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UPPCS Mains
2026 Edition
Essay Paper
Smart Notes

Essay

English Medium
9
Chapters
59
Topics
59
Figures & Maps
68
Tables
What's Inside
  1. 01Literature and Culture
  2. 02Social Sphere
  3. 03Political Sphere
  4. 04Science, Environment and Technology
  5. 05Economic Sphere
  6. 06Agriculture, Industry and Trade
  7. 07National and International Events
  8. 08Natural Calamities
  9. 09National Development Programmes and Projects
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UPPCS Mains · Smart Notes

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Essay
UPPCS Mains · Smart Notes

Contents

Essay · Essay Paper
  1. 01Literature and Culture7 topics
    1. 1.1Literature and Society — The Social Responsibility of Literature
    2. 1.2Art and Social Liberation
    3. 1.3New Standards of Excellent Literature
    4. 1.4Literature, Human Values and Character Building
    5. 1.5Television and Cultural Degradation
    6. 1.6The Future of Literature in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
    7. 1.7Hindi Language — A Symbol of National Integrity
  2. 02Social Sphere8 topics
    1. 2.1Indian Women in the 21st Century — From Dreams to Reality
    2. 2.2Sexual Crimes — Causes and Solutions
    3. 2.3Caste System in the 21st Century — Problems and Challenges
    4. 2.4Education and Moral Values
    5. 2.5Higher Education, Research and Employment
    6. 2.6Youth Participation in Nation Building
    7. 2.7Problems of the Elderly in Metropolitan Cities
    8. 2.8Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi Today
  3. 03Political Sphere6 topics
    1. 3.1One Nation, One Constitution
    2. 3.2Election Reforms in India — Necessity and Indispensability
    3. 3.3Democracy, Election and Caste
    4. 3.4Secular Politics — Needs and Challenges
    5. 3.5Citizenship Amendment Act and Inclusive India
    6. 3.6Increasing Regionalism and National Unity
  4. 04Science, Environment and Technology6 topics
    1. 4.1India in Space Science
    2. 4.2Artificial Intelligence — Possibilities and Challenges
    3. 4.3Global Warming and Climate Change — Challenges and the Way Out
    4. 4.4Development and Environment — Blind Industrialisation and Sustainable Development
    5. 4.5Resource Management in India
    6. 4.6Water Pollution and the Cleanliness of the Ganga
  5. 05Economic Sphere8 topics
    1. 5.1Five Trillion Dollar Indian Economy — Possibilities and Challenges
    2. 5.2Indian Economy and 'Make in India'
    3. 5.3Start-ups — The Future of India
    4. 5.4Digital Economy — Possibilities and Challenges
    5. 5.5Role of Social Media in Public Awareness
    6. 5.6Globalisation and Cottage Industry
    7. 5.7Global Economy under COVID-19
    8. 5.8Ethics in a Changing Global Economy
  6. 06Agriculture, Industry and Trade7 topics
    1. 6.1Green Revolution to Evergreen Revolution
    2. 6.2Contribution of Agriculture to the Indian Economy
    3. 6.3Farmers of India — Our Pride
    4. 6.4New Agriculture Laws and the Peasant Movement
    5. 6.5Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA)
    6. 6.6New Possibilities and Technological Innovation in Agriculture
    7. 6.7Organic Farming — Necessity or Compulsion
  7. 07National and International Events8 topics
    1. 7.1India's Foreign Policy — Founded on Peace and Equality
    2. 7.2The Changing Paradigm of Indian Foreign Policy — From Non-Alignment to Multipolar Diplomacy
    3. 7.3India–China Relations and SAARC Politics
    4. 7.4Global Terrorism — Causes and Remedies
    5. 7.5Border Security Forces and National Sovereignty
    6. 7.6The Sri Lankan Economic Crisis and Its Global Impact
    7. 7.7Meaning of G20 Leadership for India
    8. 7.8India's Rising International Popularity and the Global Consciousness of New India
  8. 08Natural Calamities5 topics
    1. 8.1Natural Calamities and Disaster Management in India
    2. 8.2Melting Glaciers — A Danger for Humanity
    3. 8.3Landslides — How Much Human-Induced, How Much Natural
    4. 8.4River Interlinking for Water Conservation
    5. 8.5COVID-19 Pandemic — From Disaster to Opportunity
  9. 09National Development Programmes and Projects4 topics
    1. 9.1Namami Gange Mission
    2. 9.2Ayushman Bharat — Healthy India
    3. 9.3Jan Dhan Yojana — The Charioteer of the Poor
    4. 9.4The Dream of New India and Rural Development Schemes
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EssayChapter 01 · Topic 1
Chapter 01

