SECURE SYNOPSIS: 10 OCTOBER 2019
NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
Topic: The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.
Freedom struggle of India by Bipin Chandra
Why this question:
The question is centered on heterogeneous ideas within Congress. The answer has to visit all the different ideologies within Congress to show whether it was pluralistic or not. Then it has to show how these different ideologies impacted the modern India.
Key demand of the question:
One must elucidate upon the various ideas and ideologies of INC and discuss the pluralistic tendencies and in what way it shaped India.
Directive:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Mention the diverse composition of Congress and the ideas and ideologies they stood for.
Body:
Start by clearly outlining various ideologies and groups within Congress.
It should highlight how these individuals/groups were in contradiction to each other. Examples such a moderates vs. extremists, pro changers vs no changers, landlords vs. peasants’ right wing, capitalists, Socialists etc must included with examples. Even individual ideological clashes like Gandhi vs Bose will add value to answer.
Then one should provide justification that it was a mark of pularilism. Examples should be provided as how Congress was pluralistic.
Final part of body should be how these diverse ideas have impacted India. Links should be developed to current affairs to make answer holistic.
Conclusion:
Conclude by emphasizing pluralism of Indian National Congress clearly.
Introduction:
Indian National Congress, byname Congress Party, broadly based political party of India. Formed in 1885, the Indian National Congress dominated the Indian movement for independence from Great Britain. INC was indeed a mark of pluralism as seen through the shift in its ideas and ideologies over years from its inception to Indian independence.
Body:
The basic objectives of the early nationalist leaders were to lay the foundations of a secular and democratic national movement, to polticize and politically educate the people, to form the headquarters of the movement that is to form an all-India leadership group, and to develop and propagate an anti- colonial nationalist ideology.
In the first stage of its existence (1885-1905), the vision of the Indian National Congress was dim, vague and confused. It may be referred as the period of Moderate politics. The movement was confined to a handful of the educated middle class intelligentsia who drew inspirations from western Liberal and Radical Thought.
The second state (1905-18) witnessed the emergence of a new and younger group within the Indian National Congress which was sharply critical of the ideology and methods of the old leadership. They advocated the adoption of Swaraj as the goal of the Congress to be achieved by more self-reliant and independent methods.
The differences between the Moderates & the Extremists:
- The moderates were against the idea of boycott as a general political weapon, though they welcomed swadeshi.
- K. Gokhale recommended the use of the word swadeshi to describe the anti partition movement.
- These differences centred round two main points, namely the political goal and the method to achieve it.
- As regards the goal, Tilak summed up his idea in one sentence ‘Swaraj is my birth right and I will have it’.
- The Extremists interpreted Swaraj to mean complete autonomy without any dependence on the British rule.
- But G.K. Gokhale, did not expect that. He said that there was no alternative to British rule, for a long time to come
Gandhian Phase (1918-1947): Mahatma Gandhi’s entry and meteoric rise in the Indian political scenario following his return from South Africa in 1918, has been variously equated with the emergence of a guiding light to a breath of fresh air. In the 1920s and ’30s the Congress Party, led by Gandhi, began advocating nonviolent noncooperation. They were conducted on the lines of Satyagraha, Gandhi’s personal mode of non-violent resistance.
Ideological differences during Gandhian Phase:
- The Home Rule movement under Tilak and Annie Besant were far from successful, and Gandhi knew that no mode of armed revolution could make India free from the clutches of the British rule.
- There was rise of socialism and communism which was seen in the form of Congress Socialist Party started by JP Narayan.
- The power vacuum led to formation of no-changers and pro-changers group. The latter fought elections and used the legislative way to fight the British.
- The former-students from Britain became prominent within the party such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose.
- Congress was transformed from an assembly dominated by Western-educated elites to a mass organization that appealed to diverse sections of the Indian public in these decades.
- Representatives of Congress met with British politicans in the 1930s and 1940s to negotiate the terms of independence, often at odds with the British.
- They also found it hard to appease their many constituents and their rivals, the Muslim League.
The ideological differences helped in
- Promoting the diversity of India
- Presence of various ideologies which are in use even today.
