NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same time gives you extra points in the form of background information.
General Studies – 1
Topic: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues;
Reference: India’s Since Independence by Bipan Chandra.
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1.
Key Demand of the question:
To elaborate on the various concepts and components of Total Revolution by Jayaprakash Narayan.
Directive:
Elaborate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the particular context. You must be defining key terms where ever appropriate, and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by describing the Total Revolution of JP.
Body:
In the body, further elaborate upon the various components of the total revolution:
Social – socialism, welfarism, government, developments of harijans, tribal people and all weaker sections of the social structure
Economic – industrial, agricultural, technological revolutions, developments of peasants and workers.
Political – democratic process, political corruption, justice, freedom, electoral reforms,
Cultural – national unity, free, progressive and Gandhian India.
Ideological and intellectual – scientific and philosophical.
Educational – education for masses, vocational training etc.
Spiritual – personal and social ethics and values of life, moral and spiritual development
Conclusion:
Stress of the importance of the impact of Total Revolution.
Introduction
Total Revolution, as a concept, was put forward by Jayaprakash Narayan in the wake of Bihar Movement in Patna. In a public meeting at Gandhi Maidan, Jayaprakash Narayan declared that the struggle was not going to be limited to securing the demands of the students, including the resignation of the Minister and the dissolution of the Assembly in Bihar, but would aim at bringing about a Total Revolution or Sampoorna Kranti, which alone could solve the urgent problems of the country and usher in a new society.
Body
The concept of Total Revolution lie deeply embedded in Gandhi’s teachings to which Jayaprakash Narayan, the leader of Total Revolution turned as a result of his disillusionment with what might be called “conventional wisdom of revolution and conventional technique” of change. Infact, Total Revolution is a further extension of Gandhi’s thought on socio-economic problems and technique of change in the context of contemporary social, economic and political reality.
Jayaprakash Narayan’s Total Revolution is a grand vision of individual, state and society.It is based upon Gandhi’s basic postulates and it envisages non-violent methods of changing society with non-violent techniques. Total Revolution is an all-enveloping process of change in the individual as well as in the society. The primary emphasis is on moral values, decentralisation of economic and political power and insistence on non-violent means to achieve good ends.
Social change in the Gandhian paradigm is a very comprehensive and inclusive term. According to Gandhi, a partial change in any one component of the social matrix is likely to produce disequilibrium in society. Society, therefore, will tend to move towards a state of constant instability. In order to ensure that the social organisation maintains a steady and dynamic homeostatic state, an all-round change is needed.
Total revolution:
- Total Revolution is a combination of seven revolutions, viz., political, social, economic, cultural, ideological or intellectual, educational and spiritual.
- The main motive was to bring in a change in the existing society that is in tune with the ideals of the Sarvodaya.
Cultural: It connotes individual and group behaviour. At a purely personal or group level, Cultural Revolution invokes a change in the moral values held by the individual or the group.
Socio economic: Total Revolution goes hand in hand with economic revolution. JP only carried Gandhi’s thinking further to embrace every detail of economic life. ‘Economic relationship’, “includes technological, industrial, and agricultural revolutions, accompanied by a radical change in the pattern of ownership and management”.
The industrial-technological structure of the economy has two major facets, namely (i) the ownership pattern, and (ii) the size of technology.
Political: In the sphere of political revolution JP follows Gandhi. Gandhi visualised power rising from the grassroots and reaching the top which remained nothing more than a coordinating body. Such a view of polity was different from those in practice either in democratic systems or the communist countries. In other words, if power was shared among different echelons of the social structure starting from, say, the village upward, the danger of centralisation could very well be avoided. Centralisation, either of political or of economic power, was what Gandhi dreaded most. He, therefore, laid emphasis on decentralisation.
It was this approach to decentralisation of power that led him to support the panchayati raj system. He believed that it was perfectly feasible to incorporate the different tiers below the State level into the constitutional framework by a bold stroke of amendment, thereby making it a part of the structure of the entire polity.
Like Gandhi, he also experimented with his own beliefs, tested his notions and modified his ideas. The inherent contradictions within the Parliamentary democracy made JP lose any faith he had in it. He opined that democracy gives no assurance for a better life to the people in the future when they are socially and economically neglected. He opined that only a peaceful revolution could bring about some change in the society.
