UPSC Mains 2018 GS Paper 1 Q10: model answer
How the Indian concept of secularism is different from the western model of secularism? Discuss.
What the question wants
Explain how the Indian model of secularism differs from the Western model.
How to structure it
How ... different ... Discuss: a comparison with examples.
- Western model
- Indian model
- Contrast in practice
- Conclusion
How to think it through
Yes, this is nearly the 2014 question again (Q3). UPSC repeats ideas, not words. The 2014 one asked about the debates; this one asks about the model itself. Lead with structure: separation versus principled distance, and then prove it with three constitutional articles.
Model answer
The Indian Constitution lets the state open Hindu temples to all castes (Article 25(2)(b)) and fund minority schools (Article 30). A strict Western model would allow neither, which is the heart of the difference.
Western model
- Strict separation of state and religion (US 'wall of separation'; French laïcité).
- Religion is a private matter; the state neither helps nor reforms it.
- Focus on individual freedom.
Indian model
- Principled distance (Rajeev Bhargava): the state may engage with religion when values demand it.
- Equal respect for all faiths, sarva dharma sambhava.
- Recognises community rights: minority institutions, personal laws.
- Reformist: abolition of untouchability (Article 17), Hindu Code Bills, Shayara Bano (2017) on triple talaq.
In practice
- State funds Haj and pilgrimage facilities, manages temple boards.
- No state religion, yet no complete exclusion of religion from public life.
- Courts apply the 'essential religious practices' test to decide which practices the state may regulate.
India's model suits a deeply religious, plural society. It works when the distance is principled, applied equally to all communities.
Draw: Table with three rows: separation, state role, rights holder.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
Article 25–30, Article 17, principled distance, sarva dharma sambhava, Shayara Bano 2017, laïcité.
Where most answers lose marks
- Copying the 2014 answer about 'debates'. Answer about the model.
Related Mains PYQs
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- Intercaste marriages between castes which have socio-economic parity have increased, to some extent, but this is less true of interreligious marriages. Discuss. UPSC 2024 · GS-I
- Discuss the impact of post-liberal economy on ethnic identity and communalism. UPSC 2023 · GS-I
- Are tolerance, assimilation, and pluralism the key elements in the making of an Indian form of secularism? Justify your answer. UPSC 2022 · GS-I
Learn the concept
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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