- The image of the modern Indian nation and the values that shape and continue inform it today, were cast in the crucible of our struggle for independence from colonial rule.
- Much of the gain from the movement is enshrined in our Constitution and continues to enlighten the political and judicial discourse in India
Conclusion:
Our national movement was more than a struggle for independence – it was an exercise in building a nation. It was not just a movement to replace a colonial regime and deliver political power to Indians but was aimed at using that power to secure social and economic justice, and dignity, for every Indian, he pointed out. The movement is perhaps one of the best examples of the creation of an extremely wide movement with a common aim in which diverse political and ideological currents could co-exist and work, and simultaneously continue to contend for overall ideological and political hegemony over it
Topic: The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.
Modern history by Spectrum publications
Why this question:
The question is based on the introduction of Railways to India and its impact on integration of rural economy to rest of the country.
Key demand of the question:
In this question, you need to answer how railways played a part in integration of isolated rural Indian economy with national economy but the integration had negative impact resulting in further destruction of rural economy.
Directive:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must look into the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
The introduction should develop a link between how introduction of railways impacted rural economy in both positive and negative terms.
Body:
The first part of the body should explore the integration of rural economy with the national economy. The rural economy before the introduction of railways must be explained in a sentence or two. Then the integration into national economy and its transition must be explained using suitable examples and arguments. The advantages due such integration the rural India obtained should be highlighted.
The next part of the body must clearly explain using facts and figures as to how the railways resulted in destruction of rural economy. A proper sequence of events and how the various events are linked must be developed. For ex, Railways with Commercialization of agriculture, Railways with lack of resources for Indian Artisans etc. A flow chart may be used to clearly explain the above links and convey information in fewer words.
Conclusion:
outline the summary that Railways were more harmful than beneficial in the short run but in the longer run they were beneficial not just for the economy but for national movement as a whole.
Introduction:
The construction of railways in India was a colonial initiative of the mid-19th century and represents the marriage of the regenerative and destructive dimensions of the colonial state. The first railway passenger train was opened in 1853 under the aegis of Lord Dalhousie. Striding forward, India’s railway system expanded rapidly to become, by 1910, the fourth largest in the world.
Body:
Integration of rural economy:
- Regional specialisation began to occur and trade (both domestic and foreign) flourished.
- India became a nation with its local centres linked by rail to each other arid to the world.
- Railways made possible the establishment of a well-knit market.
- Railways, by establishing these links, had an impact throughout the economy.
- Railways gave strong stimulus to internal trade. In doing so, railways were instrumental in transforming the structure of prices in India. The more direct effect of railways extension was the levelling of prices between different regions.
- Karl Marx observed that the railway system in India would become “truly the forerunner of modern industry”.
Obliteration of rural economy:
- Nationalists lambasted against this official claim and pinpointed that it was the railway which was responsible for the eclipse of some important industries of India.
- Despite massive investment in the nature of a ‘big push’ in railways rather than irrigation, ‘take off’ stage was hard-to come by.
- Railways transformed the very nature of Indian agriculture by commercializing it. Railways made India’s agriculture internationally competitive and, as a result, a floodgate of exports of agricultural products such as wheat, rice, jute oilseeds, and cotton was opened up.
- For instance, before the construction of railways, India exported no wheat at all, but, by 1886, she was supplying 23 p.c. of Britain’s imports of wheat.
- In real terms, the value of exports rose phenomenally by 230 p.c. between 1862 and 1929. The value of imports of mainly manufactured items such as cotton textiles, yarn, and capital goods rose by 350 p.c. as against exports of 230 p.c. during the same time period.
- Commercialisation of agriculture caused mainly by an elaborate transport network broke the self-sufficient age-old isolation of the village economy.
- As railways widened the markets for the agricultural sectors, Indian agriculture became linked to the world trade cycles. Farmers now became price responsive while determining their cropping pattern.
