The story of modernisation and secularisation in India is quite distinct from their growth in the west. This is evident in the discussion of which of the following?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Westernisation and the efforts of the 19th century social movements
Option (1) Westernisation and the efforts of the 19th century social movements — Correct. The distinct Indian story shows in westernisation and in the efforts of the 19th century social reform movements. Both carried modern ideas that reached India through colonial rule.
Option (2) Sanskritisation and the growth of the anti-Brahminical movement — Incorrect. Sanskritisation means a caste taking up the customs and rituals of a higher caste. Anti-Brahminical movements challenged Brahmin dominance. Both belong to caste mobility and protest, so they cannot show how modern ideas came to India.
Option (3) Westernisation and the growth of the Backward Classes Movement — Incorrect. Westernisation fits this point. The Backward Classes Movement is a later caste-based movement, and the point rests on the 19th century social reform movements.
Option (4) Sanskritisation and the efforts of the 19th century social movements — Incorrect. The 19th century social movements fit this point. Sanskritisation is a change inside the caste order, where a caste copies the ways of a higher caste, so it shows nothing of modern ideas coming in through colonial contact.
NCERT (2026-27): “Modernisation and Secularisation … |