Unity in diversity remains the defining feature of Indian society despite the challenges from communalism and regionalism…

Unity in diversity remains the defining feature of Indian society despite the challenges from communalism and regionalism. Comment. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

साम्प्रदायिकता और क्षेत्रवाद की चुनौतियों के बावजूद विविधता में एकता भारतीय समाज की मुख्य विशेषता बनी हुई है। टिप्पणी कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

The question as printed in the 2026 General Studies paper

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Model answer

Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.

Unity in diversity remains India’s defining feature; the statement is broadly valid, though not unchallenged. Its Constitution and culture treat plurality as a source of strength. Secularism, secured by Articles 25-28, protects religious pluralism, while linguistic and cultural pluralism is safeguarded through Articles 29-30, 350A-350B and the Eighth Schedule’s 22 recognized languages. The Sufi-Bhakti heritage further shows a syncretic social tradition. Communalism, however, has periodically strained this unity through episodes of violence such as the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the politicisation of religious identity around elections. Regionalism has also tested integration, as linguistic movements, demands for separate statehood (notably the Telangana movement), sons-of-the-soil politics and inter-state river disputes revealed. Yet India’s federal structure, the 1956 States Reorganisation Act and linguistic states have absorbed such pressures. Thus, unity has held as a negotiated, institutional unity that channels diversity rather than suppressing it.

How this answer will be evaluated

Framework: GS1 Society: Continuity, Data, Intersectionality, Solution

What earns full marks: Analyzes both challenges with specific examples, links to constitutional/institutional frameworks, and offers a nuanced judgment.

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

The answer Comment on whether unity in diversity remains the defining feature of Indian society, analysing communalism and regionalism as challenges and the institutions that sustain unity, with a balanced judgment. 10 marks · 150 words

comment— context → arguments both sides → judgment → close
Must cover
- Define 'unity in diversity' as the core social feature
- Analyze communalism as a challenge to social cohesion
- Analyze regionalism as a challenge to national integration
- Provide a balanced judgment on the persistence of unity
Loses marks
- Narrating history without analytical link to current challenges
- Using emotive or biased language on communal issues
- Ignoring the 'despite' clause and only listing challenges
Earns more
- Mention specific examples of communal or regional tensions
- Reference constitutional or institutional mechanisms for unity
- Use data or statistics on social diversity or conflict
- Discuss the role of secularism or federalism
Extra mark
- A Supreme Court judgment on secularism or federalism (e.g., S.R. Bommai, 1994)
- A specific constitutional provision (e.g., Art 51A(e) duty to promote harmony, Art 350A/350B, Eighth Schedule)

What "Comment" is asking you to do

Take a position on the statement and support it. Comment usually attaches to a quoted line in the short slots, so the reasoning must be compressed — an opening view, a few load-bearing reasons, and the limit of the claim.

Structure that answers it

Unpack what the statement asserts → your stance → two or three supporting reasons → the qualification that limits it

Where marks are lost

Neutral summary; a comment without a stance has not answered. Equally costly is accepting the quoted line wholesale and never testing where it fails.

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