ULTIMATEESSAYWRITING

MANUJJINDALAIR53,CSE2016

MarksinEssay:158/250

TableofContents

DilemmaofWritingEssayforUPSC.............................................................................3

Myfailure…andsuccess...................................................................................................4Techniques:.........................................................................................................................4TheoverallsuggestedprocessofEssaywriting:..............................................................5Timetobeallottedtoeachpart:...........................................................................................5

ProcessofWritingEssayforUPSC:..............................................................................7ChoosingaTopic:à UNDERSTANDTHETOPICfirst......................................................7Brainstorming:............................................................................................................................7Structure........................................................................................................................................9Introduction.................................................................................................................................9Body:............................................................................................................................................10Conclusion:...................................................................................................................................10Techniquesofconclusion:....................................................................................................11

Thesis..................................................................................................................................11

Writing...............................................................................................................................12Revising..............................................................................................................................12Otherthingstokeepinmind:..............................................................................................13Myfirstarticleonessayaftermarkscameout:............................................................14

QuotesandNotesonEssay:.........................................................................................16Innovation,Science,Technology........................................................................................16FamousPeople..........................................................................................................................18Economy.....................................................................................................................................20UrbanizationinIndia.............................................................................................................20Education....................................................................................................................................21Drought.......................................................................................................................................23Meditation..................................................................................................................................23Constitution,Parliament,FreedomsandRights,Polityetc.......................................23UnityinDiversity.....................................................................................................................24UniversalAdultFranchise:...................................................................................................24SwarajandSu-raj.....................................................................................................................25RighttoSpeechandExpression..........................................................................................25LiberalisminIndia..................................................................................................................25Federalism.................................................................................................................................25Judiciary......................................................................................................................................26Urbanizationandcities:........................................................................................................26Religion:......................................................................................................................................26CivilServices:............................................................................................................................26SelfGovernanceandPRIs.....................................................................................................27Elections.....................................................................................................................................27Tirukurralsayings..................................................................................................................27Corruption..................................................................................................................................28Leadership.................................................................................................................................29

ContentonVariousIssues...........................................................................................29

PracticeTopicsyoushouldbepreparedon..........................................................34MyEssayswrittenin2016CSE...................................................................................35

"Readingmakethafullman,conferenceareadyman,andwritinganexact

man."--FrancisBacon(1561-1626)

WemustlearntowriteaneffectiveessaytoscorewellintheUPSCCivilServices

exam. Essay carries a huge proportion in the overall exam scheme. If you do

somebasiccalculationaboutthecontributionofessaytoyourscoreinUPSC,you

willrealizethatitcanfetchupto160outof250marks,whichis64%marks!I

got1053/2075asmy final score,which is50.75%.The toppergot1120/2075

which is 54%. As you can see, proportionally, essay has a central place in

preparationforUPSCasitcanliterallymakeorbreakyourrank.

More than just scoring forUPSCexam,wemustalso learn towrite in the long

form to be an efficient and effective bureaucrat. Themost importantmode of

communication in the government is done in the long form through notes,

circulars,reportsetc.Essay,therefore,formsacriticalcomponentofthisexamas

itisanessentialpartofthecareerofabureaucrat.

Sowheretostart?Perhaps,youareaskingsomequestionslikethefollowingto

yourselves:

DilemmaofWritingEssayforUPSC

Can Iwritewell even if I haveneverwritten seriously, or as anEngineer I

neverwroteorIcomefromaRuralbackgroundwheretherewasnotmuch

focusonEnglishessaywriting?

• Writingcanbemasteredbyanyonewhoreadswellandwritesalot.

• PRACTICEPRACTICEPRACTICE,thatisthemantraforsuccess.

• That’snotenoughthough.à

o Practicemustbeaccompaniedbycontinuousanalysisofyourown

errors and shortcomings in every essay. This is the first step to

succeedinginwritingagoodessayinUPSC.

• Thequestionarises,wheretostart.

o First,inculcateself-belief.Ibelievethatallofuscanlearntowrite

better,moreeffectively,andgetahigherscoreinUPSCifweapply

ourselvesintherightdirection.

o UPSC is not looking for a linguistic expert or a literary piece of

writing.Theyareinterestedintheclarityofthought,simplicityof

presentationandawell-groomedstructure.

Myfailure…andsuccess

I ama classical exampleof failing to realize this inmyprevious attempt. I got

only 90 marks in 2015 paper and then was very disappointed by my poor

performance.

First I felt like filing an RTI, and I questioned UPSC’s checking. Slowly, as I

thought more about my essay, I decided to leave all this behind and start

practicing and improving by getting consistent feedback – both feedback of

others,andmyownanalysisofmymistakes.Irealizedthatlackofself-practice

and self-evaluation had led tomy lowmarks. This time I wouldn’t repeat the

samemistake.

Techniques:

Thequestionarises,howtousevarioustechniquestoimprovewritingfortheessay

moduleofUPSC?

Althoughwritingisacomplextask,itisalearnedcraftthatcanbemasteredand

improvedwithpracticeandarightapproach.Althoughnoformulacanguarantee

a goodessay,manywritershavedeveloped somegood advicetohelp youget

started. Iwillhighlightmypreparation technique,whichwillhelpyou tobuild

thisfoundation.

TheoverallsuggestedprocessofEssaywriting:

Firstly,forpreparingandwritinganessay—itcouldbesummedupasfollows:

Choosinga

topic

Brainstorming

andwritingrough

ideas/arguments+

STRUCTURE

Writinga

thesis

Aroughdraft

Writing

Thefinal

revision

Asyouwritemore,youtoowilldiscoverthatyouwillrevisitsomepartsofthe

processmorethanothers.I,personally,forexample,spendconsiderabletimeon

brainstormingandwritingagoodstructure.

Timetobeallottedtoeachpart:

1. Choosingatopic:5-7minutes.

2. Brainstormingandwritingrougharguments:20minutes

3. Thesis:10minutestotal

4. Aroughdraft:10minuteseach,20minutestotal

5. Writing:50-55minuteseach,110minutes

6. Revision:5-7minuteseach,10minutestotal

TotalTimetaken:180minutes

The important thing is to keep the process in mind. As you become more

proficient with practice, you will become more confident and consistent,

developingyourownpracticesandtechniquesalso.

InterestingFact:EssayMeans“ToTry”

Inthe14thcentury,EnglishborrowedthewordessayfromtheMiddleFrenchwordessai. In Middle French, the word meant "to try". The word's originsultimately go back to the Late Latin wordexagium, the act of weighing,evaluating,judging.

Thehistoryofthiswordisinstructive,forinitshistoryweseeeverythingthatwriters hope to achieve when they compose an essay. à create a well-structure,criticalpieceofanalyticalwriting.

ProcessofWritingEssayforUPSC:

ChoosingaTopic:à UNDERSTANDTHETOPICfirst1) UPSCprovides4topicsineachsection.Generally,theessaytopic

canbephilosophicalinnatureoritcanbejustlookingforasimple

analysisofaparticularcurrenttopicofeconomic,technologicalor

socialimportance.

2) The key is to get a VERY CLEAR UNDERSTANDING of the topic,

whicheveritis.

3) You will naturally choose a topic that you have the maximum

contenton,butthatcanbemisleading.Youmightmissthecruxof

theessaywhentryingtojustpickatopicwithmaximumcontent.