One of the main reasons for lack of development in India, according to JP, was the widespread corruption in all walks of life. He believed that the multiparty system and general elections every five years had reared corruption. Further, the failure of economic planning and public investments is also due to this corruption.
He was the first to suggest that in order to prevent defections, which became the order of the day, effective legislative steps should be taken. JP also raised the issue of the corrupting role of money in the entire electoral process. Reform of the electoral system has been one of the very persistent demands which JP went on making on the political system. There are other aspects like the use of administrative machinery, the ways and means of conducting a free and fair election, and a civil code of conduct among political parties about which JP has provided wide-ranging guidelines. JP has drawn our attention to the control of the legislators. He suggested that there should be a clause in our Constitution for the recall of the legislators, that is, the constituents must be vested with the power to recall a member if he does not carry out his duties.
Conclusion
JP strongly believed that for democracy to be a lively and effective instrument there is an urgent need for a strong opposition, powerful public opinion, free and fearless press, ideological and moral pressure from the academicians, and trade unions. He, in fact, advised the people to revise their thinking and attitude towards democratic functioning in India.
Topic: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues;
Reference: India’s Since Independence by Bipan Chandra.
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 1.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the various checks and balances that were incorporated after the Emergency period.
Directive:
Comment- here we have to express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Narrate briefly the historical background and situation of emergency imposed in 1975.
Body:
Emergency was the biggest blot on Indian democracy was imposed on the people. The internal emergency which was proclaimed by then congress government including suspension of fundamental rights is considered one of the most traumatic periods for the fledgling democracy. This time period is also seen as the coming of the age of the Indian democracy. But, later the Indian parliament passed amendments to the constitution, the 44th amendment, to ensure that the future governments will not find it easy to impose another emergency in the country.
Explain the ills of such an undemocratic act. Discuss how it led to transformative changes in the system like – gave the beginning of the end of dominance by a single political party at the centre in India.
The Emergency propelled several political leaders long in political wilderness straight into office, and introduced the idea of an ‘opposition’ leader in the ruling structure. An enduring lesson India’s political classes imbibed silently was on the importance of keeping control over state media and the retention of the Emergency clause in the Constitution.
Conclusion:
Conclude that India has now become a more mature democracy; however democracy is always a work in progress.
The emergency was declared by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975 and was in place for 21 months. Threat to national security and bad economic conditions were cited as reasons for the declaration. Considering it as a black chapter, a famous historian Coomi Kapoor noted “The number of those in Indira Gandhi’s prisons during the Emergency far exceeded the total number jailed during the 1942 Quit India”.
Reasons for emergency declaration:
- Economic issues:
- India support to Bangladesh’s liberation caused serious repercussion on India’s foreign exchange reserves
- Consecutive monsoon failure in 1972 & 73 affected India food grains availability and fuelled prices.
- Large scale unemployment and economic recession led to industrial unrest and wave of strikes in different parts of country which culminated in All India railway strike in May 1974.
- Executive tussle with Judiciary:
- Union government under the leadership of Indira Gandhi amended the constitution in the Parliament that it can abridge Fundamental rights while giving effect to DPSPs. But, Later, In Kesavananda Bharti Case, the Apex Court ruled that there are some basic features of the constitution, which can’t be amended.
- Furious with SC judgment, Union Government changed the long-term precedence of appointing senior most judges in SC as Chief Justice.
- Allahabad HC, while hearing the plea of socialist leader Raj Narain on the validity of victory of Indira to Lok Sabha ruled in the his favour and set aside her victory and ruled her election invalid on the grounds of abuse of power.
- JP Movement:
- The students of Gujarat protested immensely in 1974 against the rise in prices of food-grain, cooking oil & other essential commodities, later joined by the political parties too
- Inspired by the efforts and success by Gujarat student’s movement, similar agitation was initiated in Bihar by students in March 1974.
- JP Narayan gave a call for “Sampooran Kranti” (Total Revolution) against the immense corruption, to defend democracy from authorization personality of Indira Gandhi.
Black Chapter in India’s democratic history:
The union government misused its emergency powers and curbed democratic rights of the citizens, opposition parties and of the press.
- Electricity of the newspaper houses got disconnected, leaders of opposition parties were arrested.
- Government curtailed the freedom of press via “Press censorship” and made it mandatory to get its approval before publishing it.
- Protests, strikes and public agitations were not allowed.
- Fundamental right of constitutional remedies to move the court for restoring their FRs got suspended.
