‘Globalization is generally said to promote cultural homogenization but due to this cultural specificities appear to be strengthened in the Indian Society.’ Elucidate.
Approach · directive: “elucidate”
What it asks · Explain how globalisation spreads a common consumer culture and yet triggers adaptation and assertion of local, regional and religious identities in India.
It asks 3 things — answer each
- Elucidate: Explain the homogenising pull of globalisation on Indian society
- Elucidate: Explain how cultural specificities are strengthened through glocalisation, vernacular revival, global recognition and identity assertion
- Elucidate: Note the costs, the hybrid outcome and a way forward
Open with · Globalisation carries global brands, media and lifestyles into India, yet NCERT notes it also produces cultural heterogenisation, with each culture becoming more distinctive.
Cover
- Homogenising pull: global brands, fast food, English, Hollywood and streaming spread a common urban consumer style.
- Glocalisation: foreign channels such as Star and MTV use Indian languages; McDonald's sells no beef and goes vegetarian in Navaratri.
- Vernacular revival: regional cinema, music, news and social media in Indian languages widen local cultures' reach.
- Global stage: International Day of Yoga (UN resolution 69/131, 2014), Garba on UNESCO's list (2023), GI tags under the 1999 Act.
- Identity assertion: religious, caste, linguistic and regional revivalism partly answers a fear of cultural erosion; diaspora reinforces tradition.
- Costs and hybridity: dialects, folk arts and crafts under market pressure; fusion food and music emerge.
- Way forward: protect folk forms through GI tags, heritage listings and support to artisans.
Close with · Cultural exchange, as NCERT puts it, is rarely one way: India absorbs the global while exporting yoga and Garba, so the outcome is layered hybridity, not uniformity.
Add value (verified)
- The UN proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga on 11 December 2014 by resolution 69/131.International Day of Yoga — United Nations ↗“on 11 December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga by resolution 69/131”
- UNESCO inscribed the Garba of Gujarat, a Navaratri devotional dance, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023.Garba of Gujarat — UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ↗“Inscribed in 2023 ( 18.COM ) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity play_arrow © Moving Pixels Pvt. Ltd., India, 2022 Garba is a ritualistic and devotional dance”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2018, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 294words · Minimalist IAS
Globalisation carries global brands, media and lifestyles into India, yet it also produces cultural heterogenisation: each culture becomes more distinct even as contact grows. In India, homogenisation and specificity rise together.
The homogenising pull
- Common consumer culture: global brands, fast food, English, Hollywood and streaming content narrow differences in dress, taste and aspiration among urban youth.
How cultural specificities are strengthened
Cultural specificity under globalisation: Glocalisation; Vernacular media; Global stage; Identity assertion; Hybrid forms
- Glocalisation: the global mixes with the local to sell. Star, MTV and Channel V broadcast in Indian languages; McDonald's sells no beef and goes vegetarian during Navaratri.
- Vernacular revival: regional cinema, music, news and social media in Indian languages give local cultures wider reach than ever.
- Global stage: the UN proclaimed 21 June as the International Day of Yoga in 2014 (resolution 69/131); UNESCO inscribed the Garba of Gujarat on its intangible heritage list in 2023, later than the exam; GI tags under the 1999 Act protect local crafts.
- Identity assertion: religious, caste, linguistic and regional revivalism partly answers a fear of cultural erosion, while diaspora networks reinforce tradition from abroad.
- Reflexive pride: exposure to the world makes festivals, dress and cuisine conscious markers of who people are, not just inherited habits.
Costs and hybridity
- Erosion at the margins: dialects, folk arts and crafts struggle against mass markets, and culture is commodified for tourists and brands.
- New hybrids: fusion food, music and dress blend the global and the local rather than replacing either.
- Way forward: GI tags, intangible heritage listings and support to artisans can turn local distinctiveness into livelihood instead of nostalgia.
Cultural exchange is rarely one way, as NCERT reminds us: India absorbs the global while exporting yoga and Garba, so the outcome is layered hybridity, not uniformity.
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.
