Essay

12000 Words

Essay QRN: —

Write connecting words/lines/quotes between

Paragraphs. Thus/However/Therefore/Questions = Flow

● History ● Polity and Governance ● Economics

○ Ancient/Medieval ○ Constitutional ○ Growth/Developme
○ Modern Articles etc nt

■ Gandhi ○ Public Servants ○ Infrastructure

■ Freedom ○ Judiciary ○ Energy Security

Struggle ○ Social Activists - ● Agriculture = Food
■ Social Anna etc Security
reformers ○ NGOs - Civil Society ● Science and Technology
○ World ● Social Justice ○ Innovation
○ Post Independence ○ Education ○ Space
● Culture ○ Health/Security ○ AI
○ Religion/Mythology ○ Welfare of weaker ○ Nuclear
○ Spirituality/Yoga section ● Security
○ Art: Music/Painting ○ Poverty + Hunger ○ Naxalism/Terrorism
● Geography ○ Human Resources ○ Cyber Security
○ Darwins’ SoF ● International — UN etc. ○ National Security
Theory ○ Country specific ● Environment + DM
○ Explorer - example
● Ethics & Integrity - Values
Columbus etc ○ Globalisation
○ Morality
○ Copernicus, Galileo ● Others —
○ Kant’s Human
— heliocentrism ○ Pop Culture - Asif Dignity
● Society Sir
○ Consumerism/Mate
○ I/Family/Society ○ COVID19 rial
○ Women ○ Current Affairs
○ LGBTQ ○ Art
○ Caste/Tribals ○ Sports
○ Religion
○ Personal and
Normal Life

Approaches — Body —
 1. SPECLIH — (Society, Political...); ● Use Constitutional Articles
2. Causes (Historical evolution and status), ● Use Subheading - 3-4 = Quotes — Water
Issues, Interventions, Reforms; Water
3. Short term, Medium term, Long term; ● 4-5 lines ka paragraph. Do not write 1-2 or 7-
4. Temporal — Past Present Future 8 lines!

5. Stakeholders — Senior citizens, Children, ● Flow of the Essay — Write masala in

Unborn, Vulnerable - tribals, destitute, women between Examples. Add connectors
sentences/words.
6. Walks of life — Individual, Family,
Professional, Society, National, Global ● 1 paragraph to each dimension.

Poems
Where the mind is without fear and the head is Robert Frost’s — “The Road not taken”
held high.
Where knowledge is free Where the world has not “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one
been broken up into fragments By narrow less travelled by and that has made all the
domestic walls Where words come out from the difference.”
depth of truth
........ my Father, let my country awake. - Tagore. Intro: Poem 'Refugees' by Brian Bilston - Top-
Bottom,
If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan, They have no need of our help
Have I not reason to lament So do not tell me...
What man has made of man? These haggard faces could belong to you or me
— “Lines Written in Early Spring” — William Should life have dealt a different hand...’
Wordsworth
Samuel Coleridge's - The Rime of the Ancient
We Passed their grave; Mariner
The dead man there,
Winners or Losers, Day after day; day after day
Did not care. We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
In the dark As idle as a painted ship
They could not see Upon a painted ocean.
Who had gained
The Victory. Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
If - Rudyard Kipling Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, A Psalm of Life - Henry Longfellow
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt
you, Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster But to act, that each to-morrow
And treat those two impostors just the same; Find us farther than to-day.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, Let the dead Past bury its dead!
 And lose, and start again at your beginnings Act,— act in the living Present!
And never breathe a word about your loss; Heart within, and God o’erhead!

If you can talk with crowds and keep your Lives of great men all remind us
virtue, We can make our lives sublime,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common And, departing, leave behind us
touch Footprints on the sands of time;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

One Size Fits all

1. We must never forget the past if we are to understand the present and focus on the future.
a. Start with contrasting 2 things - like Anudeep, Defence expenditure v/s poverty in India; NK vs SK
2. “You can't go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are & change the ending” - C.S. Lewis
3. ‘We can be blind to the obvious, but we are also blind to our blindness’. – Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman
4. Absence of Evidence is not a Evidence of Absence — Carl Sagan
5. As Victor Hugo said: 'No power on Earth can stop an idea whose time has come.'
6. Even a thousand mile journey has to start with first step - Mao Zedong
7. India is a land of paradoxes —
8. Rawls - “Veil of ignorance” + ‘Original position’
9. Some sigh sadly that 'India can't change in this aspect'... But we must. Mahatma Gandhi did it. It will take a similar
mass movement to deliver India its second freedom: freedom from xyz..
10. Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle - MLK Jr
11. For any problem that India is facing - Nehru's words from Tryst with Destiny speech: 'We have hard work ahead.
There is no resting for any one of us till we make all the people of India what destiny intended them to be.'
12. A line from Elvis Presley’s song – ‘A little less conversation, a little more action, please.’
13. Sarve Bhavantu Sukhina (May all be Happy) Sarve Santu Niramaya (May all be without disease) //Sarve Bhadrani
Pashyantu (May all have well-being) Maa Kaschit Dukh Bhagh Bhavet (May none have misery of any sort)//
14. We can’t bury our head in sand and think that the problem will be solved. Need to face it head on.
15. “If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you
have to keep moving forward.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. — Ethics Perseverance
16. “Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow.” - Linus Torvalds, Linux Founder
17. As in the children’s game of Chinese Whispers...
18. Martin Luther King, Jr. “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
19. “XYZ will only be as strong as its weakest link”.
20. If a sheep leaves astray it is one thing but if the Shepard leaves, the whole herd is at danger.
21. We have seen so many black swans & grey rhinos that the very habitat has changed beyond recognition. — SJ
MEA
22. Fundamental driver is Darwin’s theory: survival of the fittest, domination of the strongest, success of the smartest
and suffering of the weakest.
23. “Idealism not backed by power can be self-defeating and power not backed by ideas can be blind.”
 24. The Achilles’ heel is poor delivery.
25. The cobwebs of the past distort vision for future.
26. We need sense and sensibility, not pride and prejudice.
27. Harmony changes into dissonance and esoteric becomes cliche
28. Confucius — ‘Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.’
29. “No man ever steps in the same river twice”, “for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man”. - Heraclitus
30. To “strike a Faustian bargain” is to be willing to sacrifice anything to satisfy a limitless desire for power.
31. “The old will die and the young will forget”.
32. Seeing our place as part of the web of life, instead of at its centre, requires a Copernican shift in world views
33. Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today — HDI

Religion
Sanskrit Shlokas

● Kritam me dakshine haste/jayo me svya aahita. This means, if we have action and duty on one hand, then
success is assured in the other hand.
● Sheelam Param Bhushnam - Character is the highest virtue - Ethics

Quran

● God will not change the condition of people until they bring about change themselves.

Mahabharat

● In many ways, Gandhari is the reason for the Mahabharata war. She chose to blindfold herself and so never really saw
the truth about her children
● Duryodhana’s envy of the Pandava fortune is the root cause of the tragedy that is the Mahabharata. It is not
that he has less but that his cousins have more that makes him suffer.
● Through Karna, Vyasa presents many conflicts of life: friendship or family, personal ambition or universal
good, loyalty or opportunity. This makes him the tragic figure of the Mahabharata, almost a Greek hero, striving
single-handedly to create a place for himself in the world that rejects him. The Gladiator
● The epic ends not with the victory of the Pandavas over the Kauravas but with Yudhishtira’s triumph over
himself.
● Vijaya is material victory, where there is a loser. Jaya is spiritual victory, where there are no losers.
● Yaksha Prashna in the Mahabharata of Yudhishtir taken by Yama (Lord of Death ~ Dharma ~ Yudhishtira’s
father)
○ ‘When is a man who is alive considered to be dead?’ ‘When he does not share his wealth with others’
○ ‘What is the greatest deed?’ ‘Non-violence.’
○ ‘What measures a man?’ ‘Conduct.’
○ ‘What is forgiveness?’ ‘Enduring the worst of enemies.’
○ ‘What is simplicity?’ ‘Equanimity.’
○ ‘What is the only thing man can conquer?’ ‘His own mind.’
○ ‘Who is man’s most dreaded enemy?’ ‘Anger.’
○ ‘What is the worst disease?’ ‘Greed.’
 ○ ‘How does one know the true path?’ ‘Reflect on one’s own life in silence and solitude.’
● Through the story of Ram, Vyasa is trying to explain that while we believe our problems are the greatest and our
misfortunes the worst, there is always someone out there who has suffered more.