Conclusion:
In the ‘limited economic development’ that India experienced under British rule, the single biggest event was the railway building. Railways brought about economic specialization in agriculture. Other numerous economic changes took place. Some of these changes, especially unfavourable changes, were really the “inevitable price” of railway expansion. Had the foreign government been more benevolent some of the injurious effects of rail-roadisation could have been minimised. Problem lay not in the railway construction, but the manner in which it was brought about.
Topic: The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.
Why this question:
The question is based on Satnamis revolt and significance of it.
Key demand of the question:
One must discuss in details Who are Satnamis? Why they revolted against Mughal Empire? Outcomes and significance.
Directive:
Comment– here we have to express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
In brief narrate who are Satnamis.
Body:
Explain the Satnami revolt in detail.
Who were they? Their contributions, causes for the revolt.
What was the outcome of it and why is it significant.
Conclusion:
Conclude with the outcome and significance.
Introduction:
Satnamis were a militant sect of Hindu Worshippers founded by a saint named “Birbhan” in 1657 in Narnaul in Haryana. It comprised of lower sections of the society like peasants, artisans and untouchables. The major religious activity of this sect is to chant and meditate the true names (Sat-Nam) of God, specially Rama and Krishna. This sect is thought to be an offshoot of Ravidas sect.
Body:
Revolt against Mughal Empire:
- The high castes continued to inflict the worst atrocities on the peasants, artisans, untouchables who formed the Satnamis.
- Women’s status in the society had reduced to “invisibles” in Mughal India. Whether Brahmin, Rajput or Muslim, they were forbidden to be seen by any man other than their own.
- Generally they were pious people. However, they would not tolerate any oppression.
- In 1672, they rebelled against the mighty Mughal Empire.
- The revolt was triggered when a Mughal soldier killed a Satnami. The Satnamis killed the soldier in revenge and in turn Mughal soldiers were sent.
- Satnamis attacked Narnaul, the main township in the area and destroyed the Mughal garrison. They even set up their own administration.
- Next, they marched towards Shahjahanabad (old Delhi), armed with the latest European-designed muskets that their leader had taught them to make.
- The rebellion was crushed when Aurangzeb himself took personal command and sent 10,000 troops with artillery to crush the Satnamis.
Significance:
- The entrenched caste structure of the era forced marginalised groups to join the fold and they protested against the high taxation policies.
- Their rise was seen as a threat by the supporters of the Mughal administration, the upper castes.
- They managed to overcome caste divides and created a small but radical new society which, however, was finally forced to take up arms against the authorities
- Most other rebellions during Aurangzeb’s time were led by zamindars and local landlords, wanting high positions in the empire or independent kingdoms.
- But the Satnami rebellion was led by people who were considered nobodies and whose aim was to create a more rational and just society.
Outcomes:
- The Satnamis were massacred indiscriminately.
- The rebellion was crushed but the people began to hate the rule and looked forward for an opportunity to get rid of the oppressive rule of the Mughals.
- The remaining Satnamis fled in all directions and for a long time remained disorganized.
- Remnants of that sect may have contributed to the formation of another, known as Sadhs (i.e., sadhu, “good”), in the early 19th century, who also designated their deity as satnam.
Conclusion:
Though the rebellion was crushed, its memory endures to this day. That a group of marginalized people fought the systemic oppression in society, established a new community and defended it. Given that caste remains at the heart of all the problems of South Asian society even today, the Satnami rebellion is a reminder against the increased oppression of lower castes and need to create a just and rational society.
Topic: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Why this question:
The first-ever Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) has been conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).
Key demand of the question:
One has to bring out the highlights of the survey and analyse the trends in rural-urban divide in terms of child nutrition aspects.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
In brief list down the findings of the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS)
Body:
Explain the rural –urban divide with statistics – Malnutrition among children in urban India is characterized by relatively poor levels of breastfeeding, higher prevalence of iron and Vitamin D deficiency as well as obesity due to long commute by working mothers, prosperity and lifestyle patterns.
It is believed that wealthier households in urban areas and sedentary lifestyles of children may also be responsible for a higher deficiency of Vitamin D in urban areas (19%) as compared to rural areas (12%).
Rural parts of the country see a higher percentage of children suffering from stunting, underweight and wasting and lower consumption of milk products.