So spend time on understanding each topic and picking the one

whereyouhavetheBESTCLARITY.

4) To get this clarity look for: the key termsstated in the topic or

what is themainessayquestion.Look forwords thatsuggest the

kindofreasoningyoushouldbeusingintheessay.Alsousewords

suchaswhy,how,analyze,compare,evaluate,argue,etc.toreframe

youressaytopicandthinkwhatUPSCistryingtoaskinthatessay.

Brainstorming:

1) You can start bywriting variouskeywords, quotes, random lines

that come to your mind, examples etc. that come to your mind

afteryouhavedecidedaparticulartopic.

2) You can also form categories such as (1) Intro (2) Body (3)

Conclusion and write a rough work when brainstorming there

underthesecategories.

3) Youcanusethelast4pagesprovidedbyUPSCtowritetheseina

proper wayà rough work should be the cleanest work in the

entirepaper.

4) Evidence/Examplestosupportyourviewandargumentsinessay:

i. The essay must consist of examples or other references,

whatIcall“evidence”tosupportargumentsyouaremaking

in the body. This can be sorted out in the brainstorming

stageonly.

ii. Why this is needed: When Aristotle wrote hisRhetoricin

the 4th century BC, he began a process of codifying the

possiblewaysthatspeakersorwriterscouldpersuadetheir

audiencesbytheuseofevidence.Hisschemahasprovenso

usefulthat ithasbeenthefoundationforwriters formore

than a millennium, and will likely endure as long as

civilization does. Aristotle's outline of the use of evidence

forpersuasivewritingwasjustasusefulfortheancientsas

itwillbeinthenextcentury.

iii. Evidence provides support for claims. Evidence is

subcategorized according tohowit is used to support the

claim. Evidence that focuses on our ability to think is

classified asrational appeal, evidence that focuses on our

ability to 'feel' isemotional appeal, and evidence that

focusesonourabilitytotrust thosewefindtobecredible

isethicalappeal. InUPSC,rationalandethicalarethemost

effective. à Use facts, logical reasoning, expert

views/quotes,studies,quotesfromworldreportsetc.

TypesofEvidence

Rational

Appeals

·facts

·casestudies

·statistics

·experiments

·logical

reasoning

·analogies

·anecdotes

Emotional

Appeals

·thehigher

emotions

1.altruism

2.love

3....

·thebase

emotions

1.greed

2.lust

3....

EthicalAppeals

·trustworthiness

·credibility

1.expert

testimony

2.reliablesources

3.fairness

Structure

1) You can divide your essay in roughly 8 parts of 125words each. 1 for

introduction,1forconclusion,andrest6forthebodyoftheessay.

Heading/Subheadings–>forme,theseworkedastheyprovidedawell-defined

structuretomyessay.Usethemasyouwishbutdonotthinkthatessaymeans

noheadings.UPSCwantsyoutowrite likeabureaucrat,notanacademic.Also,

feelfreetouseextremelyrelevantdiagrams/flowcharts.Ididnotdoso,butthey

are acceptable in UPSC. If youwant to play on the safe side, just go with the

headingsandnotdiagrams.

2) Essays may present an argument differently, but an

essay'sorganization— how itbegins,develops, andends— should be

designedtopresentyourargumentclearlyandpersuasively. (Theorder

inwhichyoudiscoveredthepartsofyourargumentisseldomaneffective

orderforpresentingittoareader.)

Introduction

Theintroductionbeginswiththegeneralandmovestowardthespecific,asthe

sidesofthetrianglenarrowdowntowardapoint.Awriterusestheintroduction

to show how the specific question addressed in this essay

relatestoagreaterissueorfield.

a. Your introductory paragraph sets the stage or

thecontextforthepositionyouarearguingfor.

b. This introduction should end with a thesis

statementthatprovidesyourclaim(whatyouarearguingfor)and

thereasonsforyourpositiononanissue.

Writeintroductionafterdoingroughworkforthebody

Youshouldwritetheintroductionafteryouhavedonetheroughworkforbody.

Thisissobecauseoncearoughstructureandcontentofbodyislaidout,ithelps

ustoframeamoresolidandconnectedintroduction.Italsohelpstodevelopthe

flowoftheessay.

If youwrite the introduction first, then youmight become too constrained to

depend on the introduction for your body and conclusion. However, starting

withthebodyandthendevelopingtheintroductiongivesyoufreedomtowritea

moreeffectiveintroduction.

It’slikebuildingahouse,whereyoubuildthefoundationfirst,thenthestructure,

thentheroomsandthenfinallypaintthehouse.Inanessay,thefoundationisthe

roughwork,thestructureandtheroomsincludethebodyoftheessayandthe

paintistheintroduction.

Body

The body of the essay is, of course,where all the reallywork is done. Having

gainedthereaders'attentionintheintroduction,thewritermustnowholdtheir

attention by offering substantial, interesting, compelling ideas that support,

illustrate,exemplify,orexpandthethesisoftheessay.

Conclusion1) Yourconclusionshouldneitherbeasummarynoramere

restatementofyourthesis.

2) Instead,itmustgobeyondthethesistoreachajudgment,to

expressyourapprovalofonesideofanissue,todiscussyour

findingsandtheirimplications,ortooffersolutions.Toputit

succinctly,youshouldsaysomethingworthwhile.Afterall,the

examinerhasstayedwithyouthroughseveralpages;youowe

themaconcludingstatement.

3) Theconclusionservesseveralfunctions:

a. toinspiretheaudiencewithafavorableopinionof

ourselvesandanunfavorableopinionofouropponents,

b. toamplifytheforceofthepointswehavemadeinthe

pervioussectionandtoextenuatetheforceofthepoints

madebytheopposition,

c. torousetheappropriateemotionsintheaudience,and

d. torestateinasummarywayourfactsandarguments.

Techniquesofconclusion:1) Restatethethesisandreachbeyonditwitharecommendation,an

evaluation,aprediction,oraquestion.Inessence,youmustbe

conclusive;thatis,youmustpresentyourthesisinitsfinal,most

persuasiveform.Intheintroductionyouweregivingthereaderan

ideaofwhatwastofollow,tryingtoattractinterest.Inthe

conclusion,youhavetheweightoftheessaybehindyou,andyou

canstateyourcasesuccinctly,knowingthatthereaderhasallthe

informationyouhaveprovided.

a. Closewithaneffective

b. Offeradirectiveorsolution.

c. Comparepasttopresentorthebeginningtotheend—is

anotherwayfrequentlyusedbysometomakeanimpactful

conclusion.

Thesis

1) TopicsbyUPSCdoesnotprovideyouwithanobviousthesis,you

shouldfirstthinkofpossiblequestion(s)youcanusetoanswerthe

"problem"presented inyouressay'sassignment.Askingtheright

questionscanleadyoutowardcollectingrelevantinformationand

ultimatelyformulatinganinteresting,worthwhilethesis.

2) Whatisathesis:

a. stateswhatyourpositiononanissueis

b. usually appears at the end of the introduction in a short

essay

c. should be clearly stated and often contains emphatic

language(should,ought,must)

Writing

1) If you do the rough work and brainstorming suggested above,

writingwillbeacakewalk.

2) Thebettertheplanningstage,theeasierthewritingstage.

3) Don’ttrytowritetooslowly,asitwillnotprovideaflowandyou

mightbecomenervous.