Agriculture
2.4 Sectors of Economy: Essay Topics

1. Most things, except agriculture, can wait - J Nehru

2. If agriculture fails everything else will fail. - MS Swaminathan
3. The future belongs to nations which give importance to
grains rather than guns. — MS Swaminathan
4. The discovery of agriculture was the first big step towards a
civilised life. - Arthur Keith, Anthropologist
5. “You can't build a peaceful world on empty stomachs and
human misery.” - Norman Borlaug
6. “The Farmer is the Only Man in Our Economy Who Buys
Everything at Retail, Sells Everything at Wholesale, and
Pays the Freight Both Ways.”
7. “If the farmer is rich, then so is the nation.” - Amit Kalantri
8. Government is recognising the changing landscape of
agricultural development. The conferment of Padma Shri
awards to 12 such farmer-leaders in 2019 is a case in point.

Intro — 1

“To a common wo/man, land is just a place where s/he works or resides. But for a farmer, its much more than that. It is -
L — Life
A — Ambition
N — Native
D — Determination
So the moment he loses his/her land, s/he loses everything.”

Intro — 2

● In his Book - “Sapiens” — Yuval Noah Harari remarks that “Agricultural

Revolution” is History’s biggest fraud. It revolutionised every one’s life —
adding better diet and leisure — except that of a Farmer.
● Rather than heralding a new era of easy living, the Agricultural revolution left farmers
with lives generally more difficult and less satisfying than those of Hunter-
Gatherer. The Average farmer worked harder than average Hunter Gatherer and
got a worse diet in return.

Case Studies:

1. More than 35,000 farmers marched to Mumbai from Nashik in 2019 demanding loan waivers as well as the
implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA).
 2. Current Farmers protest against Farmers Bill — Government retracted the bill.
3. Farmers in Andhra Pradesh embraced the idea of integration of AI in assisting them to sow their crops. What is the
difference between a profitable year and failed harvest? It is timely information on the simple ‘when to sow?’,
scientists of ICRISAT & Engineers at Microsoft joined forces to bring out an application that uses powerful cloud-
based predictive analytics to arrive at a precise date for sowing.
4. KALIA, Rythu Bandhu, PM KISAN.
5. Indo-Israel Agriculture Project: India and Israel are set to jointly develop new crop varieties and share post
accomplishments include growing cherry tomatoes in Haryana, rejuvenating mango orchards in Maharashtra
6. 38-year-old Kamalamma, a Class 10 passout, is now the richest woman in the tiny village in Karnataka - fondly known
as ‘Capsicum Kamalamma’. In 2005, Kamalamma started a ‘polyhouse’ on a half- acre plot and today, she earns Rs
15 lakh annually by growing and selling capsicum from this plot. With no academic background in agriculture, her
interest in farming was supplemented by short term courses at the Gandhi Krishi Vidya Kendra (GKVK) campus of
the University of Agricultural Sciences.

Civil Service, Administration, Politics, Corruption

1.3 Administration: Essay Topics

● Civil Service

1. “With bad laws and good civil servants it's still possible to
govern. But with bad civil servants even the best laws can't
help.” - Otto Van Bismarck.
2. “After a time, civil servants tend to become no longer servants
and no longer civil.” — Winston Churchill
3. “Seva Parmo Dharma” — Service, in our Indian ethos, is the
ultimate duty.

○ IAS O P Chaudhary — Baster, 36gargh = “Choolon Asman” and “Nanhe Parinde despite death threats.
○ IAS Saumya Pandey cut short her maternity leaves to serve the society during crisis
○ IAS Prashant Nair - Compassionate Kozhikode (Home) and Operation Sulaiman (Food)
○ IAS Kaustubh Diwegaonkar sat on floor to listen to the grievance of physically disabled man
○ IAS Durga Shakti Nagpal against the land scam and sand mafia
 ○ IAS Armstrong Pame, who built road in spite of lack of government funding
○ IAS Saurabh Sonawane, a doctor by training, started treating patients when there was shortage during Covid

● Politics

1. Confucius - Righteousness is the foundation stone of good

governance.
2. Good governance should be like air. Its existence need not be
discussed, but its absence would make a huge difference. —
Pras Hanth.
3. Governance is not possible without assistance. A single wheel
does not move the cart. — Chanakya
4. Kautilya: — “In the happiness of his subjects lies his
happiness, in their welfare his welfare”.
5. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a
man's character, give him power. - Lincoln
6. A.G. Noorani, eminent constitutional lawyer - ‘Despite their loud
exchanges, political parties join hands against greater measures
for accountability’.
7. Good Governance is Demand Driven Process. (Amartya Sen,
Habermas).
8. Instead of “Good Gov” of Neo-liberals, Sen calls for “Humane
Gov” + “Good Gov” i.e. in prior State acts as regulator and in
later State act as regulator + Capacity builder.

○ The concept of good governance has also emerged from New Public Management which began in the early
1980s, to improve public service efficiency.
○ INAM-Pro+ is a web-based platform and marketplace for infrastructure and material providers to conduct
business in a fair, transparent and swift manner.
○ Padhe Dantewada Likhe Dantewada (PDLD)

● Corruption

1. The worst disease in the world today is corruption. And

there is a cure: transparency.
2. Shashi Tharoor – ‘For the affluent, corruption is at worst a
nuisance, for the salaried middle class, it can be a burden; but
for poor, it is tragedy.’
3. Discussion on corruption many a times resembles what Mark
Twain said about the weather: “Everybody talks about it but
nobody seems to be able to do something about it”.
4. Lord Acton’s famous warning: ‘Power tends to corrupt, and
absolute power corrupts absolutely’
5. Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power.
6. Broken window theory - Malcolm Gladwell in ‘The Tipping
Point’ — We need to tackle corruption cases at lowest and
 petty level. eg - Anna Hazare bhajan in corrupt official
district.
7. In “Arthshastra” Kautilya says that the Mahamatras (the
bureaucrats of his time) are like fish in water. It is difficult to find
out when fish is drinking.

Examples: →

1. Eichemann in Jerusalem (Hannah Arendt) — Problem with

Bureaucrat working blindly without conscience.
2. Lant Pritchett - for India - “Failing state syndrome” - a nation-
state in which the head, that is elite institutions remains sound
and functional but is no longer reliably connected via nerves
and its own limbs.
3. Milan Vaishnav - Pop-culture mockery - from ‘Ji Mantriji’ to
‘Office Office’ - Mussadilal, a common man, struggles to get
his work done at various government offices amid rampant
corruption and inefficiency. Reflection of unpopular perception of
Indian administration.
4. TN Sheshan (Bas Naam hi kafi hai)

Conclusion:

1. If we want to make things happen, we must first have a belief that

they can happen. There are people who believe that it is difficult
to change mindset of old but we should remember the optimistic
message of Rajaji - charcoal, graphite, diamond - are diff.
forms of carbon - depending on circumstances, then how
much great is the potential of human - as they are sentient.
2. “Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future”. — Oscar
Wilde
3. Work towards corruption free India. Many may feel helpless but
remember the eternal call of Kathopanishad which Vivekananda
used to invoke - Arise, Awake and Stop-not till the goal is
reached.

Constitution & Democracy

1.1 India Since Independence: Essay Topics

Constitution:

Intro Idea: — The world marvels at how well the Indian Constitution has kept a diverse country together for more than 70
years. the Constitution’s long history stretches to over 40 years before its enactment, going all the way back to the Indian
Councils Act of 1909. This law, for the first time, brought Indians into governance at central and provincial levels.
 1. “If I find the constitution being misused, I shall be the first to burn
it.” - Ambedkar
2. “A Constitution like a machine is a lifeless thing. It acquires
life because of the men who control it and operate it” —
Rajendra Prasad
3. ‘Constitution is not a monolithic entity but an organic entity that
evolves over time’. — Nehru
4. “Let us examine if the Constitution has failed us or we have
failed the Constitution.” — Prez Narayan
5. Jean Jacques Rousseau said a long time back, “the strongest
is never strong enough to be always master unless he
transform his power into right, and obedience into duty”.
6. The American civil rights acti­vist Jesse Jackson said, ‘Delibera‐
tion and debate is the way you stir the soul of our democracy.’

Democracy:

Intro Idea (1): — Story of Indian going as Tourist to another (non democratic) country and finding that things that s/he
had taken for granted by the virtue of being in a Democratic Country, are dreams for many people in such countries.

● In Saudi Arabia women do not have the right to vote.

● In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that of an Indian-Fijian.

1. “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute

conversation with the average voter.” - Churchill
2. “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” - Abraham Lincoln
3. “The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is
to be ruled by evil men.” - Plato
4. “My notion of democracy is that under it the weakest should
have the same opportunity as the strongest” - Gandhi
5. “Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the
governors.” - Thomas Jefferson
6. “Democracy in India is only a top-dressing on an Indian soil
which is essentially undemocratic.” - Ambedkar
7. As per Amartya Sen, a nation is not 'fit for democracy',
rather it becomes fit through democracy.