Rural children lag in intake of zinc which causes diarrhea, growth retardation, loss of appetite and impaired immune function. Among children aged 1–4 years, zinc deficiency is more common in rural areas (20%) compared to urban areas (16%).
Conclusion:
Conclude with what needs to be done to overcome the issue.
Introduction:
The key findings of the first-ever national nutrition survey conducted by the Centre, yet to be made public, providing for the first time hard evidence of the coexistence of obesity and under-nutrition, among school going children. The survey recorded malnutrition that included micronutrient deficiencies and details of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and kidney function in children and adolescents.
Body:
Rural-Urban divide in nutrition trends:
- Rural areas also witness higher prevalence of stunting (37% in rural versus 27% in urban), underweight (36% in rural versus 26% in urban) and severe acute malnutrition (34.7% in rural areas for children in 5-9 years versus 23.7% in urban areas and 27.4% in urban areas for adolescents in 10-19 years versus 32.4% in rural areas).
- Malnutrition among children in urban India is characterised by relatively poor levels of breastfeeding, higher prevalence of iron and Vitamin D deficiency.
- In Urban India, there is prevalence of obesity due to long commute by working mothers, prosperity and lifestyle patterns.
- While in rural parts of the country, there is higher percentage of children suffering from stunting, underweight and wasting and lower consumption of milk products.
- 83% of children between 12 and 15 months continued to be breastfed, a higher proportion of children in this age group residing in rural areas are breastfed (85%) compared to children in urban areas (76%).
- Breastfeeding is inversely proportional to household wealth and other factors influencing this trend may include working mothers who have to travel long distances to reach their workplace.
- Rural children receive meals more frequently in a day at 44% as compared to 37% of urban children.
- However, a higher proportion of children residing in urban areas (26.9%) are fed an adequately diverse diet as compared to those in rural areas (19%).
- Children and adolescents residing in urban areas also have a higher (40.6%) prevalence of iron deficiency compared to their rural counterparts (29%), which experts say is due to a better performance of the government’s health programmes in rural areas.
- While 14.5% of children in the age group of 5 to 9 years in cities had higher SSFT than 5.3% in rural areas, 10.4% of adolescents surveyed in urban areas in the age group of 10-19 had higher SSFT than 4.3% in rural areas.
- Wealthier households in urban areas and sedentary lifestyle of children may also be responsible for higher deficiency of Vitamin D in urban areas (19%) as compared to rural areas (12%).
- Rural children lag in intake of zinc which causes diarrhoea, growth retardation, loss of appetite and impaired immune function. Among children aged 1-4 years, zinc deficiency is more common in rural areas (20%) compared to urban areas (16%).
Steps Taken by Government of India to curb incidences of Malnutrition:
- Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): 6,000 is transferred directly to the bank accounts of pregnant women for availing better facilities for their delivery.
- POSHAN Abhiyaan: aims to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight babies through synergy and convergence among different programmes, better monitoring and improved community mobilisation.
- National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, aims to ensure food and nutrition security for the most vulnerable through its associated schemes and programmes, making access to food a legal right.
- Mid-day Meal (MDM) scheme aims to improve nutritional levels among school children which also has a direct and positive impact on enrolment, retention and attendance in schools.
Measures needed:
The following steps must be taken in policy action across 6 key areas viz.
- creating sustainable, resilient food systems for healthy diets;
- providing social protection and nutrition-related education for all;
- aligning health systems to nutrition needs, and providing universal coverage of essential nutrition interventions;
- ensuring that trade and investment policies improve nutrition;
- building safe and supportive environments for nutrition at all ages; and
- Strengthening and promoting nutrition governance and accountability, everywhere.
Conclusion:
As Amartya Sen noted, famines are caused not by shortages of food, but by inadequate access to food. For the poor and marginalised, access to food is impeded by social, administrative and economic barriers. If India wants to be malnutrition free, it will not be achieved only through government intervention, but through a Cultural Revolution or Jan Andolan like Kuposhan Mukth Bharat (Malnutrition Free India).
Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
Why this question:
The question is in the backdrop of the informal summit that is to be held between India and China.
Key demand of the question:
The answer must discuss the Wuhan Spirit and analyse the effects of it on Indo- China relations.
Directive:
analyze – When asked to analyse, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
In brief discuss What happened in the Wuhan Informal Summit?
Body:
In brief, discuss the context by emphasizing on informal Wuhan Summit and Mamallapuram summit.
Explain what is Wuhan Summit – Focuses on the opportunities, the countries have, to ensure a ‘higher level strategic communications’ between the two nations.
Discuss the challenges both countries facing to have a better outcome at the Mamallapuram summit.
Suggest measures to strengthen trust between the two countries.
Conclusion:
Conclude with implications of such meetings.
Introduction:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for an ‘informal summit’ at Wuhan in 2018, the two sides agreed on steps to reset bilateral relations derailed by the Doklam crisis. The process of rapprochement apparently set in motion at this summit, which came to be described as the ‘Wuhan spirit’, was expected to guide their relations. At the Wuhan Summit, a decision was made to hold more such summits, aimed at ensuring “higher levels of strategic communications.” The second informal summit between the leaders of India and China is scheduled to take place in the second week of October in Mamallapuram in India.
Body:
Wuhan Spirit is in line with the five principles of peaceful coexistence (Panchsheel) jointly advocated by China and India in the 1950s. Under Wuhan Spirit, the following are present:
- Both countries agreed that they form the “backbone” of economic globalisation, and they should jointly make positive contributions to global peace and development.
- The two nations have agreed to cooperate, for the first time ever, on a joint project in Afghanistan.
- China has indicated that India’s refusal to join the Belt and Road Initiative will not come in the way of economic cooperation.
Effects of Wuhan Summit on Indo-China relations:
Positives:
- The trade wars between US and China has helped India leverage stronger ties with USA and China bilaterally.
- China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which India has constantly said no to, has also come under increasing attack, due to debt trap diplomacy.
- While in 2018, the China-Russia axis appeared to be a new strategic alignment, which has been reset to some extent by India.
- India’s relations with Russia have acquired a fresh dimension, incorporating economics alongside a longstanding military relationship.
- India’s line of credit to develop Russia’s Far East has fundamentally changed the nature of India-Russia relations.
- A new triangular relationship of Russia, India and Japan, appears to be altering equations in the East Asian region.
Shortcomings:
- Despite Wuhan summit starting off with much flair, however, little has changed as far as India-China relations are concerned.
- Doklam and the disputed border between the two countries remains an issue of concern.
- In spite of cooperation in Afghanistan, the China-Pakistan axis has sought to sideline India from Afghanistan peace process.
- China is also wary of India’s efforts in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
- China’s willingness to block any concrete action against Pakistan, its “all-weather friend”, for supporting terrorism has constituted one of the most pressing obstacles in having smooth relations between New Delhi and Beijing.
- Pakistan’s historically close relationship with China has deepened in recent years, particularly after the inauguration of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is an important component of China’s geo-economic and geopolitical Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
India’s military exercises and impact on Wuhan Spirit:
- India plans of “all arms integrated” exercise ‘codenamed Changthang Prahar (assault)’ in a “super high altitude” in Ladakh should be pursued
- The reopening of the Advanced Landing Ground at Vijoynagar in Arunachal Pradesh for the use of military aircraft.
- The proposed major combat exercise in Arunachal Pradesh, in which the new Integrated Battle Groups will be seen in operation.
Conclusion:
It has been said that this century is Asia’s century, so in the light of this perception, both countries need to focus their energies more on domestic socio-economic development rather than frittering it away militarily. Hopes raised at the Wuhan Summit that the two countries would jointly work together on an economic project in Afghanistan have proved to be evanescent. With preparations and proper handling, the forthcoming meet could, on the other hand, provide India’s leaders with a realistic estimate as to where India-China relations are headed.
Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
Why this question:
The article discusses in what way Vice-President Naidu’s visit to the Indian Ocean islands could be a moment for Delhi to launch economic, defence cooperation with the littoral.