Literature and Culture

Essay · 7 topics
Topic 1

Literature and Society — The Social Responsibility of Literature

Chapter Overview

Literature and Culture opens Section A and has produced ten UPPCS essay questions (2018–2025), at least one every year. The Commission returns to three ideas: the social purpose of literature and art, the values literature builds, and culture under new pressures — television, artificial intelligence and language politics.

UPPCS PYQ Map (2018–2025)

Table 1.1
YearQuestionTopic
2018Hindi language is the symbol of National integrity.Topic 7
2018The social responsibilities of Literature.Topic 1
2019Literature and Moral Values.Topic 4
2020Sociality of Literature.Topic 1
2021Art and social liberty.Topic 2
2022New standard for the excellent literature.Topic 3
2022Television is leading bad-culture.Topic 5
2023Role of literature in character building.Topic 4
2024Human values and literature.Topic 4
2025The future of literature in the age of Artificial Intelligence.Topic 6

Type: Concept · UPPCS PYQ: 2018, 2020

Core Idea

Literature is born in society and answers back to it — as mirror, hammer and lamp. The essay should show what literature owes society (truth, empathy, a voice for the voiceless), concede the risk of preaching or propaganda, and close on society's reciprocal duty to keep literature free and read.

Essay Template (≈ 700 words)

Essay template — Literature and Society — The Social Responsibility of Literature
Fig. 1.1 Essay template — Literature and Society — The Social Responsibility of Literature

1. Introduction · ≈ 80 words

What to write: Open with one hook, define the sociality of literature in a line and state your stand.

  1. Anecdote — Premchand at Lucknow, April 1936: literature is the torch that walks ahead of politics.
  2. Etymology — sahitya = 'sahitasya bhavah', that which carries the welfare of all.
  3. Contrast — Booker for 'Heart Lamp' (2025), yet only 27% of rural Class III children read a Class II text (ASER 2024).

2. Meaning and Thinkers · ≈ 90 words

What to write: Explain what 'social responsibility' means, using two Indian thinkers.

  1. Mirror — shows society as it is (Premchand's 'Kafan', 'Sadgati').
  2. Hammer — strikes at injustice (Bhisham Sahni's 'Tamas', 1974).
  3. Lamp — lights the road ahead (Tagore's 'Where the mind is without fear').
  4. Thinkers — Premchand: literature is 'criticism of life'; Ramchandra Shukla: its aim is lok-mangal.

3. Indian Tradition · ≈ 100 words

What to write: Trace in four steps how Indian literature has served society.

  1. Bhakti — Kabir against caste; Tulsidas in the people's Awadhi.
  2. Renaissance — Bharatendu's 'Bharat Durdasha' awakened national self-respect.
  3. Progressive movement — PWA conference, Lucknow 1936; IPTA plays on the 1943 Bengal famine.
  4. Margins — Dalit and women's writing ('Joothan', 1997; Mahasweta Devi).

4. Dimensions · ≈ 140 words

What to write: One sentence per dimension, each with one example.

  1. Social — voice of the margins (Dalit autobiographies).
  2. Political — dissent against power (Dushyant Kumar's 'Saaye Mein Dhoop', 1975).
  3. Economic — debt, land and labour ('Godan'; Renu's 'Maila Anchal').
  4. Ethical — empathy through another's life (Manto's 'Toba Tek Singh').
  5. Cultural — language and memory (Awadhi, Braj, Bhojpuri traditions).
  6. Global — translation and soft power (Booker 2022 and 2025).

5. Present Scenario · ≈ 90 words

What to write: Add two or three current facts to show literature's social life today.