Democracy, as we know it today, has developed over a long period of

time, drawing on different kinds of experiences and experiments.
Ancient Greece (6th cent. BC) - involving minority. Piecemeal
attempts elsewhere as well as democratic local governance - India,
Persia and Bactria (2000 years ago). ‘Constitution of 17 articles’
promulgated in Japan in AD 604 - insisted on the need for wide
consultation for decision taken by the state. Democracy in present
form - English Magna Carta in 1215, FR and AR (18th cent.), to the
spread of franchise.
Examples: —

1. Book: — “India after Gandhi” - Guha - divides history into several distinct period -
first two decades - constitutional democracy and followed by ‘populist’
democracy.
2. Book: — “Uncertain Glory” — Sen - points to many undemocratic acts -
a. Sheikh Abdullah incarcerated in 1953 for a decade
b. Kashmir and AFSPA.
c. Suppression of the independence mov. in Nagaland
d. Removing of Kerala gov. in pretext of law & order situation.

PRIs

Intro: 1950s → State introduced PRIs (Nehru at Nagore, RJ). Panchayati Raj, the
institutional manifestation of Democratic Decentralisation in India, became an integral
part of Constitution with 73rd CAA - 1993 + Article 40.

Amartya Sen (Book: Argumentative Indian): Rig Veda provides evidence that even
around 1700 BCE, self-governing bodies called ‘sabhas’ existed!

1. Ambedkar: → Centralised Approach. Villages as “Dens of

Ignorance”
2. “Local self-government is the life blood of liberty” – John
Motley.
3. When the panchayat raj is established, public opinion will do what
violence can never do.” — Mahatma Gandhi
4. Gandhi’s Oceanic Circle of Power..
5. Gandhi’s call from Gramoday to Rashtroday.
6. “Ashok Mehta Committee" - 1977 → Panchayat, a God that
failed. Why?
7. “Mani Shankar Iyer Committee” - 2012 → Bad Panchayat is
worse than No Panchayat.
a. “Decentralisation of Corruption”
8. Elango Ramaswamy - “Network Economy”
9. Ela Bhaat — 100 mile radius = Self sufficient radius..

Examples:

● Cyber-savvy Chhavi Rajawat of Soda village, RJ

● Sushma Bhadu of Dhani Miyan Khan village in Haryana - Zero Dropout, Best Sex Ratio.
● Kerela, in 1996, gave 40% of its budget to panchayats which improved the situation to a great extent, but despite
the efforts there were still some problems.

Case studies:

1. Hivare Bazaar - Maharashtra — Popat Rao Pawar — Panchayat = Own five years plans. Community participation.
 a. 1990s —
i. 168/180 families below poverty.
ii. Water scarcity + Droughts
b. Today —
i. 0 family below poverty — It is India’s richest village.
ii. No Mosquito + ODF.
2. Dharnai village near Bodh Gaya in Bihar. It didn’t have access to electricity. But a few years ago, with the
resolve of Gram Panchayats, the village installed a solar-powered micro-grid, which provides 24×7 electricity to more
than 450 households and 50 commercial establishments - making Dharnai India’s first fully solar powered village.

Disaster Management/COVID-19
1.3 Administration: Essay Topics

Intro idea for Climate Change and COVID-19 (1): — XYZ crisis is not a 'black swan.'
It's a 'gray rhino' (Reference Nicholas Taleb's book) and go on to explain how we as
humans have failed to see the pandemic and how our actions are detrimental to the
planet)

1. It is not the Earthquake that kills, its the buildings.

2. In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity - Albert
Einstein
a. England saw its last major outbreak of bubonic plague
in 1665-66. As a precautionary measure, the students at
Cambridge University, including young Newton, were
sent home till the following year. He spent his enforced
vacation working on ideas underlying his spectacular
accomplishments: gravitation, laws of motion, calculus, and
optics”.
3. What’s true of all the evils in the world is true of plague as well. It
helps men to rise above themselves. - Albert Camus
4. In the words of Stanford historian Walter Scheidel, pandemics
are one of the “four horsemen” that have flattened inequality.
The oth­er three are wars, revolu­tions and state failures.
5. There are decades when nothing happens and then there are
weeks where decades happens. — Lenin

Conclusion: “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through,
how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over.
But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person
who walked in. That’s what this storm is all about” - Haruki Murakami, in ‘Kafka on the
Shore’

Education
3 Education: Essay Topics

Education is derived from the Latin word "Educatio" which means "to raise" that is to bring out best of quality in the child.

Intro idea (1): Two countries separated by 38th Parallel. Contrast North Korea and South Korea and mention the progress
that South Korea has with eighth focus on education — South Korea — Independence in 1947. Was lagging behind India in
all socio-economic indicators. In 1959 the gov. gave a call for universal education. Focused on skill based learning, and
within 5 year whole SK was literate.

1. In a powerful diagnosis, Tagore said: ‘Imposing tower of misery

which rests on India has its sole foundation in the absence
of education’.
2. “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change
the world.” - Nelson Mandela
3. “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live
forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi
4. “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education
at all.” - Aristotle
5. “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” —
Margaret Mead
6. True quality does not come from a great building or great
facilities. It happens when education is imparted with love
by great teachers. — APJ Abdul Kalam

Examples:

1. Meiji restoration, 1868 - Japan had higher level of literacy than Europe, even though it had not yet undergone IR.
Fundamental code of Education, 1872 - ‘no community with an illiterate family, nor a family with illiterate
person’. Rapid economic growth due to market economics rightly emphasized. But, that process was greatly helped
by achievement in public education.
2. Amartya Sen - women literacy leads to their well being. Eg. -1990s - Dharmapuri - rural literacy drive, Kerala.
3. “Taliban” meaning Student.
4. Rwanda - mid-1990s - genocides. Children “social soil” to grow national identity and prevent ethnic clash. Gov. used
a national curriculum to help create a new national identity. Contained elements of myths, values and symbols.
5. Suicide of Aishwarya Reddy (19), a 2nd-year student of LSR college due to financial hardships.

Environment/Sust. Dev
2.2 Environment vs Development: Essay Topics

Intro idea (1): — Three shifts in natural resource use have taken place in the last 400 years: from agriculture to industry;
rural to urban; and, livelihood to well-being. Colonialism was the driver of the first shift, infrastructure of the second, and
societal notions of progress of the third.

Intro idea (2): — Two drastic scenario — 1. Cyclone swept away home, livelihoods along with dreams of some girl living in
Coastal area 2. Delay in Monsoon lead to early loss of Father, of a son, whose father was unable to pay debt.
 1. ‘The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.’
— Robert Swan, 1st person to walk both the North and South Poles)
2. What is common to the greatest number gets the least amount of care. - Aristotle
(Tragedy of Common — Elenor Ostrom)
3. "We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last
generation who can do something about it." — President Obama
4. ‘There is no Plan B because there is no Planet B’ – Ban-ki-Moon
5. We're in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyone's arguing over
where they're going to sit.
6. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
7. Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time
ago.
8. “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -
Gandhi
9. “The world has enough for everyone’s need but not enough for everyone’s greed.”-
Gandhi
10. “If you think the economy is more important than the environment, try holding
your breath while counting your money”. — Guy Mcpherson

Conclusion: Seeing our place as part of the web of life, instead of at its centre,
requires a Copernican shift in world views. Just as Copernicus changed the
perception of the earth from the centre of the universe to being one among many planets

Examples: →

1. Book - “Merchants of Doubt” - “Tobacco strategy” - hire some scientist to

discredit scientific evidence that smoking causes cancer - “to keep the
controversy alive”. Same strategy in climate change. These arguments are cited by
media, leaders for their inaction even when these scientist don’t have any original
scientific research to prove.
2. Book: - “The Uninhabitable earth” - David Wallace - 5 five mass extinctions
experienced - all but one that killed the dinosaurs involved climate change
produced by GHGs.
3. “Sleepwalking into ecological disaster” — WEF said in its Global Risks Report.
a. Climate refugees (UN 200 mn by 2050)
b. Great Pacific garbage patch
c. Australian and California wildfire
d. Air pollution - Delhi - players using mask for playing cricket + 2 packet
cigarette equivalent
e. Zero water day in Cape Town
f. Thawing of Permafrost → 20,000 tonne Oil leaked in Arctic region power plant
of Russia.
4. Tulsi Gowda, a 72 year old environmentalist, collected her Padma Shri award
barefooted + From Karnataka + had planted more than 30,000 saplings + k/a
'Encyclopedia of Forest“
5. Kautilya’s Arthashastra suggested various penalties for tree fellers and animal
 poachers.

