESCO lists the Kumbh Mela as "the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth"; shared festivals, food and shrine visits repeat this daily.
- Democratic glue: accommodation of many languages and faiths keeps elections, federalism and coalition politics workable.
Strains on the tradition
- Communal conflict: partition-era violence, later riots and online hate speech show tolerance is not automatic.
- Caste prejudice: discrimination persists despite constitutional bans, denying love its social meaning.
Way forward
- Rule of law: impartial policing and swift justice against hate crimes and mob violence.
- Value education: teach fraternity and shared heritage through the Constitution and local history.
- Civil society: interfaith dialogue and neighbourhood peace committees that act before tension turns violent.
Ashoka's call that sects learn from one another and Article 51A(e)'s duty of common brotherhood express the same idea across two millennia; India's task is to keep practising this inheritance, not merely to celebrate it.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 16 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
