Indian Society (Integrative elements of Indian Society) by Smiriti Rao

Model Answer

Question #1. Cultural syncretism has contributed to making India a civilizational state rather than merely a nation state. Discuss

Ans

Approach

• Question is about the cultural syncretism and its role in civilizational state
  • Introduce by defining the cultural syncretism.
  • Then, mention the cultural syncretism of India and how it makes India a civilizational state.
  • Conclude by writing how cultural syncretism gives new identity to India from the rest of the world

Hints:

Cultural syncretism is the blending of different cultural traditions into a new, hybrid culture. India is a country with a long and complex history, and as a result, its culture has been shaped by a variety of influences, including religion, language, art, and philosophy. This cultural syncretism has contributed to making India a civilizational state rather than merely a nation state. This can be seen in following manner:

What constitutes of a nation state?

• The series of treaties known as the Westphalia treaties, which ended the Thirty Years War (1618-48), are the basis of the modern nation states in Europe. Nation-state, a territorially bounded sovereign polity i.e. a state that is ruled in the name of a community of citizens who identify themselves as a nation.
• This concept has acquired universal applicability and is now the foundational basis for modern nation states everywhere, including India.
• However, Indian nationalist view that from times immemorial, India has been a civilisational state, Bharat Mata, mystically transcending the narrow legal definitions of European theorists of what constitutes the modern nation state. They further argue that cultural syncretism present in India present a strong case for civilizational state.

Cultural Syncretism in India

1. Harppan age: During Harappan age, cultural syncretism can be observed through certain evidences. Harappan people had contacts with the people of other civilizations like Mesopotamia etc. This imparted the cosmopolitan culture to the Harappan civilization. Consequently, it also witnessed the cultural syncretism. Evidence of Vanity case, can be found in Harappan state which are commonly found in Mesopotamian state. Thus, the
2. Mauryan Age: During the Mauryan Age, Cultural syncretism can be observed as new cultures and traditions were adopted by India. Indian ruler adopted the new language and script for dissemination of their ideas. Ashokan edicts in North West were written in Greek and Aramaic script. This led to increased use of Greek and Aramaic in India.
3. Post Mauryan age: Buddhism art which flourished in India during this period adopted new foreign elements. The Greco-Buddhist art or Gandhara art is the artistic manifestation ofGreco-Buddhism, a cultural syncretism between Ancient Greek art and Buddhism. It has the strong idealistic realism and sensuous description of Hellenistic art.
4. Akabar’s Din-e-illahi: Edicts of Rulers like Akbar also contributed to a Pluralistic view of religion. Din-e-Illahi which means Religion of God in Persian, was a religious code of ethics was an example of religious eclecticism. It drew heavily on Zoroastrianism, making light a divine object of worship and reciting the thousand Sanskrit names of Sun, as in Hinduism.
5. Bhakti saints such as Ramananda, a Vaishnava, further enhanced the cultural syncretism. Kabir abandoned   Sanskrit   in   favour   of   local dialects   when   writing   his   He attacked not only orthodox Brahmanical practises, but also Islamic practises such as performing Namaz and visiting Mosques.  This helped Kabir to promote of syncretism that promote peace and reconciliation among people from various communities.
6. Sufism was   practised   in   India   through   a   variety   of   Sufi   sects   or   silsilas (orders), including the Chishti, Suhrawardy, and Naqshbandi silsilas.Thesacred power of the Saint and his Tomb leads to forms of syncretism as various people from various communities visited their tomb. This further enhanced the social cohesion.
7. Comparison with Middle-East: In some middle Eastern countries where people follow a single religion, cultural syncretism is restricted if not outright absent. As Amartya Sen puts it, “Being born as Indians, we find ourselves in a culture that has had thousands of years of flourishing diversity, in a community that is proud of its many major languages and literatures, in country that has persistently tried to make room for different religious beliefs.
   • Colonial period: During the Colonial period, idea of cultural syncretism in Mahatma Gandhi's Hind Swaraj and Rabindranath Tagore's essays. Gandhi promoted the idea of Indian civilization assimilation. Gandhi promoted the idea of Indian civilization assimilation; Tagore's view   that   Indian   civilizationwas' syncretic' in nature later became the basis for the nationalist perspective. It was able to achieve unity in the midst of diversity while maintaining the uniqueness of the elements that made it up.