Ethics
4 Quote based, Philosophy, Ethics: Essay Topics

1. Kritam me dakshine haste/jayo me svya aahita. This means, if we have action and duty on one hand, then
success is assured in the other hand.
2. Sheelam Param Bhushnam - Character is the highest virtue - Ethics

1. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
2. “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”
3. “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you
win”
4. “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.”
5. “A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”
6. “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” (Eva Kor) Gandhi
7. Beliefs → Thoughts → Words → Actions → Habits → Values → Destiny.

● “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far
more than our abilities," - Albus Dumbledore in 'Harry Potter
And Chamber Of Secrets'.
● “Out beyond the ideas of right-doing and wrongdoing, there
is a field I will meet you there.” — Rumi
● If there were only one truth, you couldn’t paint a hundred
canvases on the same theme. - Pablo Picasso.
● “Tolerance has never provoked a civil war; intolerance has
covered the Earth in carnage”. - Voltaire
● “Truth exists in absolute form which cannot be eclipsed by
blinkers of prejudices. — Kovind
● Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.
● If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. - Mark
Twain

● Three ways to learn wisdom: —

○ i. First, by reflection, which is noblest.
○ ii. Second, by imitation, which is easiest;
○ iii. And third, by experience, which is the bitterest.
Examples: →

1. Whistle-blower doctor Li Wenliang - died.

2. Thomas Paine had been tried for treason in England in 1792 for
his book “Rights of Man”. Thomas Erskine, Attorney General
for the Prince of Wales, was warned of dismissal if he defended
Paine, but still took up the brief, saying: “… If the advocate
refuses to defend from what he may think of the charge or of the
defence, he assumes the character of the Judge…”
3. Bhageerathi Amma, 105 - passed the Class IV literacy equivalent
examinations.
4. Sporting Moments:
a. XIA Boyu — In his first attempt to climb Mt. Everest he
lost his both legs but not his determination. He tried
three more times later but could not succeed. But in 2018
in his 5th attempt he succeeded, becoming the first
person to scale Mt. Everest being an amputee from Nepal
Side.
b. Brownlee Brothers — British runner Alistair Brownlee
(Older) gave up his chance at first place at World
Triathlon Series in 2016 Mexico by stopping to help carry
his younger brother over the finish line
c. Karoly T - Left-handed Right hand shooter 😎 (1948-
1952)

Free Speech
1.7 Media, TV & Cinema: Essay Topics

1. “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the
 death your right to say it.” — Evelyn Beatrice Hall in book (The
Friends of Voltaire)
2. Thomas Jefferson — “I will prefer free press and no
government rather than government without free press”
3. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Our lives begin to end the day we
become silent about things that matter.”
4. Dissent is safety valve of democracy — Justice DYC.
5. There is no thing as 'voiceless', there are only the
deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.
6. I want the culture of all lands to be blown about my house as
freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any”.
― Gandhi
7. In the words of Mill, — “If all but one has a difference of opinion,
all should listen to that person, just like we will not accept the
tyranny of one over ‘all’ we can not accept the tyranny of all over
one”.
8. Censorship is saying - ‘I'm the one who says the last sentence’.

Examples:

1. Gramsci - Revolution took place in semi-feudal Russia but not Western countries because Russia directly and
unashamedly exercised brute power. Civil society acts as vent to let out anger without revolt.
2. Article 19 of UN UDHR, our constitution - need to defend free speech.
3. Public order, sedition, obscenity and pornography, hate speech, film and internet censorship, defamation, privacy,
contempt of court, surveillance, net neutrality, copyrights. Salman Rushdie and Wendy Doniger. Shreya Singhal.
Khashoggi.

Federalism
1.2 Federalism, Decentralisation: Essay Topics

Intro Idea (1): An early successful historical example of federalism is the Achaean League in Hellenistic Greece. Unlike
the Greek city states of Classical Greece, each of which insisted on keeping its complete independence, Achaean League
choose to be a federal state even at the cost of losing part of their sovereignty - similar to the process leading to the
formation of today’s federations (Eg. India. USA). It was successful as it balanced the need for collective action with
the desire for local autonomy.

1. Federalism is a political contravene among those who desire

utility without uniformity. - Dicey.
2. Mark Twain: Whiskey is to drink as water is to fight. South
Asia is water stressed primarily due to agrarian nature of the
economy. Future Wars for Water, the new oil.
3. “Anyone who can solve the problems of water will be
worthy of two Nobel prizes - one for science and one
for peace.” - John F. Kennedy
 4. River knows no linguistic boundaries. — G. B. Pant
5. India’s Constitution establishes a form of asymmetric federalism,
in which some States enjoy greater autonomy over governance
than others. — Louise Tillin
6. PM: “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”

Conclusion: — The question is whether the whole is greater than the parts or the parts are going to determine the
future of the whole.

● Bundle of sticks — Unity in Diversity.

Examples: →

1. Para-diplomacy : When CG involves SG in Foreign Policy Formulation.

a. Eg. Russia Far East Business Summit.
b. Chhattisgarh and Telangana in Talona dialogue.
2. Theoretical (Cliched) examples:
i. RS seats (USA - 2, India - Different)
ii. Special category states - Taxation and fund devolution patterns
iii. NE states - Art 371
iv. 5th and 6th Schedule.
3. Recent cracks in Federalism — Legislative Assembly of Kerala passing a resolution against CAA indicates
that opposition is being shifted from Opposition in Parliament to State Government themselves.

Globalisation
6.1 Globalization: Essay Topics

2.3 MNCs: Essay Topics

“Borderless World”: KO || “Global Village”: Marshall

Adding Definition to a Intro: Globalisation is an inexorable integration of markets,
nations states and technology to a degree never witnessed before. - Thomas
Friedman (Book: The World is Flat)

1. “Search for profits will take bourgeois everywhere...” - Marx

2. Kofi Annan had said, arguing against globalisation is like arguing against the
laws of gravity.
3. “Essentially, globalisation went from being a means for national economic
prosperity to becoming the end” — Dani Rodrik (Book: Straight talk on trade)
4. Post Cold War era marks the End of Geography manifested by Globalisation rather
than the End of History (Ramesh Thakur and Jörge Heine)
5. Prakash Bhanu Mehta (as Conclusion): Globalisation is an ethical impulse. It
creates enormous possibilities for societies but if not handled properly, it is nothing
more than new pastures for elites.

Conclusion: Yet, while globalisation isn’t perfect, it has pulled millions out of poverty in
developing countries like China and India, created new markets for goods made by poor
 countries, and reduced prices for rich-country consumers. The economic and cultural
backlash must be resisted, and the promise of global integration realised for all.

Examples: —

1. Reverse globalisation/De-globalisation refers to a trend of several countries are taking protectionist measures and
adopting such economic and trade policies that put their national interests first
2. Globalisation - De-Globalisation Cycles: — Thomas Friedman
a. First wave - 1850-1914. Trade reached 40% of global GDP by 1914.
b. First Reverse wave — 1914-1945 — By 1945 Trade dropped to 7% of Global GDP - isolationist policies.
c. Second wave - 1990 - Demise of Soviet.
d. Roots of current Second reverse wave — 2008 financial crisis + COVID-19 final nail.
3. Butterfly effect - Butterfly wing flutter in Amazon - Edward Lorenz for weather prediction - can be used i
4. Problems —
a. COVID
b. 2008 crisis
c. Communalism
5. Jules Verne’s — “Around the World in 80 days” has ceased to be glorious adventure and has become Banal.

Growth & Development

2.1 Growth vs Development: Essay Topics

1. Kuznets - “Welfare of a nation can scarcely be inferred from

a measurement of national income as defined by the GDP”
2. Adam Smith’s ‘invisible hand’ would suddenly be more visible,
and be skewed towards a direction of focusing on well-being.
3. “Development is about transforming lives of people, not
just transforming economies.” - Joseph Stiglitz.
4. Our three way fast lane of LPG must provide safe pedestrian
crossings for the unempowered India. - President K. R.
Narayan
5. “Economic growth without investment in Human development is
unsustainable and unethical.” - Sen
6. "Entrenched power structure can frustrate enlightened
reforms". — William H. Uraper
7. "It is idle mendicancy to discard our Own and beg for the
foreign", while, at the same time "it is the abjectness of
poverty to dwarf ourselves by rejecting the foreign". —
Rabindranath Tagore

Data/Instances:

1. The so-called ‘Asian experience’, beginning with Japan in the late 19th cent., the SK, Taiwan, Singapore and now
 China, has been based on a skillful use of complementarity of economic expansion and human advancement through
education, health-care, better nutrition. - Sen’s ‘Uncertain Glory’
2. Measures of economic development - GNH, Green GDP, Gender Inequality Index, HDI. Qualitative improvement in std.
of living with growth.
3. HDR 2019: “Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today”: Inequalities in human development in 21st
century”

