MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. Megalithic Culture of India provides a fascinating glimpse into India’s prehistoric past. Highlighting the importance of Megaliths, discuss steps needed to safeguard these fast-disappearing monuments.
GS I – Culture-related issues
Introduction:
- A megalith is a stone which is larger in size and has been used to construct a monument or a structure. The monument or the structure has been constructed either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic has been used to describe buildings built by people living in many different periods from many parts of the world. The construction of this type of structures took place mainly in the Neolithic and continued into the Chalcolithic Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age.
Body:
- Important megalithic sites: Adichannalur, T. Narasipur, Jadigenahalli, Hallur, Chandravalli, Brahmagiri and Maski etc.
Importance of Megaliths:
- Megaliths are a vital element of landscape and for historical reasons they are a sui generis monument, commemorating prehistorical cultures.
- Burial practices: Megaliths were constructed either as burial sites or commemorative (non-sepulchral) memorials. This helps identify various communities and contact between them by comparing burial practices.
- Socio-religious beliefs: Goods of daily use have been found in megaliths used as graves. This reflects the belief of megalith people in life after death and belief in existence of soul.
- Economic life: Goods related to hunting are found more as compared to agriculture. This signifies the fact that megalith people were hunter gatherers and did not practice advanced agriculture. Evidences of seeds of rice, wheat, millet, Barley, Pea etc. have been found in Megaliths.
- Polity: Fact that megalith construction required efforts of a group of people points towards an organized polity. Also these were not built for commoners. They signify the emergence of a ruling class.
- Technology: The range of iron artifacts recovered indicate that the megalithic people practiced a wide range of occupations and included carpenters, cobblers, bamboo craftsmen, lapidaries engaged in gemstone work, blacksmiths, coppersmiths and goldsmiths, proof of complex social organization.
- Megaliths find mention in Sangam literature and Buddhist work Manimeklai.
- At the same time, along with the remaining elements of the natural and cultural environment, they create a unique image of place identity, attracting large numbers of tourists.
Steps needed to safeguard these fast-disappearing monuments:
- Belying their historical significance, megalithic burial sites today are found in various states of neglect.
- Governments should build megalithic parks to help preserve these fast-disappearing monuments.
- The threats of encroachment and destruction should be warded off by classifying them as monuments of importance by ASI and development of no-construction zones in 200m radius of the monuments
- AMASR act should be implemented in true letter and spirit to safeguards these treasure troves of history of our ancestors.
- Funds from CSR and schemes like Hamari Dharohar should be implemented.
- The local self-governments should be given the responsibility of developing eco-tourism which could help their income as well as safeguard the monuments.
Conclusion:
- Prehistoric Megaliths or large stone constructions dating before the advent of written history are found in huge numbers in all parts of India. Their economy was primarily subsistent economy.
Q2. Given the present situation for India, even though the gains from engaging Central Asia may be minimal, non-engagement could be costly. Analyse.
GS II – International issues
Introduction:
- As India deals with the post-pandemic world, a challenge is the loss of a friendly government in Afghanistan. This has increased the strategic value of India’s relations with the Central Asian (CA) republics. Three of them — Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan to the north, and Tajikistan in the northeast — border Afghanistan.
- Regional cooperation to enhance the commonality of views with Central Asia, and counter the assertive Sino-Pakistani axis in Afghanistan is India’s major motive.
Perils of not engaging with Central Asia:
- India’s economic activities in Central Asia have been hampered by the absence of land-access, resource constraints, great-power politics and slow implementation of the projects.
- Growing influence of China in Central Asia, China’s One Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) seems to be a credible threat to India’s objective on overcoming connectivity issues with Central Asia to ensure strengthened economic-political relations.
- Lack of accessibility: India does not share physical borders with any of the Central Asian states and the unstable situation in Afghanistan, impact of US-Iran tensions on regional connectivity projects and India’s antagonistic relations with Pakistan has further complicated connectivity and trade prospects for India.
- Domestic challenges faced by the region, emerging from religious extremism, authoritarian regimes, terrorism, ongoing conflicts etc is in itself a challenge in furthering India’s economic interests.
- India visualised the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI), and the North South Transport Corridor projects long before China’s BRI, but our progress has been disappointing.
- Pakistan will never allow India the land-route access to Central Asia and our route through Chabahar and Bandar Abbas (Iran) has also been impacted due to the American sanctions.
- With the increasing influence of China on Iran, India will find it harder to develop its projects there
Engaging with Central Asia:
- Trade: Recognising the accentuated strategic importance of Central Asia, India should ideally take an aggressive approach towards trade with the region by not only trying to ensure the execution of pending connectivity projects, but also identifying other areas such as digital infrastructure and education that provide scope to improve regional presence.
- Defence cooperation: Since security is a common concern for both India and the CARs, defence cooperation should be another domain to explore beyond what exists currently, much like the currently ongoing joint-military exercise “KAZIND” between India and Kazakhstan.
- Roping in Russia: India could also look to utilise its longstanding friendship with Russia, one of the most influential players in Central Asia, to make more headway in the region.
- A positive step to this end has been the recent conversation between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the two leaders extensively spoke about expanding cooperation in Central Asia, amongst other issues.
- Connectivity: New Delhi, which invested $3 billion in Afghanistan, has been expanding its ties with energy-rich Central Asian nations.
- New Delhi has also backed regional infrastructure projects including the North-South corridor that includes highways and railways connecting Chabahar port in Iran with Russia to reduce the time of shipments between Europe and central Asian markets.
Way forward:
- India should leverage the historical, cultural and civilizational bonds as well as traditionally close people-to-people contacts to build its Central Asia partnership.
- ICABC can help promote business linkages, facilitate greater understanding of taxation, business regulations in India and the Central Asian countries and incentivize trade, business and investment, especially in the area of Small and Medium Enterprises.
- Through Central Asia Dialogue, India has the opportunity of actively engaging in the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan, including through the implementation of infrastructure, energy, transit and transport projects.
- India should effectively use Chabahar port in Iran to establish trade and transport communications with Central Asian markets.
Conclusion:
- India and Central Asia face a myriad of common challenges like terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and such other issues. All these commonalities make them natural partner in their developmental journey and calls for greater cooperation in regional and global arena.