4) Write with your normal speed and use the rough work

consistentlytoguideyourwriting.Iusedtolookbackafterevery

paragraphtoensureIwasfollowingmyroughwork.

5) Write legibly – the better your handwriting, themore advantage

youhaveoversomeonewithsimilarcontentbutpoorhandwriting.

6) Underline:Headingsandimportantkeywords

7) Use CAPITAL letters toshowcase important ideasorwordsyou

wantexaminertoread.

Revising

1) Look out of general grammatical mistakes that you can catch in

onerevisionquicklyonly.Noneedtofocustoomuchthanthison

grammar.

2) Misspellingscanbefixedinthisrevision.

3) Aesthetics:Iusedmytimeforrevisionforunderlining.Iunderlined

everythingwithapencilandascale.Theessaymustlookasgood

asitreadsJ

Otherthingstokeepinmind:

Keepyouressay'soverallpurposeandorganization inmind.Giveyourself

the freedom to adapt and change youroutlineas you are in the process of

writingtheroughpart.

Don'twaittill"everythingisready"beforeyoubegintowrite.Giveyourself

thelibertyofstartingtowriteevenassoonaspossible.Don’twaittillyouhave

finished the syllabus and all that. Even if you don’t have much content, start

now!!Thiswillgiveyouenoughtimetobuildyourfoundations.

Myfirstarticleonessayaftermarkscameout:

Astoryofimprovingthescorefromapaltry90toagamechanging158!

TheAchilles’heelinmysuccesstoCSE2015wastheessaycomponent.Despite

havingbeenwritingforalmostadecadeonadailybasis(Iwritemydiary),I

madesomecriticalmistakesthatcostmeaspothigherupintheranksin2015.

Perhaps,itwasablessingindisguise,butitwasquiteapainfulblessing!Thereal

questionmostofyoumustbethinkingaboutis,howdidIrecognisethisproblem

andtackleit?HowdidIimprovemyscoresodrastically?Well,herearemytwo

centsonit.

TheinitialstepwastorecognizethatIfailedtogetgoodmarksbecauseofmy

ownfollies.First,IrealizedthatIdidnotpracticeenoughfortheessay

component.Ibarelywrote3-4essaysduringthe2015attempt.Iignoredthis

criticalpartoftheexamandtookitforgranted.Iimagined,tomyownperil,that

sinceIhadbeenwritingforsolong,Iwouldbeabletohandletheessayswell.

Formanyofusitworks,howevertherearealsomany(trustme,MANY),whofall

becauseofthiscomplacency,justlikeIdid.

Also,pleaserealisethefactthatessaycanfetchupto160outof250marks,

whichis64%marks!Igot1053/2075asmyfinalscore,whichis50.75%.The

toppergot1120/2075whichis54%.Clearly,essayhasacentralplaceinour

preparationforUPSCasitcanliterallymakeorbreakyourrank.

Second,Isimplydidnotwriteagoodenoughessayin2015.InitiallyIdidnot

believeso.Afterthemarksheetofmainexamwasout,Ispentcountlessnights

thinkingwhathadIdonewrongtogetascoreof90?!WasitamistakeatUPSC’s

end?MyfathereventoldmetofileanRTIandallthat.

InamatterofafewdaysIrecollectedabout20-30%ofmyessay,oratleasthow

Ihadgoneaboutit.Ialsore-readmyolderessays(althoughIhadwrittenonly

twoorthreeofthem).ItwascleartomebythistimethatthemarksIgotwere

notrandom.Theywerebasedinsomesortofreality,somebasicmistakesImade

andalsoduetolackofgoodguidanceandpractice.

ImmediatelyafterthemarkswereoutIstartedlookingforEssaytestseries

availableinthemarket.Thiswasthefirstimportantstep–makeamindsetto

writealotofessaysandgetallofthemevaluatedbytherightpeople.These

peoplecanbeyourfriends,siblings,parents,teachersandsuccessfulcandidates

frompastyearsaswell.Iwroteatotalof46essaysinthecourseofmyjourney

forCSE2016,anditdefinitelypaidoff.

SohowtowriteUPSCessays?

Followthepattern[thisisanargumentationtechniquethatiswellacceptedfor

conventionalacademicwritingacrossvariousuniversities]:

1. Introduction

2. Thesisstatement[themainargumentofyouressay]

3. Mini-thesisstatementstosupportthemainargument

4. Antithesis,ifneeded

5. Conclusion

Example:Topic:“ImpactsofGlobalisationonIndianCulture”–seemyessay

attached

Thisaboveformulationhelpedmetogetmystructureandlineofthinkingintact.

Iwasnotsomeonewhohadcommandoverlanguage.Ialsounderstoodthat

UPSCdoesnotfocusonlanguage/vocabskillswhenawardingmarksinthese

essays.Theyarelookingforclarity,structureanddiversityofthoughtprocess.A

conventionalessaywould,onaverage,fetchyoumoremarksthanan

unconventional/creativeoneforsure.

Heading/Subheadings–>forme,theseworkedastheyprovidedawell-defined

structuretomyessay.Usethemasyouwishbutdonotthinkthatessaymeans

noheadings.UPSCwantsyoutowritelikeabureaucrat,notanacademic.Also,

feelfreetouseextremelyrelevantdiagrams/flowcharts.Ididnotdoso,butthey

areacceptableinUPSC.Ifyouwanttoplayonthesafeside,justgowiththe

headingsandnotdiagrams.

QuotesandNotesonEssay:

Innovation,Science,Technology

1) “theworldisunderstoodthroughthehands,notthemind—thehandis

thecuttingedgeofthemind”—Bronowski

2) Technology—raceforsupercomputers

a. Anewlistoftheworld’s500fastestsupercomputerssuggeststhat

ChinamightbespeedingpasttheUSintheracefortechnological

supremacy.Chinanowholdsthetwotopspots,andplacedatotal

of167machinesonthelist.TheUShadonly165onthelist,with

itsfastestplacingaverydistantthird.

b. That’sleadingsomeAmericancommentatorstowringtheir

hands.Wiredwentsofarastodeclarea“blowout”intheracefor

supercomputersupremacy.ButasimpressiveasChina’s

accomplishmentis,there’snoreasontopanic.Theracefor

technologicaldominancewon’tbewonbymeasuringwhocan

buildfastercomputers.Instead,whatwillmatteriswhoinvests

mostwiselyinbasicresearch—thekindofmethodical,

unglamoroussciencethatmightonlyyieldresultsyearsinthe

future.

c. Theimmediategoalofsuchresearchisn’tnecessarilyaproduct.