Health
1.5 Poverty, Social Justice: Essay Topics

1. Gandhi: 'It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold
and silver'.
2. Amartya Sen remark - Indian healthcare represents islands of
California in a sea of sub-Saharan Africa.
3. Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any nation can have. -
Winston Churchill
4. An Ounce of prevention is worth a Pound of cure - Benjamin
Franklin
5. Vedic texts say - 'Arogyam Paraman Bhagyam' - Good health is
the greatest blessing.
6. “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah” – It
means “May All become Happy, May All be Healthy” —
Upanishads
7. Vishwa Vaidya, HCQ, ‘Good samaritan’, ‘Pharmacy of world’ -
Generic medicine, Yoga + COVID19 Vaccines given to 150+
Countries

Successful examples of healthcare —

1. Dr. Shetty — Narayana Health — Use economies of scale to complete heart

surgeries at a lower cost ($1500) than in US (~$100,000) — "the Henry Ford of
heart surgery" + Bypasswale Baba. Performs 30 Surgeries a day in comparison to
standard practice of 1 or 2 in western countries.
2. Temporal - Combined many concepts such as diet, climate, beliefs, supernatural,
empirical, and culture into treatment of the person - Holistic ‘One Health’.
Atharva Veda, Charaka, Sushruta, Yoga, prevention rather than cure.
3. Against Privatisation (Crisis Angle): — 80% doctors and 64% beds are in the private
sector, clinics have closed down and private hospitals have stepped back fearing
infections.
4. Mohalla clinics model
5. Odisha e-healthcare
6. Kerala Model
Hunger
1.5 Poverty, Social Justice: Essay Topics

Data:

● GHI 2019: 102/117 (From 95 in 2010) [Welthungerhilfe]

● People fac­ing acute food insecurity could double this year to 265 million due to economic fallout of CO­VID­19, WFP.
● Malnutrition affects cognitive ability, workforce days and health, impacting as much as 16% of GDP (WFP + WB).

1. Hunger is the worst weapon of mass destruction. It claims millions of victims each
year.
2. “There are people in the world, so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in
the form of bread.” - Gandhi.
3. “Give a bowl of rice to a man and you will feed him once. Teach him how to grow his
own rice and you feed him for life.” — Confucius
4. Henry Dunant (Founder: Red Cross): “Our real enemy is not the neighbouring
country; it is hunger, poverty, and prejudice.”
5. South-Asian Enigma - high level of under-nutrition in South-Asia compared with
many sub-Saharan African countries that have poorer income and health indicators.

Conclusion: In his speech - 'Freedom at midnight', Nehru mentioned, "The ambition of the greatest men of our
generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and
suffering, so long our work will not be over."

India
1 India: Democracy, administration, Society, Culture: Essay Topics

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.
Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up
into fragments
By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of
truth
........ my Father, let my country awake. - Rabindranath Tagore.

1. India should walk on her own shadow - we must have our own
developmental model - Kalam.
2. “By common endeavor we can raise the country to a new
greatness, while a lack of unity will expose us to fresh
calamities.” - Sardar Patel
3. Gandhi saw India’s independence as an opportunity to “wipe
every tear from every eye”.

Firaq:
“Sar zamin­e Hind par (On the soil of Hindustan)
Aqwaam­e Aalam ke Firaq (O Firaq Caravans from all over the world)
 Qaafile baste gaye (Kept coming)
Hindostan banta gayaa. (And so was Hindustan made).

2019: FM Sitharaman ended this colonial practice by presenting the budget in a traditional four-fold red cloth ledger.

Caste
1.5 Poverty, Social Justice: Essay Topics

1. Caste is a social custom that all our great preachers have tried
to break. — Vivekananda
2. Nehru (Tryst with Destiny) → 'We cannot encourage
communalism, for no nation can be great whose people are
narrow in thought or in action.'
3. ‘Why National Fail’ — Robinson and Acemoglu - Rigid
hereditary caste system limited the functioning of markets
and allocation of labour.
4. Hindu society is like a tower, each floor of which is allotted
to one caste with no staircase. The floor on which one is
born is al­so the floor on which one dies.
5. Caste is not just a division of labour, it is a division of labourers
- Baba
6. Diane McWhorter — “To sanitise the language of
segregation is to mute its destructive force.”
7. Credit of Success of Indian Democracy to Caste — Rajni Kothari

Ambedkar - Educate, agitate and organise.

Pluralism
1.6 Indian Society, Culture and Values: Essay Topics

Facts and Examples:

● Number of languages spoken in India by

more than 10,000 people = 121 as per
Census 2011, and 270 mother tongues.
(more nationalistic statement — India is
home to 1618 languages and dialect)
● India - 5000 year old civilisation. 6 major
religions
● Shabnam Bano from MP - first ever
transgender to be elected to public office
(as an MLA) in 1998.

1. If America is famously a ‘melting pot’, then to me India is a

 thali, a selection of sumptuous dishes in different bowls which do
not belong together but complement each other. — Shashi
Tharoor.
2. “Diversity is not how we differ. Diversity is about embracing
one another’s uniqueness”. — Ola Joseph
3. Diversity: the art of thinking independently together. - Malcolm
Forbes
4. Justice is art of differentiations rather than Science of
Homogenisation. - Walzer.
5. Where the world has not been broken up into fragments - By
narrow domestic walls — Tagore
6. Diversity may be the hardest thing for a society to live with,
but perhaps the most dangerous thing to live without -
William Sloane Coffin Jr.

During the war with Pakistan in 1971, when the Pakistani leadership proclaimed a jihad against the Hindu unbelievers, the
Indian Air Force in the northern sector was commanded by a Muslim (Later Air Chief Marshal, Latif); the army
commander was a Parsi (Later Field Marshal Manekshaw), the general officer commanding the forces that marched into
Bangladesh was a Sikh (General Arora), and the general flown in to negotiate the surrender of the Pakistani forces in East
Bengal was Jewish (Major-General Jacob). They led the armed forces of an overwhelmingly Hindu country. That is
‘India’.

It was not surprising that when Doordarshan broadcast a fifty-two-episode serialisation of the Mahabharata, the script was
written by a Muslim, Dr Rahi Masoom Raza.

International Relations
6 International issues, Internal Security: Essay Topics

1. “There are no permanent friends or foes in

diplomacy; there are only permanent
interests” — Henry Kissinger
2. “Let us sweat in peace, not bleed in war”. - V.
Pandit
3. Machiavelli’s advice: “Clever like Fox, Brave
like Lion”.
4. “Prisoners in Dilemma” + “Game of Chicken”.
5. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
6. In the information age it’s not enough to be
the bigger army or the larger economy, it’s
the land of the better story that
prevails. (Soft Power)
7. The World listens to the argument of Power
and not to power of the argument.
8. The world must learn to work together, or
finally it will not work at all. - Dwight
 Eisenhower
9. Foreign policy is a matter of costs and
benefits, not theology. - Fareed Zakaria.
10. Robert Kaplan: “A state’s values are not just
part of its foreign policy, but they are
paramount to it.”
Instances that can drive home the points: —

● September 11 and global security

● Fall of the Berlin Wall
● Global financial crisis 2007–09
● The Rio ‘Earth Summit’
● The birth of the nuclear era.

India and Neighbourhood:

1. The connections are centuries old. The lines on the maps, though, are just 70 years old.
2. Good fences make good neighbours
3. You can change friends but not neighbours. — Atal Bihari Vajpayee
4. If goods don't cross border soldiers will.

Judiciary
1.4 Judiciary: Essay Topics

Yatho Dharma Thatho Jayaha

1. “There is no better test of the excellence of the Govt. than the

Functioning of its Judicial System” — Lord Byrce.
2. At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; Separated
from LAW AND JUSTICE, he is the worst. – Aristotle.
3. Injustice anywhere is threat to Justice Everywhere. — ML
King Jr
4. 'The role of the judiciary is to be an alarm clock, not a time
keeper' - Nani Palkhiwala.
5. Pen is mightier than Sword. A Judge’s Pen is mightier than
anybody else’s Pen!