Key demand of the question:
One has to explain that for India to be effective in the south western Indian Ocean, Delhi must begin to treat the Vanilla Islands as a single strategic space.
Directive:
Elucidate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the particular context. You must be defining key terms where ever appropriate, and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
In brief discuss what constitutes Vanilla Islands.
Body:
Explain the following dimensions in your answer:
Discuss first the significance of New frontiers – Vanilla Islands:
- India is devoting greater attention to the Indian Ocean. Many places that have long fallen off Delhi’s political radar are coming into view.
- A group of Exotic Island states in the South Western Indian Ocean — The Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion, Seychelles — joined hands to promote tourism.
- Many of them grow vanilla and so they call themselves after it.
- Vice president is the first senior figure from the Indian leadership to visit the Comoros.
Then discuss the significance of these islands to India and trace the historical ties and pasts. Discuss the current importance.
Conclusion:
Conclude with way forward for India in the current scenario.
Introduction:
A group of exotic island states in the South Western Indian Ocean — The Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion, Seychelles — joined hands a few years ago to promote tourism to their corner in the Indian Ocean. That many of them grow vanilla was a good enough reason for calling themselves ‘Vanilla islands’. The Vice president of India is the first senior figure from the Indian leadership to visit the Comoros.
Body:
Strategic potential of Vanilla Islands:
- Sea lines of communication:
- With all the sea lines of communication between Europe and the Indian Ocean came round Africa and went through the Mozambique channel, the Vanilla islands become attractive way stations.
- Net Security Provider:
- As elsewhere in the region, India can contribute significantly to the security and prosperity of the Comoros.
- Members of forums led by India:
- Comoros is a founding member of the International Solar Alliance. It is a member of the IORA that India is reviving. It is also a member of the Arab League and the OIC.
- Mineral Resources:
- African resources become important for Asian powers like China, Japan and India, the SLOCS from Africa’s east coast and the Vanilla islands that straddle them have once again become important.
- As they appreciate their renewed salience, the islands are looking to develop partnerships with the major powers.
- Many of the island states are also beginning to see themselves as large “Ocean States”. Due to the provisions of the Law of the Sea, the ocean states are entitled to large exclusive economic zones (EEZ).
- Seychelles for example, has a land area of approximately 455 sq km spread over 115 islands and a population of barely 100,000. But its EEZ is close to 1.3 million sq km.
- Voting strength in UN:
- As part of the growing interaction with the island states, PM met leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on the margins of the UNGA last month.
- Together they account for more than 40 members.
- Their large numbers and impact on the voting patterns in the UN and other multilateral forums had always made island states of interest to major powers.
- Climate change activism:
- Immediate vulnerability to rising sea levels has made island states the most active champions of urgent global action to mitigate climate change.
- Island states have also taken the lead in developing the concept of “blue economy” focused on sustainable use and development of ocean resources.
- Indian PM’s activism on countering climate change and promoting blue economy have made the island states special partners for India.
- Scramble for Africa:
- Africa is witnessing a phenomenon called the “New Scramble for Africa”.
- If Europe and North America dominated Africa’s economic relationship in the past, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the ASEAN share the geopolitical space today with the US and EU. China, Japan, Korea and India are also major investors in Africa as well as providers of development assistance
- China’s Belt and Road Initiative is about connecting China’s eastern seaboard with the Indian Ocean littoral.
- Large Diaspora:
- Although India has had strong ties with one of the Vanilla Islands, Mauritius, Delhi has long seen it through the prism of the Indian diaspora.
- During PM Modi’s first term, the Foreign Office set up a separate Indian Ocean Division with a focus on the island states
Way forward:
- To be effective in the south western Indian Ocean, however, Delhi must begin to treat the Vanilla Islands as a single strategic space.
- It can build on its traditional presence in Mauritius to launch substantive economic and defence cooperation with the littoral.
Conclusion:
Indian foreign policy has always envisaged a rules-based order anchored upon international law, openness, transparency, inclusivity and commitment to advancing economic engagement in the region. In this regard India can focus on four areas of cooperation with Vanilla Islands i.e. maritime cooperation; connectivity; UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030; and economic development.