- Religious and cultural organization like RSS, Jamait-E-Islami was banned on the apprehension of disturbance to social and communal harmony.
- Government misused the provision of preventive detention, arrested the political workers of opposition parties.
- Torture and custodial deaths occurred during Emergency, arbitrary relocation of poor people, imposition of compulsory sterilization to control population.
The power misused came as a wakeup call for the entire nation and consequent steps were taken to amend the constitution (44th constitutional amendment) to take safeguards against misuse of powers:
- Ground for Emergency declaration: the word ‘internal disturbance’ was replaced by ‘armed rebellion’ in respect of national emergency.
- Made the president to declare a national emergency only on the written recommendation of the cabinet.
- Empowered the president to send back once, the advice of the cabinet for reconsideration.
- Provided that the fundamental rights guaranteed by article 20 and 21 cannot be suspended even during emergency.
- Gave constitutional protection to publication in newspaper of true reports of the proceedings of parliament and state legislatures.
Further, it was the Supreme Court decision which upheld that government can arrest any person or even take extreme steps under emergency, it is legal and no relief is available. However, the judiciary leant it lessons and consequently passed several judgements to uphold democracy.
- The Supreme Court has thereafter enlarged the concept and the application of Article 21 well beyond what was ever contemplated by the framers of the constitution
- The Supreme Court expressed its view on ADM Jabalpur judgement to be violative of fundamental rights in Ram deo Chauhan case.
- The Supreme Court strengthened the concept of Basic structure which was reiterated in cases like Minerva mills.
- The judiciary in later judgements evolved the collegium system for appointments of the judges to uphold the independence of the judiciary.
- To uphold the democratic rights of the citizens, it also invented tools like Public interest litigation in 1980.
Conclusion:
The 1975 emergency is viewed as the darkest phase in the democratic history of India. But it also reminded the absolute powers vested in the government in emergency situation. The consequent defeat of congress illustrated that it is the citizens who are the ultimate deciders of democratic fate in India. It also helped in perfecting the Indian democratic setup to restore the people’s faith in democracy.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential;
Reference: Live Mint
Why the question:
In a country given to one maze after another of equity cross-holdings, some of them designed as smokescreens, we require clear disclosures on the beneficial ownership of businesses. Hence, this article argues for transparency and regulation.
Key Demand of the question:
To justify the need to regulate the fast growing private sector by pushing for more transparency.
Directive:
Justify – When you are asked to justify, you have to pass a sound judgement about the truth of the given statement in the question or the topic based on evidences. You have to appraise the worth of the statement in question using suitable case studies or/ and examples.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by mentioning the importance of transparency in private entities.
Body:
In the first part, develop a link between higher standards of disclosure with better supervision and better internal governance. Cite examples of scams which happened due to the lack of transparency.
In the next part, suggest how the government can make the bolder push for business transparency. Disclosure-sensitive nature of the markets, harder for promoters to take public limited companies private, minority shareholders issues and enhanced disclosures for debt ridden companies etc.
Also,write about the risks associated with over regulation and over emphasis on disclosure standards.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
Introduction
Every company has the right to keep information confidential that does not mandatorily have to be disclosed and could hurt its interests, should rivals and others get hold of it.
Widely-held companies whose shares are listed for public trading, though, can face a negative market response if they stop revealing numbers they usually do, as Reliance saw. Its share price fell after it withheld its gross refining margin in its quarterly results.
If markets are disclosure-sensitive for good reason, so are regulators tasked with watching out for anything that might hurt providers of capital or threaten the stability of our financial system.
Body
Transparency is the price a business pays for the privilege of limited liability. It is thus a good sign that the government has made it harder for promoters to take public limited companies private—a move often aimed at reducing the data that needs to be disclosed.
- The Ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) withdrew a provision for automatic approval of such an application in case it elicits no official response within 30 days.
- The Centre is also reportedly keen to tighten a few laws so that auditors and company secretaries are pushed to exercise their fiduciary duties in proper alignment with all norms and rules. The more closely business operations are watched, the less scandal-prone they are likely to be.
Disclosure requirements vary quite a bit, depending on their ease of access to funds and the general responsibility they bear, as it should be. Listed public firms must reveal the most, as they have minority shareholders who need to be kept in the loop of operational matters that go beyond mere results. But these form only a tiny fraction of all Indian firms in operation. There are unlisted public companies, too, though the majority are closely-held private businesses that are required to reveal the least.