Conclusion: If the lamp of Justice goes off, it will be difficult to imagine the amount of darkness.
Examples: —

1. H R Khanna — ADM Jabalpur Dissent and losing Chief Justiceship.

2. V. R. Krishna Iyer — The founder of Public Interest Litigation and the liberal expansion of locus standi — hailed as
“Chief Justice of the People’s Court of India”

Leader/Personality
4.1 Character, Honesty, Ethics: Essay Topics

1. Ambition is refusing to quit on ourselves. Leadership is refusing

to quit on others — Simon Sinek.
2. “Whatever action an inspirational entity performs, the world
follows the same.” - Bhagawad Gita
3. Management is climbing the ladder of success, Leadership is
making sure that it is leaning towards the right wall.
4. Leadership is communicating other's worth and potential so
clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves. — Steven
Covey
5. Attitude of a leader – “Success is Yours, Failure is Mine”.
6. The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away
small stones.
7. “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole
staircase.” Martin Luther King.
8. The Best way to destroy an enemy is to him/her a friend. —
Lincoln
9. Non coop with evil is as much a duty as is coop with good.
— Gandhi

Examples: —

1. In 1979, When SLV-3 failed under the directorship of APJ Abdul

Kalam, Satish Dhawan (Head of ISRO) took the front stage in the
conference. When in 1980, ISRO succeeded, Satish Dhawan
said to APJ Abdul Kalam ‘You go and conduct the press
conference.’
2. Stephen Hawking one of the greatest minds in human history
survived debilitating physical condition.
3. T.N. Seshan, Chief Election Commissioner during 1990-96, had
initiated a process of cleaning the electoral system. It changed
the face of democracy
4. Satyendra Dubey was a Project Director at NHAI revealed huge
financial irregularities in projects and misuse of public funds.
Lost his life.
5. Manjunath Shanmugam exposed corruption in public
 organisations at the cost of his lives. Such brave acts led to
Whistle blowers act in 2012.

When the great revolutionary writer Thomas Paine was jailed and tried for treason in
England in 1792 for writing his famous pamphlet `The Rights of Man' in defence of the
French Revolution the great advocate Thomas Erskine was briefed to defend him. Erskine
was at that time the Attorney General for the Prince of Wales and he was warned that if
he accepts the brief, he would be dismissed from office. Undeterred, Erskine accepted the
brief and was dismissed from office.

However, his immortal words in this connection stand out as a shining light even today: —

"From the moment that any advocate can be permitted to say that he will or will not stand
between the Crown and the subject arraigned in court where he daily sits to practice, from
that moment the liberties of England are at an end. If the advocate refuses to defend
from what he may think of the charge or of the defence, he assumes the character
of the Judge.

Liberty/Individuality
[No Corresponding Topic Found]

1. “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little

temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” —
Benjamin Franklin
2. ‘Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty’.
3. Identity is pivotal to one's being. - Shakespeare
4. Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice
that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override. -
Rawls.
5. Society is like a chain, the weakest link is as important as the
strongest link. - Rawls
6. Man is born free and everywhere in chains. — Rousseau
7. Nozick - You can’t satisfy everybody, especially if there are those
who won’t be satisfied until all are satisfied.
8. There are people everywhere on the city streets, but the stranger
could not be more alone if it were empty.

Love/Faith/Charity/Compassion
Ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two
questions. Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not. ‘Have you found joy in your life?’ ‘Has
your life brought joy to others?’

4.3 Compassion: Essay Topics

 1. Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted
a tree long time ago. — Warren Buffet
2. ‘Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still
dark.’ - Tagore
3. 'Life is given to us, we earn it by giving it'. — Tagore
4. Your genius may take you to heights; but whether you stay there
depends on your character.” – Albert Einstein
5. Darkness can't drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate
cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. - MLK
6. “A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is
right/just/true.” — Martin Luther King

A student once asked anthropologist Margaret Mead, “What is the earliest sign of
civilisation?” Margaret Mead thought for a moment, then she said, “A healed femur.” A
femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee which took about six weeks of
rest to heal if fractured. A healed femur shows that someone cared for the injured person.
The first sign of civilisation is compassion, seen in a healed femur.

● Nicholas Winton, a young stockbroker in England, saved 669 children from

the Holocaust.

Examples: —

1. Mother Teresa — convinced the Nobel Peace Prize committee to cancel a dinner in her honor, using the
money instead to "feed 400 poor children for a year in India."
a. UN in 2013, declared every September 5 (her death anniversary) as the ‘International Day of Charity’.
2. Dorothy Bowles, the wife of a U.S. Ambassador introduced simple techniques to help Indian workers such as adding a
stick to the conventional broom which could be plied with an upright stance.
3. Prakash Baba Amte: His charity and work especially towards people suffering from Leprosy.
4. Hailing from Gujarat’s Bhavnagar, 84 year old retired bank employee Janardan Bhatt and his wife donated Rs 1
crore to National Defence Fund that is their entire life savings.
5. Harrison, known as the "Man With the Golden Arm," has donated blood (with unique, disease-fighting antibodies)
nearly every week for 60 years. He has helped saved the lives of more than 2.4 million Australian babies.

Media
1.7 Media, TV & Cinema: Essay Topics

Intro: Technological breakthroughs have revolutionised communications and the spread of information.
In 1880 - Telephone breached distance through sound.
By 1910s, the first AM radio stations began to broadcast sound.
By 1940s television was broadcasting both sound and visuals to a vast public.
In 1970s, Computers became accessible to the public.
In 2000s, the Internet.

Temporal scale for Media: — 1. Ashokan Pillar 2. Gutenberg press — Bible and 3. Computer/Mobile Screens.
 1. Thomas Jefferson - “I will prefer free press and no government
rather than government without free press.”
2. ‘Whoever controls the media, controls the mind’ — John
Morrison.
3. “In the terrible history of famines in the world, no substantial
famine has ever occurred in any democratic country with a
relatively free press.” - Amartya Sen
4. “The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only
guardian of true liberty.” ― James Madison
5. “People are sheep. TV is the shepherd.” - Jess C Scott
6. UNESCO: Press freedom and good governance are not mutually
exclusive.
7. Best line Cyber Security - 'It is not for the gunsmiths to
decide who should use the gun and how'.

Maria Ressa — Journalist from Philippines who got Nobel Peace Prize!

● It is an existential moment for World as our information ecosys­tem, it’s like an

atom bomb exploded. And we need to come together globally and find a solution,
much like the world did after WW-II, they created the UN, Universal Declara­tion of
Human Rights such as “tech values”, beyond making mo­ney, and for tech compa­nies
to take the role of being the gatekeeper to the public sphere seriously.
● Use of social media lead to an erosion of trust in [mainstream media]. When citizens
are being ma­nipulated by parties on so­cial media, they begin to dis­trust everything.

Our greatest crisis comes from

“palaeolithic emotions, medieval
institutions and Modern God­like
technology”
● The Arab Spring became an Arab Win­ter. At the beginning, Social media was
empowering the people but soon governments realised they could exploit the same
empowering platform by manipulating it and thus social media the weaknesses of
people.

“Digital Authoritarians”
are “weaponising the internet”.
● WF: The first thing is that jour­nalists, news organisations [must move] from the age
when we were competing against each other. We are on the same side.
Collaboration is the way forward.

Media in Positive light: —

1. Hindu’s Bofors Expose (1987)

 a. The Bofors scandal that broke in 1987 marked a watershed for India — it was the first-time corruption
became an intensely public and political issue.
b. Almost 200 documents relating to Bofors were secretly sourced, verified and translated from the Swedish
language before being published along with interviews and analytical pieces.
2. Watergate Scandal USA (1972)
a. Reported by Washington Post and New York Times
b. Led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon
3. Tehelka’s Defence Deals Expose in 2001
a. Carried out using hidden cameras, the investigation (called Operation West End) publicised secret videotapes
of top politicians, bureaucrats and military official accepting bribes from two reporters (who posed as arms
agents).
b. The resulting furore created a major political storm and led to the resignation of those indicted by the
videotapes.
4. Indian National Movement
a. Censorship of Press Act, 1799
b. Licensing Regulations, 1823
c. Press Act of 1835.
5. American Revolution
a. For American colonies, print acted as a binding agent that mitigated the chances that the colonies would not
support one another when war with Britain broke out in 1775.
b. Stories that appeared in each paper were “exchanged” from other papers in different cities, creating a uniform
effect akin to a modern news wire.
For Social Media/Internet: — The Strak Reality of Internet today is the digital divide: The gap between technological
haves and have nots is widening.

Information revolution, unlike the French Revolution, is based on lot of liberty and some fraternity and no
equality.

Media in negative light: —

1. Everything is fair in love, war and breaking news. Social media, by nature, rewards speed and sensationalism, not
verification and caution.
2. While Truth was tying its Shoe Laces, Lie traveled half of the World.
3. Book: → Manufacturing Consent — Noam Chomsky: Chomsky developed a ‘propaganda model’ of the mass
media which explains how news and political coverage are distorted by the structures of the media itself and
apply filters of ‘agents of power’.
4. Tacitus trap - describes a situation where no matter what the government says or does, people will consider
it a lie or a bad deed. Tacitus trap of China might lead to Thucydides trap.
5. If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle. - Hillary Clinton

Examples:

● Fake news and deliberate misleading of the public happens from the top through people who wield power - Study
by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford
● Clickbait journalism - Derivative of yellow journalism - Exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or
sensationalism.
● Paid Journalism/Chequebook journalism - 2018 Cobrapost sting operation on Times Group; Agenda
Journalism;
 ● ‘Bois Locker room’ - Instagram - Child rape → More ‘copycat’ groups after coming limelight.
● Facebook apologised for its role in the 2018 anti-­Muslim riots in Sri Lanka. In-­house probe found that
incendiary content on the social media platform may have led to
● Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Facebook conceded that up to 10 million Americans had seen
advertisements purchased by a Russian agency.