In this manner, the cultural syncretism which was presented in India since the ancient times proves India to a civilizational state rather than a nation state. This cultural syncretism makes India distinct from the nation state which has homogeneity as its key feature. This cultural syncretism gives India a new identity from the rest of the world which respects the cultural assimilation and accommodation.

Question #2. Plurality and diversity in the composition of tribal communities is a hurdle in achieving the constitutional agenda of affirmative action and inclusion. Evaluate.

Ans

Approach:

• The question requires analysis of the challenge of plurality and diversity in the development of tribal communities in India.
• Tone of the question is negative, suggesting that the development is hindered in the face of plurality and diversity.
• Start with some information about the tribal population in India and their development status.
• Subsequently, elaborate on the role of plurality and diversity hindering the development. Provide some way forward.
• Conclude, by summing up the issue while providing some way forward.

Hint:

As per the Census 2011, the tribal population constitutes about 8.9% of the total population in India. It is distributed in the whole country with Central and Northeast India being the major pockets. They are composed of diverse groups with their own language, customs and socio-economic backgrounds.

Tribal population is often faced with high poverty, education gap, poor health indicators, loss of livelihoods, exploitation etc. There are mechanisms in place to achieve the constitutional agenda of affirmative action through reserved seats in parliament and state assemblies(Article 330 and Article 332), as well as government jobs and in educational institutions (Article 15 and Article 16).But, the plurality and diversity of tribal communities pose as a hurdle.

Plurality and diversity as a challenge:

• Geographical challenges: Tribal population in India is distributed widely across the country from the foot-hills of Himalayas to the land tip, of Lakshadweep and from plains of Gujarat to the hills of North-East.
• Challenge of policy formulation according to specific needs: The wide-ranging diversity makes it challenging for the formulation of one-size-fits-all policies for development intervention.
• Different socio-economic background: Different tribes in India have different socio-economic background, diverse practices and diverse needs of development. For example, in primitive tribes Jharkhand like Paharia, Khagaria, and Birhor etc are least developed.
• Uneven reach of administration: Due to the remoteness of the population and difficult terrain of some of the tribes, especially in Central India and hilly regions many of the schemes and projects fail to reach the grassroots. Ex. Champa tribe traditionally led a nomadic pastoral life in the upper Indus valley which is remote region.
• Ethnic violence: Recent violence between the Kuki-Zomi tribals and the largely Hindu Meiteis in Manipur because of deepening rift between the tribes creates an administrative challenge impacting the development of tribes.
• Unequal development status: Some of the tribal communities in India are more developed than others which further complicate the efforts. This also fuels ethnic tribal sub nationalism which poses a serious challenge to the progress of the tribal communities.

What should be done?

• Tailor made solutions for tribal groups: The government should come up with solutions specific to a tribal group or a particular region which will have a more measurable impact. For example Tribal eklavya schools where tribal language will be a medium of instruction for primary school, should be expanded.
• Infrastructure development in the tribal regions: Tribal regions are often faced poor infrastructure standards that limit the reach of administration.
• Training and employment generation: Through agro based micro/village industries,  training of tribal cooperatives, SHGs and individual entrepreneurs, promotion and skill development in traditional tribal culture areas like tribal jewelry, painting, culinary art, village tourism, eco-tourism, etc. Xaxa Committee report recommendations in this regard should be followed.
• Capacity building: States with large proportion of tribal population should work to build their capacity for the targeted and effective implementation of the frameworks and programmes like Forests Rights Act, PESA etc.

Adequate and effective tribal development is essential for the socio-economic development of the country. Though there have been efforts to achieve the constitutional agenda of tribal welfare through social and economic interventions they still remain work in progress.  Government should focus on outcome driven programme empowering tribals, through targeted interventions and rights based approach which is paramount for a truly inclusive India.