Describe any four cultural elements of diversity in India and rate their relative significance in building a national identity.

Theme

T48 Diversity & national unity

What UPSC asks in this theme

UPSC asks about unity in diversity, whether regions form cultural units more than states, tolerance as a feature of Indian society, cultural elements of diversity, and links between diversity and marginality.

What to cover

• Forms of diversity: language, religion, caste, region, ethnicity
• Bonds of unity: geography, culture, constitution, economy
• Regions as cultural units
• Diversity overlapping with socio-economic marginality

Writing the answer

• Use examples from different regions; avoid generic statements

These notes are for the whole theme, built from all 5 of its PYQs. UPSC does not publish model answers.