Solution: — Code of Conduct - PCI, Regulatory framework to enforce cross-media ownership restriction.

Peace/Justice
4 Quote based, Philosophy, Ethics: Essay Topics

Costa Rica, has set an inspiring example in IR by abolishing its armed forces in 1948 with a declared vow to spend the
scarce resources on education and healthcare instead of arms and ammunition. It has remained as a role model of
peaceful democracy in Central America while its neighbours have gone through devastating civil wars and military
dictatorships. Costa Rica has a University of Peace to infuse the culture of peace in IR.

We Passed their grave;

The dead man there,
Winners or Losers,
Did not care.
In the dark
They could not see
Who had gained
The Victory.

1. The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being

humane. - Gandhi
2. “If we are to teach real peace in this world,” wrote Gandhi, “we
shall have to begin with the children.”
3. “I don't know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,
but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” - Einstein
4. Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to
mankind. — John F. Kennedy
5. Justice would loose its character if it becomes revenge (on
encounter) → CJI Bobde
6. Mother Teresa was brilliant. She said, “I will never attend an anti-
war rally. If you have a peace rally, invite me.”
7. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Ahimsa as Dharma. (Duty)
8. The Preamble to the Constitution of UNESCO declares that
"Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men
that the defences of peace must be constructed".
9. War clearly blurs the distinction between logic and superstition.

Righteousness in heart → Beauty in character → Harmony in home → Order in nation → Peace in world. - APJ.
Examples: —

1. Ashoka’s Dhamma was a cultural conquest rather than a military one. It was to create a harmonious atmosphere in
the state where everyone irrespective of religion and cultural diversities lied in peace and harmony with each other.
2. Similarly, Akbar’s policy of universal peace (Sulh-i-kul) also provided modern values. These values resembled
modern ideas of peace, harmony, and tolerance but were not essentially western.

Poverty/Inequality
In 1968 Mexico Olympics, US athletes Tommie Smith
and John Carlos protested by wearing black socks
(Showing Black Poverty) and black gloves (Showing
Black Power) with their head bowed during US
National Anthem. This was in order to bring
international attention towards the discrimination
against African-American in USA. This incident took
place during the Civil Rights Moment.

2nd Place → Peter Norman wore a Human Rights

Badge in support. Later, he was excluded from
Australia teams for next olympics. He said “I will stand
with you.”

And Tommie and John were deprived of their medals

by Olympic Committee by breaking the spirit of the
games and making a political statement.

The athletes in the example above were responding

to social divisions and social inequalities.

1.5 Poverty, Social Justice: Essay Topics

1. “Poverty is the worst form of violence.” Gandhi. Solution -

Trusteeship.
2. "Wealth is so concentrated that a large segment of society
is virtually unaware of its existence" — Piketty.
3. Extreme poverty anywhere is a threat to human security
everywhere.” — Kofi Annan
4. “Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit.” — Eli
Khamarov
5. “Our real enemy is not the neighbouring country; it is hunger,
poverty, ignorance, superstition & prejudice.” - Henry Dunant
(Founder: Red Cross)
6. “The test of our progress is whether we provide enough for those
who have little.” – Franklin Roosevelt
7. “We must ask searching questions to the symbols of
injustice. Unless we do that, we risk becoming the cause
and not just the inheritors of an unjust society.” - Justice
 Chandrachud.
8. The opposite of loneliness is not freedom but fraternity. —
Justice DYC
9. Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of
justice. It is the protection of fundamental human right, the right
to dignified life.”
10. Inequality resembles the mythological serpent Hydra in Greek
mythology — as the state attempts to deal with one aspect of in­
equality, many new aspects keep coming up.

Gita - As much as is necessary for one's own living only that much one is entitled to have. One who has excess of this is
a thief and deserves punishment.

Conclusion: In his speech — 'Freedom at midnight', Nehru mentioned, "The ambition of the greatest men of our
generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and
suffering, so long our work will not be over."

Other types of Poverty:

1. Education Poverty (Learning Poverty — World Bank)

2. Politico-geographic poverty: → Civil war and politically unstable countries are also one of the causes of
poverty.
3. Moral poverty is also a manifestation of poverty, of which corruption is a Goliath scourge.

Data: —

1. Oxfam - 2019 report - 26 billionaires as many assets as the 3.8 billion people who make up the poorest half of
the planet’s population.
2. Global Social Mobility Index showed - lower inequality - higher social mobility.
3. Coronavirus || 60 million could be pushed into extreme poverty in 2020: — World Bank President

Examples: —

1. Jyoti Kumari - 15 year old - cycled 1200 km over 8 days. Carrying her injured father - Gurugram to Bihar. Thrown out
of their house as unable to pay rent.
2. Angus Deaton - “The Great Escape” - prisoners - tunnels - escape - Nazi camp. Freedom. (Parallels - Industrial
Revolution or reforms initiation in India). It is those left behind who suffer the consequences - reduced freedom.

Religion/Secularism
7.1 Science and Religion: Essay Topics

1. ‘India’s long tradition of religious tolerance can be a role model

for rest of the world.’ — Dalai Lama
2. “The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is
really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities.” -
Lord Acton
3. “Science without Religion is lame and Religion without Science is
blind”. — Einstein
 4. Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava – [Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and
Vivekananda] All religions are equal — first used by Mahatma
Gandhi in 1930 in Harijan
5. “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We
have guided missiles and misguided men.” — MLK
6. “Religion is opium of Masses” — Marx

Refugee
6 International issues, Internal Security: Essay Topics

1.5 Poverty, Social Justice: Essay Topics

Intro: Poem titled 'Refugees' by Brian Bilston — First read top to bottom, then again
read from bottom to top.

They have no need of our help

So do not tell me...
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand...’

For millions of immigrants, their first glimpse of America was the Statue of Liberty in New
York harbor. The statue – with its famous engraved poem about embracing the
“huddled masses, yearning to breathe free” – greeted ships carrying the poor and
persecuted. Today, amid the ongoing refugee crisis, the Statue of Liberty has become
newly relevant: a humane symbol of tolerance and welcome, it stands in counterpoint
to harrowing reports of razor-wire fences, tear gas, and water cannons at closed borders.

● Patriotism cannot be our final shelter; my refuge is humanity. I will

not buy glass for the price of diamonds. – Rabindranath Tagore
● ‘I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the
persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of
the Earth”. - Vivekananda.

“Vasudaiva Kutumbakam”
Facts:

1. As per Global Trends Report 2018 of UNHCR, 68.5 mn people displaced at the end of 2017.
a. Over 50% of the displaced population is children.
2. UNHCR predicts that in the next 50 years upto 1 billion humans could leave their homes because of climate change.

Science & Technology

SnT Essay Remarks: — “S&T is the Panacea for the growth and security of the nation”

● Growth v/s Security — Different Subheading?!

 ○ No.
● Security Dimensions?
○ A
● “the” nation?
○ A
● Growth —
○ Inclusive Growth
○ Biotechnology = Growth - Genetics (Health)!
● Concerns —
○ Growth specific —
■ Mob Warfare: Mob Lynching.
■ Biotechnology = Growth - Genetics (Health)!
○ Security —
■
● Futuristic —
○ I.R. 4.0
○ Biotechnology
○ Nanotechnology

7 Science-Technology: Essay Topics

When Archimedes cried 'Eureka’! it was not just an expression of excitement on a new discovery, but a statement on the
entire experience of innovation and discovery.

1. “Ideas are Bulletproof” — Alan Moore.

2. "Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master." —
Christian Lange
3. Human spirit must prevail over technology - Albert Einstein
4. The only way to discover the limits of possible is to go
beyond them into the impossible - Arthur Clarke
5. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from
Magic. - Arthur Clark
6. Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong
reasons. - R. Buckminster Fuller
7. “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We
have guided missiles and misguided men”. - Martin Luther
King Jr
8. The Internet has not just open-sourced information; it has
also open-sourced insecurity, self-doubt, and shame.
9. Technology will change more in next 20 years than it did in last
2000.
10. One Century’s magic is another Century’s Science. One
Century’s Science is another’s nuisance
 a. Thomas Midgley in 1928 invented CFCs called it
‘miracle gas’ to replace then used volatile gases; now it is
causing ozone holes.

