UPSC Mains 2020 GS Paper 1 Q8: model answer
Has caste lost its relevance in understanding the multi-cultural Indian society? Elaborate your answer with illustrations.
What the question wants
Elaborate, with illustrations, whether caste still matters for understanding multicultural Indian society.
How to structure it
Has it... Elaborate with illustrations: take a view and support it with examples.
- Where caste has weakened
- Where caste still matters
- New forms
- Verdict
How to think it through
Short answer: no, caste has not lost relevance, but its relevance has changed. Ritual purity is weaker in cities, but caste shapes marriage, politics, discrimination and identity. Use examples. One rule: never write a caste-based joke or stereotype. The examiner is watching tone.
Model answer
The Bihar caste survey (2023) found that Extremely Backward Classes make up about 36 per cent of the state's population, numbers that immediately reshaped political debate. India's multicultural society is shaped by language, religion, region and class, but caste remains an important lens.
Where caste has weakened
- Urbanisation, education, market jobs and anonymity reduce rituals of purity and pollution.
- Inter-caste marriages, though still a small share, are rising.
Where caste still matters
- Marriage: endogamy remains the norm for most Indians.
- Politics: caste-based mobilisation, coalitions and demands for reservation; the Bihar caste survey (2023).
- Discrimination: atrocities, manual scavenging and discrimination in housing and jobs.
- Caste also exists among Muslims, Christians and Sikhs, showing it is social, not only religious.
New forms
- Caste associations, matrimonial websites, online groups.
Verdict
- Caste has not lost relevance; it has shifted from ritual hierarchy to identity and interest.
- Recent studies show caste discrimination in hiring and renting in cities.
Understanding India's multicultural society still requires understanding caste, but as a changing institution, not a fixed one.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
Endogamy, Bihar caste survey 2023, manual scavenging, caste among non-Hindus, Article 17.
Where most answers lose marks
- Generalising about castes or using stereotypes.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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