Butlong-term,itmightturnintomany.Government-fundedwork

onthree-dimensionalseismicimaging,forinstance,helpedlaythe

groundworkforthefrackingrevolutionofrecentyears.The

HumanGenomeProject,startedin1990,willprovidescientists

withrawmaterialtocurediseasesfordecadestocome.

d. “Peoplecannotforeseethefuturewellenoughtopredictwhat’s

goingtodevelopfrombasicresearch,”ishowGeorgeSmoot,a

NobelPrizewinnerinphysics,onceexplainedit.“Ifweonlydid

appliedresearch,wewouldstillbemakingbetterspears.”

e. Inthis,thehistoryofsupercomputersisinstructive.BellLabswas

doingfundamentalresearchonsemiconductorsallthewaybackin

the1940s.Eventually,whattheydevelopedwaslicensedtoother

companies,includingTexasInstruments,whichthendeveloped

transistors,integratedcircuitsandothercomponents.Itwasn’t

untiltheearly1960sthatsuchtechnologycoalescedintoanearly

versionofthesupercomputer.

f. TheUSdominatedsupercomputingfortwodecades,butitwas

onlyamatteroftimebeforeotherspiggy-backedonestablished

technologytocatchup.In1981,Japanstartedagovernment-

backedinitiativetodevelopitsownmachines.Chinadidthesame

in1989.RussiaandseveralEuropeancountrieshavejoinedthe

game.

g. Amidsuchcompetition,thetitleoftheworld’sfastest

supercomputertendstobeafleetinghonorific.Andthewisdomof

engagingintheracehasalwaysbeenquestionable.In2010,US

PresidentBarackObama’scouncilofscienceandtechnology

advisersarguedthata“single-mindedfocus”onincreasingspeed

divertsresourcesfrommorecreativeapproachestocomputing.In

mostfieldsofscienceandengineering,forinstance,performance

improvementsfrommoresophisticatedalgorithms—the

mathematicalrulesusedtosolveaproblem—havetoppedthose

fromfasterprocessorsinrecentyears.

h. Thatkindofinventivenessisoftentheresultofyearsofpatient

research—alessonAmericashouldn’tforget.AlthoughtheUSstill

leadstheworldinresearchanddevelopment(R&D)funding,asa

percentageofgrossdomesticproduct,itseffortsnowlagbehind

SouthKorea,JapanandTaiwan.Theportionofthefederalbudget

dedicatedtoR&Dhasbeenindeclinesince1965.

i. Meanwhile,thecompetitionforbasicresearchisheatingup.

Chineseresearchprogrammeshavehistoricallyfocusedonhitting

clearlydefinedgoals,whichisonereasonthatsupercomputer

speedhasbeensuchanappealingbenchmark:In2012,84%of

China’sR&Dwenttothecommercializationoftechnologies.But

policymakersarestartingtochangetheirtune.Inmid-June,

China’sNationalScienceFoundationannouncedbigfunding

increasesforbasicresearch,includingcosmicrayphysics,

mathematics,brainscienceandinfectiousdiseases.

j. Thisisnobadthing.Invigoratedcompetitionforbasicresearch

wouldbefarmoreproductivethantheracetosoupup

supercomputers.Fieldssuchassyntheticbiology,quantum

computingandphotonicsallstandtobenefitfromahealthy

internationalrivalry.Andareaswithlessobviouspay-offsmay

proveevenmoreimportant.Currentmysteriessuchasdark

mattermightonedayturnouttobejustasfruitfulasone-time

mysterieslikeradiowaves.Thebenefitsmaynotmaterializefor

yearsorevendecades.Butifhistoryisanyguide,it’sagoodbet

thattheywillbeworththewait

FamousPeople

1) TrystwithDestiny

a. Atthestrokeofthemidnighthour,whentheworldsleeps,India

willawaketolifeandfreedom.Amomentcomes,whichcomesbut

rarelyinhistory,whenwestepoutfromtheoldtothenew,when

anageends,andwhenthesoulofanation,longsuppressed,finds

utterance.

2) “Wipeeverytearfromeveryeye”

a. “Theambitionofthegreatestmanofourgenerationhasbeento

wipeeverytearfromeveryeye.Aslongastherearetearsand

suffering,solongourworkwillnotbeover.”

3) IhaveaDreamspeech

a. MartinLutherKing(1963,WashingtonDC)

b. AllmenhaveinalienablerightofLife,Libertyandthepursuit

ofHappiness.

c. "Ihaveadreamthatonedayourlandthatisswelteringwiththe

heatofoppressionwilltransformintoanoasisoffreedom

andjustice."

d. “Ihaveadreamthatonedaymyfourlittlechildrenwillnotbe

judgedbythecoloroftheirskinbutbythecontentoftheir

character”

4) SwamiVivekananda,Sept.111893

a. Atworldparliamentofreligions

b. Abouttoleranceanduniversalacceptance.

c. “Iamproudtobelongtoanationwhichhasshelteredthe

persecutedandtherefugeeofallreligionsandallnationsofthe

earth.”

d. “Asthedifferentstreamshavingtheirsourcesindifferentplaces

allmingletheirwaterinthesea,so,OLord,thedifferentpaths

whichmentakethroughdifferenttendencies,variousthoughthey

appear,crookedorstraight,allleadtoThee.

5) B.R.Ambedkar—Lifeofcontradictions

a. ‘Onthe26thofJanuary1950,wearegoingtoenterintoalifeof

contradictions.Inpoliticswewillhaveequalityandinsocialand

economiclifewewillhaveinequality.Inpoliticswewillbe

recognisingtheprincipleofonemanonevoteandonevoteone

value.Inoursocialandeconomiclife,weshall,byreasonofour

socialandeconomicstructure,continuetodenytheprincipleof

onemanonevalue.Howlongshallwecontinuetolivethislifeof

contradictions?Howlongshallwecontinuetodenyequalityinour

socialandeconomiclife?Ifwecontinuetodenyitforlong,wewill

dosoonlybyputtingourpoliticaldemocracyinperil.Wemust

removethiscontradictionattheearliestpossiblemomentorelse

thosewhosufferfrominequalitywillblowupthestructureof

politicaldemocracywhichthisAssemblyhastolaboriouslybuilt

up.’

6) MotherTeresa

a. Yugoslaviabornin1910

b. Humanitarian

c. FoundedMissionariesofCharity—est.lepercolony,homeforthe

dying

d. Saidinhernobleprizespeechthat,“Iamgratefultoreceivethe

nobelinthenameofhungry,thenaked,thehomeless,thecrippled,

theblind,theleper,ofallthosepeoplewhoareunwanted,unloved,

uncared-forandshunnedbyeveryone.”

e. “Theproblemwiththeworldisthatwedrawthecircleofour

familiestoosmall”

7) APJAbdulKalam

a. Diedasahumblemanwithnobelongings,howeverlivedarichlife

ofideas,passiontowardsinnovation,andserviceofthenationand

itspeople.

b. “Dreamsarethosethatdon’tletyousleep”

8) MohammedAli—Boxerrecentlydied

a. “Rivers,lakes,ponds,streams.Theyhavedifferentnames,but

allcontainwater.Religionshavedifferentnamesbutall

containtruth”

b. WhenaskedCanaboxerbeaphilosopher?

i. “It’sjustajob.Grassgrows,birdsfly,wavespoundthesand.

Ibeatpeopleup!”

c. OnViolence:

i. Wehavetobeviolent.Butwehavetorememberthat

Violenceisbothapoisonandananti-doteofhumannature.

Theonlyeffectiveresponsetodestructiveviolenceiswhat

mightbetermedconstructiveviolence.Aprofessional

soldierorapolicemanistrainedtobeviolentinthepursuit

ofaterrorist.Neitherthecitizenorthestatecanbe

protectedfrommurder,mayhemorchaosbyanother

approach.Ashokaunderstoodthisasevenafterhis

conversiontopeaceastheprinciplepolicyafterhisbloody

victoryinKalinga,whichiswhyheneverdisbandedhis

army.

