INSIGHTS IAS MAINS TEST SERIES 2019
GS TEST 1 SYNOPSIS
1. Discuss cultural and spiritual significance of Sufism. (10 Marks)
Sufism is a mystical form of Islam. It stresses on self-realization, tolerance, righteousness and universal love for all.
Spiritual Significance of Sufism:
While the orthodox Muslims depend upon external conduct and blind observance of religious rituals, the Sufi saints seek inner purity. The Sufis tried to purify their inner self by rigid introspection and mental struggle so as to remove even the smallest sign of selfishness and attain absolute purity of intention and act. The Sufis think that love and devotion are the only means of reaching God. They rejected elaborate rituals but instead focused on meditation and repetitive prayer. Sufis emphasize that Islamic knowledge should be learned from teachers and not exclusively from books. Many orders (Chishti, Suhrawardi, Firdausi, Qadariya, Naqshbandi, etc.) were started based on teachings of prominent Sufi saints. For eg. the Chishti order was founded in India by KhwajaMuinuddin Chishti. Suhrawardi order was founded by Sheikh ShihabuddinSuhrawardi.
Cultural Significance of Sufism:
Sufism laid emphasis on tolerance and pluralism, which are necessary for fighting extremist and violent interpretations of Islam. Sufi Islam has become synonymous with peace-loving Islam. Sufi organizationsprovide social cohesion by emphasizing on community based activities. They have helped to shape responses to the challenges to Muslim faith in the modern era by providing organizational bases for activist reformist programs and modern-style political parties. Sufis promoted religious brotherhood and equality amongst the masses. They wrote in vernacular or local languages so that more and more people could hear or read their songs and messages. Sufism is a religion of intense devotion; Love is its manifestation, poetry, music and dance are the instruments of its worship and attaining oneness with God is its ideal. Sufism has shaped literature and art for centuries, and is associated with many of the most resonant pieces of Islam’s “golden age,” lasting from roughly the eighth through 13th centuries, including the poetry of Rumi. Through the poetry of these literatures, mystical ideas spread widely among the Muslims. The Persian poet Rumi, who was born in present-day Afghanistan, has become one of the most widely read poets in the west.
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Sufi vocabulary is important in Persian and other literatures related to it, such as Turkish, Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto, and Punjabi. Sufi music is the devotional music of the Sufis, inspired by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shah, Amir Khusrow and Khwaja Ghulam Farid. Qawwali is the most well known form of Sufi music. Sufi love songs are often performed as ghazals and Kafi, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium, using a repertoire of songs by Sufi poets. Many Hindi film songs were composed drawing inspiration from the Sufi genre. Eg.Khwaja Mere Khwaja in the film Jodhaa Akbar. Many famous dargahs were built over the graves of revered Sufi saints, which are very popular places of worship in India and are visited by people of all faiths. For eg.Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah in Ajmer. The Sufis were responsible for a large-scale missionary activity all over the world and spread of Islam, and they won over the people with their love and simplicity in their teachings.
Sufism continues to have a significant impact on societies across the world through their messages of love and brotherhood, which are the foundation pillars of world peace.
2. Discuss the impact of globalization on India’s traditional art and music. (10 Marks)
The Globalization results in higher level of interaction between people and their cultures across the world which brings changes in their art, music and literature.
1. Art forms are increasingly getting commercialized. Traditionally, artists created art driven by an artistic urge or creative expression. But, now art is made as per the demands of the industry with market orientation in mind.
2. Only few art forms which are popular and marketable get all the resources and attention to the exclusion to numerous other art forms. The art forms which are in line with the global trends with respect to the format, tastes and pricing achieve commercial success. For example, a three to five-minute song template with snappy tunes and danceable grooves, and accompanying visuals featuring Bollywood stars, is easily picked up and put to the harness in global music markets.
3. As a result, even traditional art forms are giving up their authenticity in favor of marketability. From the bihu of Assam, to the biraha of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, most folk forms are undergoing a Bollywood makeover. This is resulting in homogenization and has a tragic impact on the diverse forms of musical expression in the country.
4. Globalization has boosted the fusion of art forms and techniques across the world. For eg.Paintings made with Indian themes and western techniques; Fusion performance of Indian and Western instruments like guitar, tabala and saxophone mix by famous artists; Indian bands (like Indian Ocean) and film music freely mix both classical and western music.
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5. Globalization works with its own sets of paradoxes. On the one hand, it seeks out diversity because therein it finds fresh produce that can be offered to new and ever growing markets. But, at the same time, the diverse offerings it seeks to exploit must conform to the terms, conditions and templates approved by global markets even at the risk of losing their unique identities and traits, which in the first place made them so eligible.
6. Globalization has increased the charm and demand for English language, and regional languages, dialects and literature are being ignored.
7. Fascination towards anything western meant younger generations are preferring western products over Indian ones, even without evaluating the relative richness or their tastes. For eg.many urban youth prefer learning guitar to Indian instruments as playing the former is seen as more trendy.
8. Spread of Indian art forms across the world. For instance, Kuchipudi, Brathanatyam, Hindustani music, etc are being learnt even by foreigners.
9. Some Indian artists and their works are getting global recognition and better renumeration.
10. Cultural Space available for classical and folk arts is shrinking, more so in urban areas.
11. The Internet is equalizing the art world allowing anyone anywhere to buy and view pieces; no longer is the art world constrained by location.
In a globalized world, art is becoming like any other commodity. Certain artforms which are adapting and having wider receptivity are flourishing, while numerous others are receding to the background.
3. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s legacy is an antidote to majoritarian chauvinism. Comment. (10 Marks)
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was an Islamic scholar, freedom fighter and India's first education minister, in whose honor National Education Day is celebrated.
His interpretation of Islam was not conventional. He believed in independent thinking based on reason and was critical of what he called “the shackles of conformity” and literal interpretations of Islamic texts. Through weekly urdu newspaper Al-Hilal he took up the cause of reforming the Islam by challenging dogmatic interpretations of Quran.
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He found no contradiction between being an Islamic scholar and an ardent Indian nationalist. He considered the fight for an independent, united India a part of his religious creed.
He joined the Congress in 1920, when Gandhi launched the non-cooperation agitation in conjunction with the Khilafat movement, and became its president in 192