Higher standards of disclosure for private entities would
- Enable superior supervision and also incentivize better internal governance.
- Business ownership, in particular, should not be easy to obfuscate.
Private firms above a specified size with debt higher than a certain level could qualify for enhanced disclosures. They need not offer us a fishbowl view, but just enough to allow aggregate analyses that are more meaningful than what we can perform on data drawn from the MCA’s database.
In a country given to one maze after another of equity cross-holdings, some of them designed as smokescreens, we require clear disclosures on the beneficial ownership of businesses. What we need to know has evolved. So must regulation.
Conclusion
Accountability and transparency are treated as major building pillars for governing democratic nations in recent years. Citizens who are paying their taxes would like to know exactly where their money is spent and all the developments that has happened in the country. Consequently, higher the transparency and accountability better the stability of the country’s economy.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
The draft of the 5th National Science Technology and Innovation Policy has been finalized and is now available for public consultation.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the draft Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP) and analyze its pros and cons.
Directive:
Critically analyze – When asked to analyse, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a fair judgment.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start the answer by stating the aims and objectives of Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP).
Body:
In the first part, bring out the links between spending on R&D and quality of research and development on the country’s global competitiveness.
Next, mention about the features of the draft Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP). The profound changes it seeks through short, medium and long-term mission mode projects by building a nurtured ecosystem that promotes research and innovation on the part of both individuals and organizations.
In the next part, evaluate the positives of the draft policy. Technological self-reliance, innovation ecosystem, robust cohesive financial landscape, explore international best practices of grant management, inclusion of women and LGBTQ+ and robust STI Governance etc.
In the final part, mention the shortcomings of the policy. Issue of funding, Use of jargon and clichés, Possibility of over-regulation, silent on achieving inclusivity and lack of a proper roadmap etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward.
Introduction
India’s Department of Science and Technology recently released a draft of the fifth Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy. This 62-page-long document presents the objectives and goals of our new science policy. This Policy will replace the Science Technology and Innovation Policy of 2013.
Body
Research and innovation in India: Issues
- India’s investment in R&D has remained constant at around 0.6% to 0.7% of India’s GDP. This is below the expenditure of countries like the US (2.8), China (2.1), Israel (4.3) and Korea (4.2).
- Most of the investment comes from public sector while private sector is languishing. There is also the problem of brain drain from India.
- Poor fund allocation in research in universities.
- Low levels of PhD enrolment, fewer opportunities for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research.
- Low levels of industry engagement and low quality of research work, etc. are some of the factors affecting the research ecosystem in India.
STIP Policy
Unlike previous STI policies which were largely top-driven in formulation, the 5th national STI policy (STIP) follows core principles of being decentralised, evidence-informed, bottom-up, experts-driven, and inclusive.
- It proposes to establish Education Research Centres (ERCs) and Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs) to provide research inputs to policymakers and bring together stakeholders.
- Research and Innovation Excellence Frameworks (RIEF) will be developed to enhance the quality of research along with the promotion of engagements with the relevant stakeholders.
- A dedicated portal to provide access to the outputs of such publicly-funded research will be created through the Indian Science and Technology Archive of Research (INDSTA).
- To set up Infrastructure to boost local Research and Development capabilities and reduce large scale import in selected sectors of domestic importance such as electronic hardware for home appliances, railways, intelligent transport, clean tech, defence, etc.
- One Nation, One Subscription: The idea is to democratise science by providing access to scholarly knowledge to not just researchers but to every individual in the country.
- It suggests modification or waiver of General Financial Rules (GFR), for large-scale mission mode programmes and projects of national importance.
Merits
For Strengthening India’s Strategic Position, STIP has a significant focus
- To achieve technological self-reliance and position India among the top three scientific superpowers in the decade to come.
- To double the number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) researchers, Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D (GERD) and private sector contribution to the GERD every 5 years.
- Establishment of a Strategic Technology Board that will bridge all strategic government departments, and monitor and recommend technologies to be bought or indigenously made.
Issues persist
- STIP states that the private sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Expenditure on Research and Development should be doubled every five years. The 2013 policy had similar aims. The 2020 draft policy fails to discuss what we have achieved on these fronts since then.
- It is doubtful if the various funding models that are presented are workable or practical, especially during a pandemic.