Economy

1) FDIandGlobalgrowth

a. “TheOneBrightSpotisIndia”—WorldBankandIMFchiefs

b. Indiaisabitofanexceptionbecauseithasbuckedtheglobaltrend

ofsluggishgrowth—WorldBankchiefJimYongKim

c. 2.4%isthegrowthrateestimatefortheworldeconomybyWorld

bank

UrbanizationinIndia

1) Governmenthaspledgedto“makeourcitiessmart,sustainableand

enginesofprogress”by2030

2) Thisbuildsonearlierpromisesofendingpoverty,providinghousingand

basicservicestoallbytheearly2020s.

3) TheSDGsprovideawideandholisticdevelopmentframeworkto

encompassIndia’surbanchallenges.Thisrangesfromendingpovertyand

hunger,totheprovisionofuniversalhealthcareandeducation,housing

andbasicservices,jobsandindustrialisation.Allwithinlocalandglobal

ecologicallimitsandthestrongcommitmenttoreduceinequalityand

enablegenderequality.Takentogether,theyarewhatweneed.

4) IdeaofSmartCity:

a. Theideadevelopedsomewhatindependentlyinthe2000sinhigh

incomecountriesofEurope,EastandSouth-eastAsia.Allhave

well-establishedphysicalanddigitalinfrastructure,highlevelsof

urbanisationandwereseekingtoconsolidatetheirpositionas

advancedmarketsandinnovation-ledeconomies.

b. Thisstate-ledpolicydrivewasgivenadditionalfillipby

transnationalcorporations,seekingtoreinventthemselvesaround

thefourthindustrialrevolution,basedontheInternetofThings

(IoTs)thattheybelievecouldformanewdigitalsubstratefor21st

centurycities.MuchofthehypearoundsmartcitiesinIndiaisled

bythesefirmsseekingstatesupportandpossiblysubsidiesto

expandmarketopportunities,inaneraofuncertaingrowthin

economiesbelongingtotheOrganisationforEconomic

DevelopmentandCooperation(OECD).

Education

1) AccordingtoUNESCO,goalsofeducationarefourfold:

i. LearningtoKnow

ii. LearningtoDo

iii. LearningtoLiveinharmony

iv. LearningtoBe

2) Educationistreasure—Petronius

3) IntelligenceplusCharacter—thatistherealgoalofeducation—MLKing

4) Themarkofaneducatedperson,saidPlato,istousehisorhereducation

insolvingtheproblemsofsociety.

5) Themoreyouhave,Gandhisaid,thepooreryouare.Sothefocus

shouldshiftfromwantingto“havemore”towanting“tobe”.

6) Characterbuilding,saysImmanuelKant,istheabilitytodealwith

situationsaccordingtouniversalprinciples.

7) AlbertEinsteinsaid,yourgeniusmighttakeyoutoheights,butyour

abilitytostaytherewillbedecidedbyyourcharacter.

8) T.S.RSubramaniamreportoneducationhasalsoplacedaheavyneed

tofocuson“ValueEducation”

9) Aristotlesaid,“Athisbest,manisnoblestoftheanimals,separatedfrom

lawandjustice,heistheworst”

10) AleksandrSolzhenitsyn:“Thelineseparatinggoodandevilpassesnot

betweenstatesnorbetweenclasses…butthroughthemiddleofevery

humanheart”

11) Oneoftheproblemsisthatthepresentcodesofconductarenotdirect

andtothepoint.Theyarefullofvaguesermonsthatrarelyindicate

prohibitionsdirectly.Forformulatingacodeofethics,itwouldbeuseful

tokeepinmindtheadviceofNapoleonwhosaid,‘Lawshouldbeso

succinctthatitcanbecarriedinthepocketofthecoatanditshouldbeso

simplethatitcanbeunderstoodbyapeasant’.

12) SwamiVivekananda—“Educationisthemanifestationofperfection

alreadyinaman”

13) SwamiVivekananda—“Theveryessenceofeducationisthe

concentrationofthemindandnotcollectionofthefacts”[ROTE

learning]

14) PabloPicassooncesaidthateverychildisbornasanartist.The

challengeistoremainoneaswegrowup.

15) “Holeinthewall”experimentbyNIITChiefscientistSugataMitrathat

ledtotheconclusionthatchildrencanlearntechnologyontheirown

whenexposedtoit.

16) Educationisnotthefillingofapail,butratherthelightingofafire.—WB

Yeats,Irishpoet

17) JusticeDharmaadhikari—InthosedaysUniversitybuildingsdidnot

leaknordidexaminationpapers.Todaybothareleakingbeyond

repairs.

18) CRajagopalachari,whileinjailforcivildisobedience,madethefollowing

entryinhisprisondiaryon24thJanuary1922:“Hopeliesinonly

universaleducationbywhichrightconduct,fearofGodandlovewillbe

developedamongthecitizensfromchildhood.

Drought

• “Droughtisnot“aasmani”butitis“sultani””—Droughtisnotduetolack

ofrainsbutbecauseofpooradministration.

Meditation

1) "Meditationisnotameanstoanend.Itisboththemeansandthe

end."-JidduKrishnamurti

Constitution,Parliament,FreedomsandRights,Polityetc.

1) “Theconstitutionisonlyaframeorskeleton,theactualfleshandbloodis

providedbytheactualprocessofpolitics.”—M.A.Ayyangar[constituent

assemblydebates]

2) Constitutionisalivingdocument

3) Constitutionisnotjustamazeofruleandprocedures,butalsoamoral

commitmenttoestablishagovernmentthatwillfulfillthe

manypromisesthatthenationalistmovementheldbeforethepeople—

thoseofequality,liberty,fraternity,justice,sovereigntyanda

cosmopolitanidentity.

4) AJusticeinKesavanandBharticase:“Theconstitutionisnotinthestate

ofbeing,butbecoming”

5) VicePresidentKrishnaKant:“LokSabhaistheHouseofChangeandthe

RajyaSabhaisahouseofContinuity”

6) GranvilleAustin,“Indianconstitutionisnotapieceofpaper,buta

documentofsocialrevolution”—itstranscendentgoalistoachievea

socialrevolution.

7) Riversdonotdrinktheirownwater,treesdonoteattheirownfruits,

cloudsdonotswallowtheirownrain.Whatgreatoneshaveisalways

forthebenefitoftheothers.

8) HamsaKsheeraNyaya—thejusticebytheswanwhocanseparatemilk

andwater

9) GVMavalankarhadwarnedNehruaboutpossibleindiscriminateuseof

ordinances.

10) Nehru:“Citizenshipconsistsintheserviceofthecountry.”

11) B.R.Ambedkar—fundamentalrightsandDPSPsarethe“conscienceof

theconstitution”DPSPsareavisionforgoodgovernanceand

fundamentaltogovernanceinindia.

12) BRAmbedkarcalled“RighttoConstitutionalRemedies”theHeart

andSouloftheconstitution

a. B.R.AmbedkarsaidthatthenewlydraftedconstitutionofaIndia

wasagoodoneandcouldholdthecountrytogetherduring

peacetimeaswellwartime.However,thevilenessofindividual

mis-usingitiswhatworriedhim.

b. Constitutionshaveadistinctpowertoactaslimitationsonthe

exerciseofpower,andinthatprocessdelineatethefunctionsof

thegovernmentandoutlinetherightsofthepeople.Thisiswhat

distinguishesconstitutionsfromotherlegislations.

c. "PrimusInterPares"—firstamongequals

d. BRAmbedkar—“Educate,Agitate,Organize"

UnityinDiversity

1) SardarPatel:“Theobjectiveoftheconstitutionistoevolveone

community”—ConstituentAssemblyDebate(CAD)

a. “Inthelongrun,itwouldbeimportanttoforgetthatthereisany

majorityorminoritybutonlyonecommunityinIndia”—

ConstituentAssemblyDebate(CAD)

UniversalAdultFranchise:

1) UniversalAdultFranchisewasthesingleprovisionwhichwaspassed

withoutanydebateandwithtotalunanimityintheConstituentAssembly

in1946.

