UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 27)

QUESTION 2

How did the Theosophical Society contribute to the promotion of a spiritual movement encompassing a diverse set of beliefs that blended Eastern religious traditions? Discuss.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

QUESTION 1: What are earthquake waves? Why parts of North India and the western Himalayas felt big tremors? Give examples of some recent earthquakes.

Introduction:

— An earthquake is simply the shaking of the earth. It is a natural occurrence. It is caused by the release of energy, which causes waves to travel in all directions.

— Earthquakes that originate deep within the earth spread much wider as they approach the surface. As a result, they can be felt from a long distance away. The energy carried by an earthquake decreases with depth, but its sphere of influence expands as long as there is an effective medium for wave propagation.

Body:

Earthquake Waves

— All natural earthquakes take place in the lithosphere. A device known as ‘seismograph’ records the waves that reach the surface.

— Wave velocity changes as they travel through different densities of materials. The higher the velocity, the denser the material.

— When they come into contact with materials of varying densities, their direction changes as they reflect or refract.

— Earthquake waves are basically of two types — body waves and surface waves.

Body waves: These waves are generated due to the release of energy at the focus and move in all directions travelling through the body of the earth.

— There are two types of body waves:

P-Waves

— They move faster and are the first to arrive at the surface.

— Also known as primary waves and are similar to sound waves.

— They travel through gaseous, liquid and solid materials.

S-Waves

— These waves arrive at the surface with some time lag.

— Also known as secondary waves.

— They can travel only through the solid medium.

— These waves helps scientists to understand the structure of the interior of the earth.

Surface waves: The body waves interact with the surface rocks, creating a new set of waves known as surface waves.

— These waves are the last to report on seismograph.

— These waves are more destructive and causes displacement of rocks.

Why parts of North India and the western Himalayas felt big tremors?

— Western Himalayas continues to be the one of the most dangerous seismic zones in the world.

— According to scientists, the Himalayan region, which stretches from the Hindu Kush mountains to the end of Arunachal Pradesh, is due for a large earthquake of magnitude greater than 8 on the Richter scale at any time. This is due to the enormous amount of energy stored along faultlines as a result of the continuous interaction of different techtonic plates. Massive earthquakes are the only way for the energy to be released.

— The western Himalayas are more vulnerable than central or eastern Himalayas. The Himalayas are at a steep angle almost at 70 or 80 degrees at some points. This angle is only about 10 degrees in the central Himalayas.

Recent Examples

— A state of emergency has been declared in Iceland, after a swarm of 800 earthquakes rocked the island country’s southwestern Reykjanes peninsula.

— The most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Morocco, killing more than 2,400 people and turning countless homes and buildings into rubble.

— Powerful earthquakes in Afghanistan have killed more than 2,000 people and injured more than 9,000 in the deadliest tremors in years in the quake-prone country.

Conclusion:

— Earthquakes continue to remain the most common natural hazard that cannot be predicted.

— In theory, it is possible to provide a lead time of a few seconds between the time of the earthquake’s origin and the time it reaches the Earth’s surface. Seismic waves travel at speeds ranging from 5 to 13 km per second, much slower than the speed of light. So if the earthquake is detected as soon as it is triggered, information about it can be related a few seconds ahead of it reaching the ground.

(Source: Explained: Understanding the earthquake by Amitabh Sinha, Why parts of North India felt big tremors of a 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan, ncert.nic.in)

Points to Ponder

Why the earthquake in Morocco has caused so much damage?

What does ‘magnitude’ of an earthquake mean?

Earthquake-prone areas in India

How do earthquake swarms predict volcanic activity?

Related Previous Year Question

Why are the world’s fold mountain systems located along the margins of continents? Bring out the association between the global distribution of fold mountains and the earthquakes and volcanoes. (2014)

QUESTION 2: How did the Theosophical Society contribute to the promotion of a spiritual movement encompassing a diverse set of beliefs that blended Eastern religious traditions? Discuss.

Body:

— The Theosophical Society was founded in America in 1875 by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, a veteran of the American Civil War, and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, a Russian occultist.

— The society was founded to promote theosophy, a spiritual movement encompassing a wide range of beliefs marrying Eastern religious traditions, mainly that of Hinduism and Buddhism, with western esoteric thought.

— It also emphasised the commonalities among religious traditions, underlying unity across religions.

— According to Josephine Ransom, a theosophical lecturer and leader, the Society’s first formal meeting in India was held on January 4, 1880, in then-Bombay.

— The Society’s seventh anniversary was celebrated in Bombay in 1882, and soon after, a permanent international headquarters was established at Adyar in Madras, now Chennai.

— “Every Theosophical Society centre is called a lodge because people travelled long distances to attend meetings at these centres.” To follow theosophy, you must actively engage your thought processes and study the material. “As a result, these centres were called lodges, and they provided a place for the followers to rest and study in peace,” Bhadbhade explains.

— According to the Annie Besant, “the seed of both (dominion status and Indian National Congress) was planted by the Theosophical Society” and at the Theosophical Convention in 1884, a small group of theosophists in Adyar decided to make an effort for political redemption. “They gathered a small meeting in Madras — there were only seventeen of them — and it was there that they decided to begin a National movement for the saving of the Motherland.”

— “Theosophy requires a person to actively engage with their thought processes and compels you to think more than be instructive.” That is why the number of followers has been declining over time,” explains Bhadbhade.

(Source: Theosophy, Annie Besant and a forgotten lodge in Pune by Shalmali Bhagwat)

Points to Ponder

Indian National Congress

In which session was Annie Besant elected as President of INC?

Related Previous Year Questions

The women’s questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th century social reform movement. What were the major issues and debates concerning women in that period? (2017)

Discuss the role of women in the freedom struggle especially during the Gandhian phase. (2016)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 26)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 25)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 27)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 26)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 26)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 27)

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