GS Paper I 2017 · Q19
15 marks · 250 words Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism X-Ray · Core #61Distinguish between religiousness/religiosity and communalism giving one example of how the former has got transformed into the latter in independent India.
Approach · directive: “distinguish”
What it asks · Contrast personal faith with an ideology that treats religion as a political and economic community interest, then show one case of movement from one to the other.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Distinguish religiosity from communalism: nature, goal, view of others, methods, constitutional position
- Give one example of the transformation of religiosity into communalism in independent India
Open with · NCERT defines communalism as aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity and stresses that it is about politics, not religion; religiosity is personal faith and practice.
Cover
- Nature: religiosity is personal faith; communalism is a political identity built on religion.
- Goal: spiritual and moral life versus group power and advantage over others.
- View of others: plural coexistence versus hostility and stereotypes.
- Methods: worship and charity versus propaganda, symbols, mobilisation and violence.
- Faith and communalism are not tied: a communalist may not be devout, and devout believers may not be communal (NCERT).
- Constitution: Articles 25–28 protect religiosity; the State must check its political misuse.
- Example: the Ayodhya dispute moved from local worship to mass mobilisation, the 1992 demolition and riots; decided by the Supreme Court's Constitution Bench on 9 November 2019.
- Way forward: impartial policing, plural civic education, responsible media and fact-checks against rumour.
Close with · Because communalism is a political choice, not a religious necessity, it can be unmade by politics too: impartial law and a shared civic identity let faith remain faith.
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· 297words · Minimalist IAS
Religiosity is personal faith and practice. NCERT describes communalism as aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity and stresses that it is about politics, not religion. The two differ in nature, aim and method.
Religiosity versus communalism
| Basis | Religiosity | Communalism |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Personal faith | Political identity built on religion |
| Aim | Spiritual and moral life | Group power and advantage |
| View of others | Coexistence of many paths | Rivals or threats |
- Methods: religiosity works through worship, ritual and charity; communalism through propaganda, symbols, mass mobilisation and often violence.
- No necessary link: a communalist may not be devout, and a devout believer may not be communal; what marks the communalist is hostility towards other identities.
- Constitutional standing: Articles 25–28 protect religiosity as freedom of religion; the State must stop that freedom being turned into a tool of division.
One example: the Ayodhya dispute
- Faith: the site is held sacred as the birthplace of Shri Ram, and long-standing devotion there became a legal dispute over ownership.
- Politicisation: the issue became linked to national pride in India's ancient civilisation, and the dispute grew into a prolonged legal and political contest that began to shape politics.
- Conflict: after the demolition of the structure in 1992, some critics saw a substantial challenge to the principles of Indian democracy.
- Closure (since then): a Supreme Court Constitution Bench decided the dispute on 9 November 2019.
- The shift: a place of devotion had become a marker of political identity and confrontation, the core of communalism.
Way forward
- Impartial law: prompt, even-handed policing of hate speech and riots.
- Civic education: schooling and media that build a shared identity and counter rumour with fact-checks.
Because communalism is a political choice, not a religious necessity, it can be unmade by politics too: impartial law and a shared civic identity let faith remain faith.
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.