2) PanditNehruinDiscoveryofIndiahasemphasizedthatUniversal

Franchisewasnotanidealwithwhichhewouldcompromiseasthere

wasnologicingivingmoreweighttooneperson’sopinionoverthe

other.

3) A.K.Ayyar,oneoftheconstitutionexpertssaidthattheassembly

adoptedtheprincipleofadultfranchiseduetoitsdeepfaithinthe

commonmanandtheultimatesuccessofdemocraticrule.Theassembly

believedthattheintroductionofdemocraticgovernmentonthebasisof

adultsuffragewillpromotewell-beingofall.—ConstituentAssembly

Debate(CAD)

SwarajandSu-raj

1) “Wishesofthepeoplefreelyexpressedthroughtheirfreelychosen

representative”—MahatmaGandhi

RighttoSpeechandExpression

• EarlieststrandsofRighttoFreedomandEqualityfoundinthe

writingsofJyotiraoPhule(1827-1890)—>theserightswerefurther

sharpenedduringthenationalmovementandexpandedtoconstitutional

rights.

• EvelynBeatriceHalltoVoltaire—"Idonotagreewithwhatyouhaveto

saybutIwilldefendtodeathyourrighttosayit.”

• RajarammohanRoywasthefirstoneinIndiatoprotestagainstthe

curtailmentoffreedomofpressbytheBritishcolonialstate.Heargued

thatwithoutsuchright,thecitizenscannotcommunicatetheir

grievancetothegovernmentinthefirstplace.Therefore,statemust

permitunlimitedfreedomofpressandpublication.

LiberalisminIndia

1) LinkedtosocialjusticeinIndiaasopposedtoindividualrightsover

demandsofsocialjusticeinwesterncountries

2) BestexampleofthisisreservationforSTsandSCsingovernmentjobs

andpoliticalposts

Federalism

1) Centre’soverwhelmingfinancialpowers:

a. TTKrishnammachari,adistinguishedfinanceministerand

memberofprestigiousNationalCouncilforAppliedEconomic

Research,saidthatultimateresponsibilityoftheeconomicwell-

beingofthecountryhasbecomeparamountresponsibilityofthe

Centre,andthereforeitmusthavegreatersayinitsfinancial

mattersandgreatercontrolaswell.

b. Morerecently,thisdebatehasarisenaspartofboththe14thFC

devolutionandalsotheGST.

c. TTKalsobecamethefirstministertoresignduetocorruption

scamMundhrascamthathappenedin1957

Judiciary

• AKAyyarintheCADfamouslysaidthatthejudiciarycannotfunctionas

asuper-Legislatureorsuper-executive.It’spurposeistointerpretthe

constitutionandtoadjudicateuponrights...

Urbanizationandcities:

1) PanditJawaharLalNehruhadsaidwhenworkbeganonthenewcityof

Chandigarh,soonafterindependence,thatitshouldbeanexpressionof

India’sfaithinthefuture

2) Citiesaremorethanmeremasonry.Theyshouldhavemodernityinthe

air.

Religion:

• APJAbdulKalam:Noreligionhasmandatedkillingasarequirementfor

itssustenanceorpromotion.

CivilServices:

1) Civilservicesisthe“steelframe”ofIndia’sadministrationand

governance.

2) Almost50commissionsandcommitteeshavelookedintoadministrative

andrelatedissuessinceindependence.

3) 1966:FirstARC

4) 2005:SecondARC

a. Bothhaverecommendedchangesintheappointmentprocessat

thehigherlevelsoftheservicestomakeitmoreopen.

b. Morecompetitionisneededathigherlevelduetoincreasing

importanceofdomainexpertiseandtechnology.

c. TheFirstARChasrecommendedthatentryinmiddleleveland

higherpositionsinservicesinCentralsecretariatbeallowedbased

onexperience,knowledgeandspecialization.

d. SecondArchasfavoredentriesfromprivatesectorintolateral

positions.

e. However,allofficerassociationshavebeenagainstthis.

SelfGovernanceandPRIs

1) M.A.Ayyangar,prominentconstitutionalisthassaidthatwemusttrain

thevillagesintheartofself-governmentandautonomytobeabletohave

truedemocracyatthegrassrootslevels.

2) PanditNehrutowardsthelastyearsofhisprimeministershiphad

changedhisviewtomoredecentralizationandthatwemustfunction

frombelowthanfromthetop…toomuchcentralizationmeansdecayat

therootsandultimatelythewitheringoftheleaves,thebranchesand

flowers.

Elections

• Electioncommissionsetstherulesoftheelectionprocessthereby

enablingtheelectionstobecomeacarnivalofdemocracyinsteadachaos

ofdemocracy.

Tirukurralsayings

1) Impartiality

a. “Theworldsalutesanuprightman,nomatterhowsmallhis

estate’splan”

b. “Whenjustice’sscalestheirbalancemaintain,wecanbesurewe

areinequity’sreign”

2) Self-Control

a. “Self-controliswealth,guarditwithzeal,nootherstrengthcan

matchthatsteel”

b. “Thewellregulatedlifeiswellsowed-seed,theill-regulatedone,a

paingivingweed”

3) Forbearance/Tolerance:

a. “Vengeancebeguilesthefleetingday,tolerancehaseverlasting

sway”

4) Poverty

a. “Amanmaysleepthroughaflamingfire,Buthecan’tresta

momentinpovertythat’sdire”

b. VerrierElwinonPoverty

i. WearesousedtopovertyinIndiaweforgetwhatitis.I

rememberonedayafamilycomingtousintears.fortheir

hutandalltheypossessedhadbeendestroyedbyfire.

WhenIaskedhowmuchtheywantedtoputthemontheir

feetagaintheysaid,'fourrupees'-thepriceofasinglecopy

ofBraveNewWorld.(Amagazinereadwidelybythe

bourgeoisie).Thatispoverty.

ii. Povertyistoseelittlechildrentakenfromyouattheheight

oftheirbeauty

iii. Itistoseeyourwifeagequicklyandyourmother'sback

bendbelowtheloadoflife.Itistobedefenselessagainst

arrogantofficial,tostandunarmedbeforeexploitersand

thecheats.

iv. Povertyishunger,frustration,bereavement,futility.There

isnothingbeautifulaboutit.

Corruption

• Corruptionislikeaballofsnow,onceit’ssetarollingitmustincrease—

CharlesColton

• Ifacountryhastofreeitselffromcorruptionandbecomeanationof

beautifulminds,threeKeysocietalmemberscanmakeadifference.They

arethefather,themotherandtheteacher.—APJAbdulKalam.