  1. Recognition — 'Tomb of Sand' (2022) and 'Heart Lamp' (2025) won the International Booker.
  2. Widening canon — Jnanpith to Gulzar and Rambhadracharya (for 2023), Vinod Kumar Shukla (2024), R. Vairamuthu (2025).
  3. Free expression — Supreme Court quashed an FIR over a poem (Imran Pratapgadhi, March 2025).
  4. Reading crisis — ASER 2024: only 27% of rural Class III children read a Class II text.

6. Counter-view · ≈ 70 words

What to write: Concede the case for artistic freedom, then answer it in one line.

  1. Propaganda risk — imposed purpose kills art (Soviet 'socialist realism', 1930s).
  2. Craft first — even Premchand held a story weakest when its purpose shows.
  3. Pressure — 'responsibility' can turn into censorship (Perumal Murugan, 2015).

7. Way Forward · ≈ 70 words

What to write: Give three practical steps.

  1. Nation of readers — libraries and mother-tongue books (NEP 2020, NIPUN Bharat).
  2. Translation — Sahitya Akademi translation prizes; Bhashini across Indian languages.
  3. Protect expression — uphold Article 19(1)(a) and police speech with restraint.

8. Conclusion · ≈ 70 words

What to write: Close on reciprocity and a visionary note.

  1. Ready line — Literature serves society not as a preacher but as its conscience; society repays it by keeping it free and read.
  2. Vision — Viksit Bharat 2047 needs readers and writers who keep asking whether we are becoming more humane.

Ready Quotes

  1. “Literature is not the truth that follows politics, but the truth that walks ahead of it, holding up a torch.” — Premchand, Lucknow, 1936
  2. “The best definition of literature is 'criticism of life'.” — Premchand, 'Sahitya ka Uddeshya', 1936
  3. “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” — P. B. Shelley, A Defence of Poetry, 1821

PYQ Linkage — What to Write Where

Table 1.2
YearQuestionWhat the question asksContent to use
2018The social responsibilities of Literature.Duties of literature and the writer towards society.Build the essay on parts 2, 4 and 7 — mirror–hammer–lamp, each dimension as a duty, and the way forward; keep the counter-view short.
2020Sociality of Literature.Literature as a social product and a social force ('sociality').Open with the etymology hook; expand parts 2 and 3 (literature born of society, Bhakti to Dalit writing) and the cultural dimension; end on reciprocity.

Based on NCERT, Standard Books references, Keywords from Syllabus and Previous Year question Papers

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EssayChapter 01 · Topic 2
Topic 2

Art and Social Liberation

Type: Concept · UPPCS PYQ: 2021

Core Idea

Song, theatre, painting and cinema have served India as instruments of social liberation from caste, colonial and patriarchal bondage. The essay should show art giving the voiceless a language before law could, concede that art can be captured or can incite, and argue that society stays free only by protecting artistic liberty.

Essay Template (≈ 700 words)

Essay template — Art and Social Liberation
Fig. 1.2 Essay template — Art and Social Liberation

1. Introduction · ≈ 80 words

What to write: Open with one hook, define social liberation in a line and state your stand.

  1. Anecdote — Safdar Hashmi, attacked while staging 'Halla Bol' at Sahibabad, Ghaziabad (1 January 1989); his troupe returned to finish it.
  2. Imagination — Ravidas's Begumpura, a 'city without sorrow' where none is ranked by birth, imagined freedom before law.
  3. Paradox — 'Neecha Nagar' shared the Grand Prix at the first Cannes festival (1946), yet was never released commercially in India.

2. Meaning and Thinkers · ≈ 80 words

What to write: Define social liberation and artistic liberty, and anchor both in Ambedkar.

  1. Social liberation — freedom from caste, gender and class hierarchies, deeper than political independence.
  2. Voice to the voiceless — art turns private humiliation into public testimony (Ambedkar's paper 'Mooknayak', 31 January 1920).
  3. Liberty of the artist — society is freed only if art is free; Article 19(2) permits curbs on just eight grounds.
  4. Thinker — Ambedkar (1949): political democracy cannot last without social democracy at its base.