- Decentralised is an objective in STIP but the idea is defeated in the document itself, where several new authorities, observatories and centres have been proposed, which may end up feeding up the already fattened bureaucracy in science administration.
- High rate of drop outs from IIT’s and most of them were from SC/ST classes. The number of suicides of students is also on the increase in the IITs. Caste discrimination could be one of the reasons for these tendencies.
Way Forward
- The government must prioritise important issues and amplify first the problems which have cultural and administrative dimensions.
- Facilitate an environment that encourages a mindset that constantly challenges conventional wisdom as well as open-minded inquiry among the students.
Topic: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Reference: Live Mint
Why the question:
With the ever rising NPA’s, a multi-pronged approach is the need of the hour to tackle it. This articles makes a case for the same.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about how a ‘Bad Bank’ which is supplemented by private interest can be a panacea to out NPA problem.
Directive:
Analyze – When asked to analyse, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by defining a Bad Bank and its purpose.
Body:
Give stats related to the increasing NPA and their future projects from the article.
In the first part, write about features of the bad bank and it will be different from the Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC). Write about its merits and demerits.
In the next part, write about the Bad Bank must be supplemented by attracting private capital and suggest steps to do so.
Conclusion:
Conclude with a way forward to deal with rising NPA’s.
Introduction
In the latest Financial Stability Report, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has stated that the banking sector’s gross non-performing assets (NPAs) could rise from 8.5% at the end of March 2020 to as much as 14.7% by March 2021—a two-decade high.
Body
A Bad Bank can be construed an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) or an Asset Management Company (AMC) that takes over the bad loans of commercial banks, manages them and finally recovers the money over a period of time.
Features of Bad Banks
- The bad bank is not involved in lending and taking deposits, but helps commercial banks clean up their balance sheets and resolve bad loans.
- The takeover of bad loans is normally below the book value of the loan and the bad bank tries to recover as much as possible subsequently.
Need for Bad Banks
- A large proportion of bad debt in terms of value is from big-ticket companies whose dues run into hundreds and thousands of crores, and whose financial creditors comprise a consortium of banks.
- Resolution of the claims of creditors of such companies, despite all the stipulated timelines, is a long-drawn and messy business.
- It also requires expertise in commercial and legal as well as business issues.
- Banks should have the option to offload the problem to specialists in business reconstruction, rather than have to take control and drive resolution (Such as in IBC Code).
Merits of Bad Bank
- The burden of recovering those loans is reduced for other banks.
- Speed of recovery will be better as Bad Bank’s main work is recovery and they are specialised in that.
- Bad Bank increases profitability as they can focus on other aspects of credit than recovery.
Demerits of Bad Bank
- Some criticize the setup of bad banks, highlighting how if states take over non-performing loans, this encourages banks to take undue risks, leading to a moral hazard.
- The bad bank will require significant capital to purchase stressed loan accounts from public sector banks.
- The chances of private participation are low unless investors are allowed a major say in the governance of the new entity.
- Bad bank will not address more serious corporate governance issues plaguing public sector banks that led to the NPA problem.
- Setting up a new institution would be very time-consuming.
- Challenges on its ownership structure as well as the pricing of bad loans taken over from banks.
Attracting Private interest
- It is imperative that banks be willing to take on certain levels of risk, instead of transferring all of it to the buyer. This would lead to higher deal values and larger capital outlays.
- The level of risk transfer should emerge from the process of bidding, with a reasonable level specified as a starting point.
- New sources of domestic capital should be encouraged to participate in this market through a relaxation of laws, in alignment with the formalization and digitization of the monetary system.
Conclusion
Non-Performing Assets are a challenge that requires a response on multiple fronts. A bad bank cannot be the sole response but can augment other measures. The most efficient approach would be to design solutions tailor-made for different parts of India’s bad loan problem.
General Studies – 4
Topic: social influence and persuasion.
6. Three areas of social influence are conformity, compliance and obedience. Elaborate. (150 words)
Reference: Ethics by Lexicon publications.
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about role played by social influence in achieving conformity of thought, compliance of beliefs and obedience to authority/laws.
Directive:
Elaborate – Give a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the particular context. You must be defining key terms where ever appropriate, and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by defining social influence.
Body:
In detail, bring out the role of social influence on conformity, compliance and obedience.
Conformity – is changing how you behave to be more like others. This plays to belonging and esteem needs as we seek the approval and friendship of others.