• Theaccomplicetothecrimeofcorruptionisfrequentlyourown

indifference

Leadership

• SatishDhawan—InearlyyearsofISRO,aprojectofSLV3underDr.APJ

AbdulKalamhadfailed(in1979).Drawndidnotletyoungscientistsof

histeamfacethemediaandtooktheentireresponsibilityonhimself.In

thesecondflight,theprojectsucceeded(1980)andDhawankepthimself

inthebackgroundwhiletoldDr.APJandotheryoungermembersto

speakwiththepress.Thisistrueleadership.Thisalsocreatedacultureof

successandteamworkatISRO.

ContentonVariousIssues

1) Governancea. Whatisit?

i. ChanakyaShashtra’s“TherootofallHappinessinsocietyisgoodgovernance.”

ii. Governanceshouldbeallinclusive,allpervasive,allroundandholistic.

b. Governanceiswhatthegovernmentdoestomakepublicservicesreachthepublic.Itincludespassingoflaws,judiciaryservices,activitiessuchasmaintenanceoflawandorderbythePolice,cleaningofstreetsbythemunicipalities,healthservicesetc.

c. However,democraticgovernancemovesbeyondthis.i. Wehavea‘representativeformofgovernance’inourcountrywhereweelectapersonandhe,onourbehalf,participatesinthedecision-makingprocess.Theultimateformofgovernanceiswhereeveryoneparticipatesinthegovernanceprocess.

d. Governanceismorethangovernment.i. Itrecognisesthatpowerexistsinsideandoutsidetheformalinstitutionsofgovernment.

ii. Itincludeswhatwecallthe‘socialcapital’ofcitizens,allofcivilsociety.

e. Whathappensinthiskindofgovernance?i. Whatessentiallyhappensisthatthestatecontinuestobeanimportantelementbecauseitistherepositoryofalotofpower;ithasthemandatetotakedecisions.Butithasthemandatetotakedecisionsinaparticularmanner.Itisnotthesoledecision-maker.Ittakesalongotherconstituentsofcivilsociety--NGOs,citizens,business,anyonewhoisinterestedinlendinghis/hervoicetothedecision-makingprocess.Thereforegovernment,frombeingthesoledecision-maker,movestoaplacewhereitbecomestheorchestratorofsocialconsensus.Likethepersonwhoconductsanorchestra.Hebringsalltheopinionstogetherandthenderivesaconsensuswhichistranslatedintoadecisionandgetsimplemented.That’sthekindofgovernancewearetalkingabout.Governanceincludesthreeelements.Theyare:process,content,anddeliverance.

f. Since,governanceisaboutparticipationofeveryone,itisimportanttotalkabouttheroleofwomeningovernance.Yearsofunder-represetantionandignorancebythelawmakersiseventuallyculminatingintoadesirebywomentoriseinthesociety.Theyconsiderthemselvesasequalstakeholdersineveryaspect—betheenvironmentalpreservation,politicalrepresentation,corporateleadership,governmentjobs,thenon-governmentalsector,socialstatusandalsopropertyinheritance.

g. Whyweneedgoodgovernance:i. Politicalstabilityandpoliticalrightsii. Goodgovernanceleadstobetterengagementofcitizensin

politics.—>effectivelocalgovernanceingrampanchayatsetc.

iii. Leadstogreatertrustandconfidenceinthepoliticalclass—>Absencecorruptionscandalsandconcernedpoliticalleadershipisseenmorefavorably.Example:yearsofhonestandcorruptionfreeleadershipinSingaporeledtoalongleadershipruleofLEEKUANYEWPMfrom1965-1990—>AsopposedtotheArabSpringwhichwaspartlycausedduetofrustrationofthecitizensintheirgovernment’sabilitytogovern.[Tunisia,Libya,Syriaandmanyothercountries]

h. Goodgovernancepromotespoliticalrightssuchasrighttoequalityetc.—>exampleofIndia’sSupremecourtenforcingrights

i. Societalprogressj. Societybecomesmoreopen,dynamicandexchangeofideas

happens.k. Goodgovernanceensuresthatsocialevilssuchascasteism

anduntouchabilitydonothaveinstitutionalsupport.—>Dowryprohibition,awarenessofcitizens

l. Genderanddisadvantagedsectionsaregivenequalrepresentation

m. Economicdevelopment

n. Goodgovernanceleadstoefficientandeffectiveuseofeconomicresources—>buildinfrastructureetc.Eg:corruptionscamshitIndiangrowthbyanestimated2-3%pointsasperTransparencyinternational

o. Socialimpactassessmentp. Environmentalsustainabilityq. Goodgovernancethinksaboutthefutureandnotjustabout

fulfillingpresentneeds.2) Secularism

a. WhatisSecularism?b. WhyImportant?

i. AssimilationandTolerance—ParsisofIndia(storyofsugardissolvedinaglassofmilk)

ii. ThestoryoftheParsees’assimilationinIndiashowsthatpeopleofdifferentidentities,languages,culturesandreligionscanassimilateintoaninclusivesocietyandculture.TheParseesonmigratingtoIndiafromIranwantedrefugefromthelocalrulertoliveinIndia.Therulerwasreluctantandwantedtoconveytothemthathehadnoplaceforthem.HegavetheParseesaglassofmilkfilledtothebrim.TheParseesunderstoodthemeaning,thattherewasnoplacefortheminhisKingdomassymbolizedbytheglassthatwasfull.ButtheleaderoftheParseestooksomesugarandgraduallydissolveditintothemilk,withoutcausingittooverflow,alessonforourintoleranttimes

iii. "ThefirmanchoringofSecularismasacorecharacterofIndiapolityoneofthemostimportantcontributionsofJawaharlalNehru,”saystheVicePresident,whilereleasingthebook“JawaharlalNehruandTheIndianPolityinPerspective”atThiruvananthapuram

iv. TheVicePresidentofIndia,ShriM.HamidAnsarihassaidPanditJawaharlalNehruleftanindeliblemarkonthemakingofmodernIndia.Addressingthegatheringafterreleasingthebook“JawaharlalNehruandTheIndianPolityinPerspective”,editedbyProf.(Dr.)P.J.Alexander,atThiruvananthapuraminKeralatoday,ShriM.HamidAnsarisaidthatthefirmanchoringofSecularismasacorecharacterofIndiapolityisoneofthemostimportantcontributionsofPanditNehru.

v. TheVicePresidentsaidthatasoneofthetitansofthenationalmovementandthefirstPrimeMinisterandarchitectofmodernIndia,adiscussionisrequiredonNehru,particularlyinthebackdropofthedangersfromreligioussuperstition,obscurantismandfundamentalismatthepresentmoment.ToexaminetheNehruvianlegacyistorenewourfightagainstreligiousdeformationsinthoughtandpractice,headded.

vi. FollowingisthetextoftheVicePresident’saddressontheoccasion:

vii. “Prof.AhsotoshVarshney,writingintheIndianExpressonNehrusaid,“ToappraiseNehruinapurelyabstractmanner,whilenecessary,wouldconstituteananalytic

insufficiency.Greatleadersalwaysgobeyondthepurelyintellectualortherational.Theytouchemotionally.Theyconstructaninvisiblebond.Theybecometheembodimentofanation.FortwogenerationsofIndians,ifnotmore,Nehruwasonesuchpoliticalleader,secondonlytoMahatmaGandhi”.

viii. AleaderandshaperoftheFreedomMovementthatwonIndiaitsfreedom,PanditNehruspentnine-and-a-half-yearsinBritishprisons,aperiodlongerthanGandhiji,SardarPatel,RajajiorJaiprakashNarayan.JawaharlalNehruwasavisionaryandamakerofthemodernIndia.Hewasalsoamanofletters.

