What makes the Indian society unique in sustaining its culture ? Discuss.
Approach · directive: “discuss”
What it asks · Identify the features of Indian society (pluralism, adaptability and continuity of institutions and values) that let its culture survive invasions, migrations and modernisation.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Discuss what makes Indian society unique in sustaining its culture: pluralism, assimilation, a philosophy of tolerance, carrier institutions and reform from within
- Discuss the strains that test this continuity
Open with · Indian society has absorbed Greeks, Scythians, Turks and Europeans without losing its core; Robert Redfield's great and little traditions describe how classical and local practices live side by side.
Cover
- Unity in diversity: identity rests on shared practices, not one creed or tongue; Hindi is the mother tongue of only about 40% of Indians.
- Syncretism: Kabir's verse and the circle of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusrau show two-way Bhakti-Sufi borrowing.
- Tolerance: Akbar's sulh-i kul and Jaina anekantavada (many-sided truth) made room for difference.
- Carrier institutions: family, village, festivals, pilgrimage and the gharana pass on values and skills.
- Change within tradition: M.N. Srinivas's Sanskritisation; Rammohun Roy's campaign against sati and the Brahmo Samaj (1828).
- Constitutional shield: Article 29 protects distinct cultures; Article 51A(f) asks citizens to preserve the composite culture.
- Strains: caste hierarchy, gender inequality, communalism and homogenising consumer culture.
Close with · Deepavali's inscription in 2025 as India's 16th element on UNESCO's intangible heritage list shows a culture that lives by renewal; staying porous and self-correcting is its best safeguard.
Add value (verified)
- Deepavali was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the committee session held at New Delhi's Red Fort in December 2025, becoming India's 16th element on the list.Deepavali Added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List - Press Information Bureau ↗“It is the 16th Indian element on this list.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2019, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 226words · Minimalist IAS
Indian society has absorbed Greeks, Scythians, Turks and Europeans without losing its core; sociologist Robert Redfield's great and little traditions describe how classical and local practices live side by side. Its genius is digesting change, not resisting it.
Sustaining Indian culture: pluralism; syncretism; tolerance; carrier institutions; reform within; constitutional shield
What makes it unique
- Unity in diversity: identity rests on shared practices, not one creed or tongue; Hindi is the mother tongue of only about 40% of Indians.
- Syncretism: Kabir's verse and the circle of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusrau show two-way borrowing between Bhakti and Sufi traditions.
- Tolerance: Akbar's sulh-i kul and the Jaina doctrine of anekantavada (many-sided truth) made room for difference.
- Carrier institutions: family, village, festivals, pilgrimage and the guru-led gharana pass values and skills down generations.
- Change within tradition: M.N. Srinivas's Sanskritisation shows groups rising by adopting upper-caste customs; Rammohun Roy fought sati before founding the Brahmo Samaj in 1828.
- Constitutional shield: Article 29 protects any section's distinct culture, and Article 51A(f) asks citizens to preserve the composite culture.
Strains on this resilience
- Caste hierarchy, gender inequality, communal politics and homogenising consumer culture test the claim of tolerance and need continuous reform.
Since then, Deepavali's inscription in 2025 as India's 16th element on UNESCO's intangible heritage list shows a culture that lives by renewal; staying porous and self-correcting is its best safeguard.
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.