Topic: Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating value.
7) “Mahatma Gandhi was a thinker with a profoundly ecological sensibility”. Comment.(250 words)
Why this question:
The article captures the environmental sensibility that Gandhi had.
Discuss the significance of the same.
Key demand of the question:
One has to explain with suitable illustrations as to how Mahatma practiced ecological sensibility.
Directive:
Comment– here we have to express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
In brief narrate Gandhian thoughts on ecology.
Body:
Discuss that Gandhi never explicitly theorized upon ecological sensibility but he practiced in every walk of life.
Elaborate on how Gandhi strikes a remarkable chord with all those who have cherished the principles of non-injury, cared for the environment, practised vegetarianism, worked energetically to conserve air, soil, and water, resisted the depredations of developers, recycled paper, or accorded animals the dignity of humans.
Conclusion:
Conclude with significance of his thoughts that are relevant even today.
Introduction:
Mahatma Gandhi lived in a time when concerns of the environment were not really the biggest worries that people had. He still had real foresight about what we would experience today like air pollution or water pollution. He understood the concerns of the environment and its protection and talked about sustainable development and self-sufficiency.
Body:
We live in a world in which science, technology and development play important roles in changing human destiny. However, over- exploitation of natural resources for the purpose of development leads to serious environmental hazards.
In fact, the idea of development is itself controversial in the present situation as in the name of development, we are unethically plundering natural resources. It is true that a science that does not respect nature’s needs and a development which does not respect people’s needs threatens human survival. The green thoughts of Gandhi give us a new vision to harmonise nature with the needs of people.
Gandhiji and his ecological sensibility:
- He was not an environmentalist in the modern sense. His name is associated with political movements of defiance against British rule as well as social reform campaigns, but it is striking that he never explicitly initiated an environmental movement.
- But prominent environmentalists of the post-Gandhian era acknowledge that they were inspired in large part by Gandhiji.
- Gandhiji was remarkably silent on the relationship of humans with their external environment, but his whole life was his message and a lesson on environment for the whole of mankind.
- The word “ecology” does not appear in his voluminous writings, but he saw all spheres of human life in an integrated manner, which exemplified the human ecological perspective.
- The Mahatma was no naturalist. But his views on nature are scattered throughout his writings. But he never wrote about a waterfall or an imposing Himalayan peak; even his autobiography is silent on his experience of the ocean, over which he undertook several journeys. However, his entire life and work form an environmental legacy for humanity.
- On industrialization:
- Gandhi criticized the modern civilisation as ‘Satanic’ and also observed that ‘Machinery is the chief symbol of modern civilisation; it represents a great sin.’
- If the trend of the modern civilisation is not arrested and an appropriate alternative to it provided Gandhi believed, it will play havoc with nature.
- As early as in 1909 in his book , Hind Swaraj, he cautioned mankind against unrestricted industrialisation and materialism.
- On recycling:
- Gandhiji was a practitioner of recycling decades before the idea caught on in the West, and he initiated perhaps the most far-reaching critiques of the ideas of consumption and that fetish of the economist called “growth”.
- On wildlife conservation and man and animal conflict:
- A British writer, Edward Thompson, once told Gandhi that wildlife was rapidly disappearing in India. Gandhi paused and replied, ‘Wildlife is decreasing in jungles, but it is increasing in the towns.’
- On relation with nature:
- Gandhi’s views on the relationship between humankind and nature were influenced by the Vedic perceptions about the Earth being a home of a very large family of living organisms.
- He emphasised: ‘It is an arrogant assumption to say that human beings are lords and masters of the lower creatures.
Conclusion:
He was not an environmentalist who analysed the causes and consequences of depletion in the ozone layer or the increase in global warming. He never used the word environment protection, but what he said and did make him an environmentalist. He belonged to the school which believes in remedy rather than cure.
Mahatma Gandhi’s life and work form an environmental legacy for humanity. He combined social, economic, environmental, equity, and ethical imperatives for obtaining political independence and economic salvation through rural development for the teeming millions of India.
