UPSC Mains Answer Practice GS 1: challenges affecting forest ecosystems and importance of Thirukkural in ancient Tamil society | Week 144

QUESTION 2

Discuss the significance of the Thirukkural to understand ancient Tamil society.

QUESTION 1: “India’s forest and vegetation cover faces multiple ecological and developmental pressures.” What are the challenges affecting forest ecosystems in India?

Relevance: Forest conservation is crucial for addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable development in India. Reports like the India State of Forest Report highlight trends and challenges in India’s forest cover. Issues such as deforestation, forest fires, invasive species, and infrastructure expansion are increasingly in news.

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— India is one of the mega diversity countries in the world with different types of forests. Protection of forests is done through implementation of Forest Conservation Act (1980) and through establishment of protected areas.

— Recently, a six-member special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) disposed of challenges to the Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project and concluded that it found “no good ground to interfere,” as there were “adequate safeguards” in the project’s environmental clearance (EC). The project seeks to develop various infrastructure, including an international transhipment port at Galathea Bay. This site is a nesting site for the giant leatherback turtle, megapodes, and home to thousands of coral reefs. The island is seismically very active, as it falls in the highest-risk zone (Zone VI).

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

Challenges affecting forest ecosystems in India

— Due to the rising population there is enormous pressure on forest land for extraction of forest based industries and encroachment for extension of agriculture. The rising conflicts between conserving forests for generating ecosystem services and diversion for developmental project poses one of the biggest challenges in managing the forest resources.

— Forest fires are a recurring challenge. At present, about 54.40 per cent of India’s forest areas are exposed to occasional forest fires. According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), a total of 2,03,544 forest fire incidents occurred during November 2023-June 2024, and 2,38,309 incidents were recorded during November 2024-June 2025.

— Invasive alien species further compound forest degradation. India is considered second only to the US in terms of bearing economic and ecological costs caused by invasive species. Invasive alien species are one of the five major direct drivers of biodiversity loss globally.

— In the last five years (2020-2025), more than 99,000 hectares of forest land have been diverted for non-forestry purposes, such as infrastructure development, mining, hydroelectric and irrigation projects. For instance, Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, Kanwar Corridor Project, etc.

Conclusion:

— Forest fires have the potential to erase decades of carbon sequestration gains, causing irreversible environmental damage. Addressing these challenges requires advanced early-warning and rapid-response systems for forest fire prediction and mitigation, and high-resolution satellite imagery for continuous ecological monitoring.

— Afforestation efforts with a variety of native species utilising traditional knowledge and involving local communities for protection and management can enhance diversity and deliver several economic and ecosystem benefits.

(Source: What are the major challenges faced by India’s forest and vegetation cover?, http://www.pib.gov.in)

Points to Ponder:

How do invasive alien species and monoculture plantations affect biodiversity and ecological balance in forests?

How do infrastructure projects contribute to forest diversion and fragmentation in India?

Related Previous Year Questions:

Identify and discuss the factors responsible for diversity of natural vegetation in India. Assess the significance of wildlife sanctuaries in rain forest regions of India. (2023)

Examine the status of forest resources of India and its resultant impact on climate change. (2019)

QUESTION 2: Discuss the significance of the Thirukkural to understand ancient Tamil society.

Relevance: It provides insights into moral philosophy, statecraft, and social conduct during the Sangam Age. Studying such classical literature helps analyse continuity and relevance of ancient ideas in contemporary society for GS-1.

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— Thiruvalluvar, revered by Tamils as an ancient saint, poet, and philosopher. Scholars of Tamil literature have provided information about his name, life, and the title of his masterwork, Thirukkural.

— Popularly known as Valluvar in Tamil Nadu, Thiruvalluvar is regarded as a peerless philosopher whose ethical vision transcends religious and cultural boundaries. ‘Thiru’ in Tamil means saint, and ‘Valluvar’ is a title associated with a community of either soothsayers or priests.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— Thirukkural (or Tirukkural) is the only known work of Valluvar, but the text does not mention his name in it. Thirukkural has dominated the literary world of Tamil Nadu for over two millennia. It is a collection of 1,330 couplets (‘kurals’ in Tamil) on ethics, politics, economics, and love.

— Thirukkural promotes moral conduct and discusses the facts of human life. Valluvar opposed distinctions based on religion, caste, creed, and race, arguing that morality and kindness are required for a meaningful human life.

(Wikimedia commons)

— Despite being written almost a thousand years ago, the Thirukkural has profound relevance in the twenty-first century. Valluvar warned that a life devoid of morality leads to sorrow, as humans are consumed by jealously, greed, rage, and harshness. He identifies some virtues, like spirituality, generosity, and love, as ways to improve human life and society.

— A 19th century French translator, E S Ariel, translated Thirukkural, and famously described it as “This is a book without a name by an author without a name”. An important source about Thiruvalluvar is “Thiruvalluva malai”, an anthology of fifty-five Tamil verses, each credited to different poets praising the Thirukkural – also known as Kural – and its author Thiruvalluvar. These poets are believed to have lived in different centuries, beginning around the 1st century, while the anthology was compiled in the 10th century.

— Thiruvalluvar is revered in Tamil tradition as a scholar with divine insights and prophetic vision. Some experts believe Thiruvalluvar’s ideas are similar to those of Greek, Roman, Buddhist, Jain, Vedic, Vaishnavite, and Saivaite thinkers, based on his writings that represent the timeless truths of life and the intricacies of living.

Conclusion:

— The reflections of Thiruvalluvar on the importance of education bear resemblance to those of Plato, the great Greek philosopher. Although Thiruvalluvar lived after the classical Greek period, some scholars speculate that he might have attained knowledge from Greece, facilitated by ancient maritime trade routes.

— On the occasion of Thiruvalluvar Day, the Prime Minister said his “works and ideals inspire innumerable people… He personifies the best of Tamil culture.”

(Source: Why Thirukkural by Tamil philosopher Thiruvalluvar remains relevant today)

Points to Ponder:

Read more about ancient Tamil society

How does Thiruvalluvar describe the qualities and responsibilities of an ideal ruler and statecraft?

Related Previous Year Questions:

Though not very useful from the point of view of a connected political history of South India, the Sangam literature portrays the social and economic conditions of its time with remarkable vividness. Comment. (2013)

The rock-cut architecture represents one of the most important sources of our knowledge of early Indian art and history. Discuss. (2021)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 144)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 143)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 144)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 143)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 142)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 143)

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