ix. Thedustoftimemayhaveblurredthepictureforthosewhoarecomingofagenow,butJawaharlalNehruenjoyedaconnectwiththemassesofIndia,apopularitythatanypoliticalleadertodaywouldbeenviousof.NehrulovedIndia,andthepeopleofIndialovedhiminreturn.EyewitnessstoriesabouthowIndia’smasses,ruralandurban,adoredNehruaresimplytoomanytorecount.

x. NehruleftanindeliblemarkonthemakingofmodernIndia.TheIndianConstitutionowesmuchofitsliberalandprogressivecharacterstotheforesightandvisionofleaderslikeJawaharlalNehru.Theeightpointresolutionregardingaimsandobjectives,whichwasmovedbyPanditNehruintheConstituentAssemblyon13thDecember,1946setthetonefortheConstitutiondraftingprocessandcastthebasicfeaturesoftheConstitution.

xi. WhileNehru’svisiontouchedalmostalltheaspectsofmodernIndia’sgrowthasanation-fromitsConstitutiontoitsforeignanddevelopmentalpolicies,IwouldliketobrieflyhighlighttwoparticularareaswhereNehru’scontributionsareparticularlycherishedbyagratefulnation.OneofthesewasthefirmanchoringofSecularismasacorecharacterofIndiapolity.NehrubelievedthatinacountrylikeIndia,whichhasmanyfaithsandreligions,norealnationalismcouldbebuiltexceptonthebasisofsecularity.Anynarrowerapproach“mustexcludeasectionofthepopulationandthennationalismitselfwillhavearestrictedmeaningthanitshouldpossess.”

xii. Nehru’sexpositionofsecularismdidnotmeananabsenceofreligion,butputtingreligiononadifferentplanefromthatofnormalpoliticalandsociallife.Itwasfirmlyrootedinaffirmationofsocialandpoliticalequality.ToquoteNehru:

xiii. “Wecallourstateasecularone.Theword‘secular’isnotaveryhappyone.Andyetforwantofbetterword,wehaveusedit.Whatexactlydoesitmean?Itdoesnotobviouslymeanastatewherereligionisdiscouraged.Itmeansfreedomofreligionandconscienceincludingfreedomforthosewhohavenoreligion,subjectonlytotheirnotinterferingwitheachotherorwiththebasicconceptionsofourstate…..Thewordsecular,however,conveyssomething

muchmoretome,althoughthatmightnotbeitsdictionarymeaning.Itconveystheideaofsocialandpoliticalequality.Thus,acaste-riddensocietyisnotproperlysecular.Ihavenodesiretointerferewithanypersons’beliefbutwhenthosebeliefsbecomepetrifiedincastedivisions,undoubtedlytheyaffectthesocialstructureofthestate.They,preventusfromrealisingtheideaofequalitywhichweclaimtoplacebeforeourselves.”

xiv. Nehru’sconceptofsecularismwastoserveasaninstrumentofnationalintegration,activelypromotingsocialandpoliticalchangeinthedirectionofeliminatinginequality.ForNehru,thefightagainstinequalitywastiedupwiththefightagainsteconomicbackwardnessandunderdevelopment.

xv. JawaharlalNehruwasalsoavisionaryofamodernIndiaandplayedamajorroleinestablishingamodernscientificandtechnologicalinfrastructureandstrovetopromotescientifictemper.

xvi. Heoversawtheestablishmentofmanyinstitutionsofhighereducation,includingtheAllIndiaInstituteofMedicalScience(AIIMS),theIndianInstituteofTechnology(IIT),theIndianInstituteofManagement(IIM)andtheNationalInstitutesofTechnology(NIT).NehruenvisionedtheuseofnuclearenergybeyonditsuseinweaponsandestablishedtheAtomicEnergyCommissionofIndia(AEC)in1948.Over45Centrallaboratoriesindifferentfieldsofsciencewerelaunchedduringhistime.HewasalsoresponsibleforinitiatingthefirststepstolaunchIndiaintotheelectronicsandspaceera.

xvii. MORETHANPHYSICALFACILITIES,developmentof“ScientificTemper”.Butmorethanthephysicalfacilities—Nehruwasalsoconcernedwithdevelopingthescientificattitude,orwhathecalled,atdifferenttimes,the“scientificmethod”,the“scientificapproach”,orthe“scientifictemper.

xviii. ForNehruthedevelopmentofScienceandTechnologywasnotanabstractnotionorameanstomilitarypower.ForhimsciencewasessentialforbuildingamodernIndia.Itwastobeatooltoeradicatepovertyandwant,aninstrumentofeliminatinginequalityandbuildingajustsociety.ThescientificapproachwastobetheattitudeofallIndiansintheirsocialinteractions.

xix. Inauguratingthe34thsessionoftheIndianScienceCongress,whichmetinDelhiinJanuary1947,heexpressedthehopethatas“IndiawasonthevergeofindependenceandscienceinIndiatoowascomingofage,itwouldtrytosolvetheproblemsofnewIndiabyrapidplanneddevelopmentinallsectorsandtrytomakehermoreandmorescientificminded”.

xx. Today,asweproudlyenumeratethetechnicalandscientificprowessofournation,webutacknowledgethatthe

countdowntothelaunchoftheMarsorbiterstartedwithJawaharlalNehru.

3) DesireandAchievementAs is your desire, so is your will As is your will, so is your deed As is your deed, so is your destiny. — The Upanishads

4) Learning a. "As long as I live, so long do I learn." Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa

5) Diplomacy a. “Thebestgeneralistheonewhoneverfights”—SunTzub. “Diplomacyistheartoflettingsomeoneelsehaveyoutheway”—

DanieleVera,anItaliandiplomat

PracticeTopicsyoushouldbepreparedon

1) Nationalism,GlobalisationandHumanitarianCrisis-Theparadoxofour

times

2) ScienceforDevelopment

3) NurturingScientificTemperinIndia:ChallengesandProspects

4) ScienceandTechnologyasapromoterofCommunalharmonyinthe

Society

5) ClimateChangeandSustainability

6) Science&TechnologyforIndigenousDevelopmentinIndia

7) TechnologyandFreedom;CreatingaKnowledgeSociety

8) Terrorism

9) SuccessandChallengesofIndianDemocracy

10) WomenEmpowerment

11) RuleofLawinIndia

12) InternetandKnowledge—democratizationofknowledgeand

information

13) HumanRights—WorldandIndiaperspective

14) Thewoundsofswordhealbutwordshurtforever

15) ArtificialIntelligence

16) Governance

17) Secularism

18) Tolerance/Diversity

19) Urbanization/SmartCities

20) InclusiveGrowthandSocialChange

21) Poverty

22) DesireandAchievement

23) Actions

24) Learning

25) Youth’sRoleinIndia

26) Diplomacy

27) Democracy

28) Water

29) InclusiveGrowth

30) InclusiveInnovation:Awayoflife

31) IndiasuffersfrompaucityofRoleModels

32) ResponsibilityandFreedom

33) IndianCulture

34) IsDevelopmentpossibleatthecostofenvironment?

35) Asia’sBuddhistConnectivityandIndia’sRole

36) WorldRefugeeCrisis

37) SuccessandHappiness

38) DigitalRuralIndia

39) ArtificialIntelligence

MyEssayswrittenin2016CSE