3. Indian Tradition · ≈ 120 words

What to write: Trace in four steps how Indian art has carried the struggle for liberation.

  1. Bhakti and Sufi protest — Kabir and Ravidas of Banaras, Basavanna, Tukaram and Sufi qawwali attacked caste and ritual.
  2. Pen against slavery — Phule's 'Gulamgiri' (1873); Ambedkar's self-published 'Annihilation of Caste' (1936).
  3. People's stage — Safdar Hashmi's Jana Natya Manch (1973) took street plays to factory gates (on IPTA, see Topic 1).
  4. Dalit assertion — testimony replaced ornament: the Dalit Panthers (1972), Namdeo Dhasal's poetry, Bama's 'Karukku' (1992).

4. Dimensions · ≈ 120 words

What to write: One sentence per dimension, each with one example.

  1. Social — untouchability turned from custom into scandal ('jati na poochho sadhu ki'; Maharashtra's Ambedkari jalsa).
  2. Gender — women's voice against patriarchy (Mirabai's defiance; Bhikhari Thakur's 'Beti Bechwa' against selling daughters).
  3. Political — resistance to authoritarian power (in the Emergency, prints of 'Kissa Kursi Ka' were destroyed).
  4. Legal — courts widened art's freedom (Aveek Sarkar, 2014: 'community standards'; Shreya Singhal, 2015: Section 66A struck down).
  5. Global — protest crosses borders (Picasso's 'Guernica', 1937; 'We Shall Overcome' sung as 'Hum Honge Kamyab').

5. Present Scenario · ≈ 80 words

What to write: Add two or three current facts on liberating art and its limits today.

  1. Cinema of dignity — 'Article 15' (2019), set in Uttar Pradesh, and 'Jai Bhim' (2021) took caste injustice to mass audiences.
  2. Certification reform — Cinematograph (Amendment) Act 2023: UA 7+, 13+, 16+; Centre's revisional power over certified films removed.
  3. Obscenity curbs — MIB ordered 25 OTT apps and websites blocked under the IT Rules 2021 (25 July 2025).

6. Counter-view · ≈ 70 words

What to write: Concede the limits of art, then answer them in one line.

  1. Capture — power and market can make art bind rather than free (propaganda cinema; obscenity sold as 'freedom').
  2. Incitement — expression can wound; Rangarajan (1989) allows curbs only when speech is 'a spark in a powder keg'.
  3. Symbols without substance — songs alone do not abolish caste; art inspires, but law, land and education liberate.

7. Way Forward · ≈ 70 words

What to write: Give three practical steps.

  1. No heckler's veto — police must protect performances from mobs rather than stop them (see Topic 1).
  2. Art in every classroom — NEP 2020's art-integrated learning; the Article 51A(f) duty to preserve composite culture.
  3. Dignity for folk artists — PM Vishwakarma (2023); Uttar Pradesh's ODOP (2018) backs Banarasi silk weavers.

8. Conclusion · ≈ 70 words

What to write: Close on art as the first step towards social democracy.

  1. Ready line — Art does not liberate by decree; it changes what people can imagine and what they will tolerate.
  2. Vision — From Kabir's loom to Hashmi's street corner, art gives the voiceless a language and the powerful a conscience.

Ready Quotes

  1. “Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy.” — B.R. Ambedkar, Constituent Assembly, 1949
  2. “Speak, for your lips are free; speak, your tongue is still your own.” — Faiz Ahmad Faiz, 'Bol', 1941
  3. “Freedom of expression cannot be suppressed on account of threat of demonstration and processions or threats of violence.” — Supreme Court of India, S. Rangarajan v. P. Jagjivan Ram, 1989

PYQ Linkage — What to Write Where

Table 1.3
YearQuestionWhat the question asksContent to use
2021Art and social liberty.How art frees society — and why art itself needs liberty.Build on parts 2–4 (Bhakti to Dalit art, then each dimension); give the legal dimension and parts 5–7 room, since 'liberty' is also the artist's own.

Based on NCERT, Standard Books references, Keywords from Syllabus and Previous Year question Papers

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