Isaac Asimov - Short story - 1955 - Electronic democracy - Single

citizen was chosen to represent the entire population based on
answers to computer generated questions.

1955 — Jonas Salk did not patent his Polio vaccine.

Invention of Penicillin during 1928 by the Scottish scientist

Alexander Fleming could be considered as the beginning of the
modern era of medicine.

As early as in 1962, Rachel Carson in her classic book titled Silent

Spring pointed out that pesticides including DDT can result in long-
term harm because of their long residual toxicity

Examples:

1. MIT professor Daron Acemoglu - “so-so technologies” that disrupt employment

and without generating a boost in productivity or quality of service — Eg. -
Automated customer service.
2. AI when ordered to design a most efficient drone — arrived at the design of
skeleton of Pelvis of Flying Squirrel.
3. 1997 — Deep Blue beats World Champions Garry Kasparov at Chess.
4. Deep Mind beats Best Mind at ‘Go’ — Lee Sedol performing more calculations
than no. of atoms in Universe.
5. ‘Café Scientifique’ — First such initiative in Kerala to promote science among public
+ a grassroots initiative based on the French café philosophique model.
6. Suicides of Sneha (1st Year) and Amerpreet (Class 7) due to admonishment for
overuse of cellphone by Parents. (Technology > Human Spirit)

“Humans are underrated”

AI

Stephen Hawking — 'The development of full AI could spell the end of the human race.‘

● AI will help us move from:

○ Constructed to Grown (3D Printing)
○ Isolated to Connected
○ Extraction to Aggregation
○ Obedience to Autonomy
 Facebook has been using AI to detect self-harm and prevent suicides since March 2017 — In recent incident - Dhule 23
Years old person was saved by FB and Mumbai Cyber Police.

Initiatives:

1. MHRD Innovation Cell (MIC)

2. Atal ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA)
3. Global Initiative for Academic Network (GIAN)
4. Scheme for Academic research and Promotion by collaboration (SPARC)
5. Impacting research Innovation and Technology (IMPrINT)
6. Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY)

A B C

1 Industrial Revolution Timeline Remarks

Europe and America. Turned agrarian and rural societies into industrial and urban.
2 First 18th to 19th centuries Example- Iron and textile industries and steam engine.
Steel, oil and electricity sectors. Major technological advances included the
3 Second 1870 to 1914 (WW - I) telephone, light bulb and internal combustion engine.
Also called Digital Revolution, it includes the personal computer, internet and
4 Third 1980s onwards information and communication technology (ICT).

5 Fourth WEF, 2016 It includes robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing,
biotechnology, The Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing and autonomous vehicles.

Terrorism
6.3 Security: Essay Topics

6.2 International Org./ Bilateral: Essay Topics

If this belief from heaven be sent,

If such be Nature’s holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?
— “Lines Written in Early Spring” — William Wordsworth

Intro: Origin: 1793-94 France: Mass Execution by Jacobians led by

Robbespiere termed as “Rule of Terror”.

1. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men
to do nothing". - Edmund Burke
2. "With guns you can kill terrorists, with education you can kill
terrorism". - Malala Yousafzai
3. On one hand, we want to fight terrorism; on the other, we cannot
define it. - Sushma Swaraj at UNGA.
4. “Fervour is the weapon of impotent” — Frantz Fanon
5. Lee Kuan Yew said, preventing terrorist attacks requires that we
eliminate the “queen bees" (Masterminds) who are inspiring the
“worker bees" (suicide bombers) to become martyrs.
Examples: →

1. Robert Grenier, the CIA’s former station chief in Pakistan, said that the United
States’s drone programme created more terrorists than it eliminated. Hence,
counter-radicalisation is necessary. Maharashtra ATS - by now 120 youths have
been successfully counter-radicalised.
a. Otherwise we will be killing a python to give rise to numerous snakes
2. Margaret Thatcher: — “Oxygen of publicity” — Highly published atrocities.
3. Noam Chomsky called USA as the world’s ‘leading terrorist state’. (Terrorism in
middle east is attributed to geo-political objectives of USA FP!)
4. Till the end of CW, Terrorism was a peripheral issues but after 9/11 it became a core
issue in International Politics.
5. India proposed CCIT (Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism) -
1996!

Touri$m
2.4 Sectors of Economy: Essay Topics

1. “The journey is the destination.” ― Dan Eldon

2. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one
page”. St. Augustin

Examples: —

1. `Live Gandhi For A While' a tourist programme - Nischal Barot - 2016 Ahmedabad -- named as Responsible
Tourism as it is against the destination based tourism based on commercial interests. To live like Gandhi in Ashram in
austere way for min. 5 days.
2. 2017 — UN GA declared “International Year for Sustainable tourism Development”

Women Empowerment
5 Women empowerment: Essay Topics

1. To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened.

Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves,
the nation moves - Nehru
2. “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman;
you educate a generation.” ― Brigham Young
3. I measure the progress of a community by the degree of
progress which women have achieved." - B. R. Ambedkar
 4. “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” — Simone de
Beauvoir
5. "For most of history, Anonymous was a woman." — Virginia
Woolf.
6. ‘We can be blind to the obvious, but we are also blind to our
blindness’. – Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman.
7. There is no tool more effective than empowerment of women for
development of a country - Kofi Annan
8. No chance of the welfare of the world until the condition of
women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly with one
wing” - Vivekananda
9. The women moved toward the door, but the door was blocked—
by loyalty, by obedience. By her father.

Examples: →

1. A Women from Calcutta - Left home at age of 17 to run away from arranged
marriage and to pursue her passion to study biochemistry. She left home with
nothing except a pair of diamond earrings which she sold to buy tickets of Plane to
Boston to study under Linus Pauling. Despite the odds, She had one asset she never
had - A Free Will. She began from washing dishes, doing household chores.
Meanwhile educating herself and investing. She is now founder of multi-million dollar
company ‘Activator’ through sheer courage and hard-work. The woman is Chanda
Zaveri - ‘A woman who set herself free’.
2. Sudha Murthy - IISC - ‘anti-Women bias’ TELCO employment policy, as it
mentioned women need not apply - she wrote letter to TELCO chairman - TELCO
offered Special interview to her - 1st women engineer hired by TELCO.
3. Gangandeep Kang (1st Indian women in Royal Society), Rani Lakshmi Bai.
4. Chhavi Rajawat - Soda Village, Rajasthan Sarpanch - Studied from SRCC.
5. Our institutions are very patriarchal: Soumya Swaminathan — WHO’s Chief Scientist
says she had faced many kinds of challenges and biases during her ICMR stint
6. The first all women contingent in any UN peacekeeping mission, a Former Police
Unit from India, was deployed in 2007 to the UN Operation in Liberia tp prevent
violence against women and girls.

Conclusion: It is essential to recognise that their struggle is a struggle not merely

confined to gender but it is the struggle of every right minded and patriotic Indian Citizen
who wants a more just and more equal India.
 In 1967, Kathrine Switzer (20) (bib number 261) lined
up to run the Boston Marathon at a time when women
weren’t permitted to compete. At mile two a race
official tried to stop her, but Switzer finished in 4:20,
making history. #261.

UN
6.2 International Org./ Bilateral: Essay Topics

1. Ban Ki Moon - “We need more UN than less UN”.

2. Dag Hammarskjöld famously said that the United Nations "was
not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save
humanity from hell.
3. USA President Truman - “UN is creation of nation-state. It is
malleable to their wishes. If they wish it will succeed, otherwise, it
will become relic of the past”.
4. “More than ever before in human history, we share a common
destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that is
why we have the United Nations.” — Kofi Annan.
5. Jeffry Sachs:→ Most Important innovation of 20th Century.
6. UN reform is a malady where all the doctors around the
patient agree on the diagnosis, but they can’t agree on the
prescription.
7. We need to convert Global Jungle into a Zoo. (Global Anarchy
into Rule based order)

The fear for UN is not its extinction but irrelevance.

India and UN:

1. Kofi Annan: India has been one of the most significant votaries of shaping the UN agenda on behalf of the developing
world.
2. India should get its rightful place in the comity of nations which it deserves because of its great civilisation. -
Nehru
 3. S. Jaishankar: → If regimes and institutions are to be credible, they must also be contemporary.

Examples/Instances:

1. Acheson Plan - USA - initial steps to reform UN. General assembly power to override the veto of security council.
Didn’t materialise.
2. UN charter - Article 2 sub-clause 7 - UN can’t interfere in the domestic matters of a state - couldn’t help in
Rwandan genocide.
3. UN reforms need amendment to UN charter - 2/3rd majority in GA and ratification - Coffee club blocking.
4. Recent triggers - China vetoed any discussion on its COVID handling in UNSC.
5. Former PR to UN Hardeep Puri called UNSC’s functioning as ‘Internal Chaos’.