First, we start with WHY does UPSC have Art & Culture as a part of the syllabus?
We draw our ethos from the culture we have been a part of. A country as diverse as India, has various facets of culture.
This cultural ethos can be understood through tangible elements like art, architecture, sculpture, paintings, religious practices – all these explain how the society worked in those times.
Using the knowledge of Art & Culture, a civil servant can implement things which can uplift the society.
Take an example of Madhubani paintings. Madhubani Paintings is characterized by its vibrant colors and intricate patterns depicting scenes from mythology, nature, and daily life. Historically, these paintings were done by women on the walls of their homes to mark special occasions like weddings or festivals.
In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to promote Madhubani painting as a means of economic empowerment for women in rural Bihar. Government agencies, NGOs, and private organizations have initiated training programs to teach Madhubani painting to local women, equipping them with the skills to create artwork for commercial sale.
So, it only makes sense for you as a serious UPSC Aspirant, to study Art and Culture of this wonderful country!
But how do we start?
Here is a brief on major things to be done to cover Art and Culture for UPSC!
Number 1 – Read Old NCERT – RS Sharma!
First is to read RS Sharma – Old NCERT for Ancient History.
Why an Ancient History book for Art and Culture?
Without reading the ancient history part – Indus Valley Civilization, Vedic Age, Mauryan, Buddhism-Jainism, Gupta, battles the kings fought – we cannot know the context of things we read about! Hence, it is important to read these contexts to know the art and culture of those times!
The book has around 250 pages – and all chapters are important!
Chronologically, you can start with Chapter 7 till Chapter 29, then go ahead & read Chapter 1 to 6.
Chapter 7 starts with a more popular option – Harappan Culture.
Whenever you are reading this chapter – try to see the images from the internet. Imprint these ideas in your mind. Ask questions based on the topic & try to answer those – this is a part of active recall – unlike how we keep emphasizing on multiple revisions!
Number 2 – Introduction to Indian Art
This book gives you specific examples on various arts from these periods – Art, Sculptures, Architecture.
For example, look at this question from UPSC:
This question could easily be solved, if you had read this chapter thoroughly from the book!
Check out this diagram – Can this be drawn in the exam to get more marks?
Number 3 – Fine Arts Class 12
This one talks about Handicrafts, Paintings – Rajasthani, Murals. Don’t make notes, just highlight important points.
In this book – try and decipher broader concepts – How does Bengal School of Paintings relate to Indian Nationalism? What was the Manuscript painting tradition in North India and how can we compare it with South Indian traditions?
What should be your approach to reading these basic books?
In the first reading – focus on big facts and storyline – not dates. Skim through broad outline. Don’t focus on minute details!
Example – if you are studying about Indus Valley Civilization – you should read these details – where it was located, what was the culture, what trade did they do, what religion or religious practices did they follow – try to understand these roughly
2nd reading – insert timelines and important personalities.
You can get idea on what to read from the Chapters by going through the NCERT Exercises at the end. Infact, you might as well consider going through these questions so as to understand HOW the chapter has to be read.
Refer to the PYQs – this will deduce the most important topics to be covered. Example – UPSC would ask a lot of questions on terms, Buddhism & Jainism, location based questions.
If you need to join a UPSC Coaching for this, join our GS Integrated Course, which starts with History!
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