Compliance – is where a person does something that they are asked to do by another.
Obedience – is obeying an order from someone that you accept as an authority figure.
Conclusion:
Summarize the importance of conformity, compliance and obedience.
Introduction
Social influence refers to the ways in which external factors trigger change in an individual. It guides the way we form our thoughts and organize our overt behaviour and actions. Conformity, compliance and obedience are all forms of social influence that strongly affect our everyday lives.
Body
Social influence’s effect is especially conspicuous in the long history of humankind, particularly World War II, where individuals were observed to commit immoral acts because they struggle to act in sync with their personal judgments when faced with external pressure.
Areas of social influences
Conformity: Conformity refers to the act of changing a particular belief or behaviour to fit in with one’s social environment. Most crude example can be, when your friend circle is bullying someone, you will not stand up for the victim but rather join your friends in bullying or be a silent spectator.
Compliance: Compliance is a direct response from an individual who gives in to the request of another. The request in question can be either explicit, as in the form of a direct verbal request, or implicit as in the form of an advertisement that promotes the qualities of a product without explicitly asking one to purchase.
It also involves following order from higher authority or legitimate authority. A good everyday example would be drivers complying with traffic rules set by public authorities. Within families it can be following the elders as per the norms of the society.
Obedience
Obedience refers to a social influence in which a person follows explicit instructions that were given by an authority figure. In the long history of humankind, the effect of obedience is brazen. Millions of people were killed during World War II, but Hilter could not have done that single-handedly. It was a result of obedience where orders were given by an influential authority figure, which urged them to act in a way they otherwise would not have. It is called as charismatic authority yielding obedience.
Conclusion
Social influence is a phenomenon we experience everyday.While conformity is triggered by social norm, obedience involves an authority figure. Compliance, on the other hand, involves an explicit request that is less aggressive as opposed to that of obedience. In conclusion, while the concepts of compliance and obedience are similar, conformity stands distinctly apart because of its unique stimulus and result (social norm and internalization respectively).
Topic: Quote.
7. What do you understand by the following quote?
‘Life can be shaped in the desired way by changing your habits’ (150 words)
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by explaining the quote in your own words.
Body:
We can shape our future in a better way changing our vices and unhealthy habits into a healthier and virtuous one. It can be only done by replacing bad habits with good ones. It will shape our life in a desired and righteous way. Give examples to substantiate your points.
E.g. A boy who was ashamed of stealing confessed to his father and later took up a virtuous life and we know him today as Mahatma Gandhi.
Conclusion:
Conclude by mentioning the importance of having healthy virtues.
Introduction
“Your life today is essentially the sum of your habits.”
In other words, how happy or how successful one is, is a result of one’s habits. What one repeatedly does (i.e. what you spend time thinking about and doing each day) ultimately forms the person he or she is, the things we believe, and the personality that we portray.
Body
People are creatures of habit because habits are efficient. People can perform useful behaviors without wasting time and energy deliberating about what to do. For Eg: Consciously using eco-friendly products, if made into a habit can lead to healthy environment and healthy life. This is the objective usage of habits.
Philosophically, our habits define our personality. It shows the ideals and our value system.
For instance, take the example of practicing Non-violent Satyagraha by Gandhiji. He knew that strict adherence to Ahimsa could not be achieved in a day. He had to take a tough decision to withdraw the non-cooperation movement just when it was taking momentum in freedom struggle. This decision left many leaders bewildered. But it was a crucial step during the time. He renounced non-violence in every step and every aspect which is why it was so ingrained in him.
A survey showed that the daily habit of self-acceptance was the cause of most people’s happiness.Be it clearing the toughest exam or achieving a desired goal, the important thing is to repeatedly work towards the goal. And the first step in that direction is to have a habit, say getting up early to study. Even a small habit of buckling seat belt, as soon as one is in a car can be a life-saver. The habit of keeping surroundings clean would lead to swachh bharat.
There another side to habit cultivation. Habits get hijacked by the use of addictive drugs or consumption of unhealthy food. Bad habits can consume us and waste the precious short life we have.
Conclusion
You are the captain of your ship. Sometimes we tend to believe that we are helpless and make self-defeating statements such as, “This is all I am”, or “I can’t help it.” That’s far from the truth. You have the power to take control of the processes that takes place in your brain. Now that you know that your brain is just following your lead, and doing what it thinks is good for you, you can reprogram it.
