There seem to be many divisive forces at work tearing apart the unity and integrity of the country. Which among this does not challenge the unity and diversity?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Secularism
Option (1) Caste wars — Challenges unity (Incorrect). Caste wars set one caste against another. Along with communal riots and demands for regional autonomy, they are among the divisive forces seen as tearing apart the unity and integrity of the country.
Option (2) Communalism — Challenges unity (Incorrect). Communalism is aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity, an aggressive political ideology linked to religion. It sees one’s own group as the only worthy one and others as inferior and opposed, and so divides the nation along religious lines.
Option (3) Regionalism — Challenges unity (Incorrect). Regionalism is rooted in India’s diversity of languages, cultures, tribes and religions and is fuelled by a sense of regional deprivation. When it turns into demands for regional autonomy, it pulls a region away from the whole.
Option (4) Secularism — Does not challenge unity (Correct). In the Indian sense, a secular person or state is one that does not favour any particular religion over others. Secularism is the opposite of communalism and implies equal respect for all religions, so it holds a diverse nation together instead of dividing it.
Note: The opening lines of the chapter ‘The Challenges of Cultural Diversity’, on the divisive forces that seem to tear apart the unity and integrity of the country (communal riots, demands for regional autonomy, caste wars), were there in the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023. This portion has been deleted from the NCERT book (2025-26), though the chapter and its sections on regionalism, communalism and secularism are still there.
NCERT (2025-26): “6.2 Regionalism in the Indian Context … Regionalism in India is rooted in India’s diversity of languages, cultures, tribes, and religions. It is also encouraged by the geographical concentration of these identity markers in particular regions, and fuelled by a sense of regional deprivation. Indian federalism has been a means of accommodating these regional sentiments (Bhattacharyya 2005).…” “Communalism … In everyday language, the word ‘communalism’ refers to aggressive chauvinism based on religious identity. Chauvinism itself is an attitude that sees one’s own group as the only legitimate or worthy group, with other groups being seen – by definition – as inferior, illegitimate and opposed. Thus, to simplify further, communalism is an aggressive political ideology linked to religion.…” “Secularism … The Indian meanings of secular and secularism include the western sense but also involve others. The most common use of secular in everyday language is as the opposite of communal. So, a secular person or state is one that does not favour any particular religion over others. Secularism in this sense is the opposite of religious chauvinism and it need not necessarily imply hostility to religion as such. In terms of the state-religion relationship, this sense of secularism implies equal respect for all religions, rather than separation or distancing. For example, the secular Indian state declares public holidays to mark the festivals of all religions.…” NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “…If you read the newspapers regularly, or watch the news on television, you may often have had the depressing feeling that India has no future. There seem to be so many divisive forces hard at work tearing apart the unity and integrity of our country – communal riots, demands for regional autonomy, caste wars… You might have even felt upset that large sections of our population are not being patriotic and don’t seem to feel as intensely for India as you and your classmates do.…” |