Topics

2003

2002

2001

2000

1. Democracy

How far democracy

in India has
delivered the
goods?

Responsibility
of media in
democracy

What have we
gained from
our democratic
set up?

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

Judicial activism

VIP cult is
bane of Indian
democracy

Politics without
ethics is disaster

Politics, business
and bureaucracy- a
fatal triangle

What we have not

learnt during fifty
years of
Independence

2. Social Justice

Reservation,
politics and
empowerment

Politics without
ethics is
disaster

Whiter Indian
democracy?

Misinterpretation and
misuse of freedom in
India

Multinational
corporationssaviours or
saboteurs

Language problem in
India: its past, present
and prospect
3.
Public
Policy

Climate

Cyber world: its

charms and
challenges
Modern technological
education and human
values

Irrelevance of
class room

Computer: Harbinger of
a Silent Revolution

Value based
science and
education

Literacy is
growing fast but
there is no
corresponding
growth in
education

Privatization of higher
education in India
Women Issues

Administration

Economic growth
without distributive
justice is bound to
breed Violence

Ecological
consideration need not
hamper development

Info Tech

Education

1993

Empowerment
alone cannot
help our
women
How should a civil
servant conduct
himself?

Countrys need for

better disaster
management
system

Women
empowerment:
challenges and
prospect
Resource
management in
Indian context

Women is
Gods best
creation

Greater political
power alone will
not improve
womens plight

Restructuring of
Indian education
reform

The new emerging

women power: the
ground realities

Need for
transparency
in public
administration

Men have failed, let

women take over

The challenge before a

Civil Servant Today

4. Culture and civilization

5. International Issues

As
civilization
advances
culture
declines

The march
of science
and
erosion of
values

Indian culture
today is myth or
reality?

The masks
of new
imperialism

My vision
of world
order

The implications of
globalization for
India

Modernization and
our socio-ethical
values

Youth culture
today

The composite
culture of India

Mass media
and cultural
invasion

True religion
cannot be
misused

There is
nothing that
either good
or bad but
thinking
makes it so.
Spirituality
and scientific
temper

Topics
1. Democracy

2012

Search for truth

can only be a
spiritual
problem.

The pursuit
of
excellence

Why should we
proud of being
Indians?

The modern
doctor and his
patient

Truth is lived,
not taught

Urbanization
is blessing in
disguise

If youth knew, if
age could.

Disinterested
intellectual curiosity is
the life blood of real
civilization

Indian
society at
cross
roads
Modernizat
ion and
Westerniza
tion are not
identical
concepts

Reflecting the
UNO to reflect
present
relations

Indian
contribution to
world wisdom
The world of
st
21 century

6. Abstract/ Thematic
writing

New Cult of
godmen- a
threat to
traditional
religion

Emerging world order- political

and economic

When money speaks,

the truth is silent
Our deeds determines
us, as much as we
determine our deeds

The path of
glory lead but to
graves

Youth is a
blunder,
Manhood a
struggle
and Old
age a
regret

My vision of India in 2001 AD

He who reigns himself and
Rules his Passions, Desires and
Fears, is more than a King.
Compassion is basis of all
morality.

A useless
life is an
early death

2011

2010

Creation of Smaller states

and the consequent
administrative, economic and
developmental implications
(decentralization +
participative democracy)

Preparedness of
our society for
Indias global
leadership

2009

2008

2007

Role of media in good

governance

Independent thinking
should be encouraged
right from the childhood

National identity and

patriotism

Is autonomy best answer

to combat balkanization

2006

2005

2004

Justice must
reach the poor

Judicial activism
and Indian
democracy

2. Social Justice

3. Public Policy

Should a
moratorium be
imposed on all fresh
mining in tribal
areas of the
country?
Economic

Foreign Direct
Investment in
retail: bane or
boon

Creation of
Smaller states and
the consequent
administrative,
economic and
developmental
implications

Should a
moratorium be
imposed on all
fresh mining in
tribal areas of the
country?

Are our traditional

handicrafts doomed
to a slow death

Justice must
reach the poor

Special Economic
zone: Boon or bane

Globalism vs.
nationalism

Preparedness of
our society for
Indias global
leadership

Evaluation of
Panchayti Raj
system in India from
the point of view of
eradication of
poverty to power to
India

Globalization
would finish
small scale
industries in
India

The lure of
space

BPO boom in India

From traditional
Indian
philanthropy to the
Gates-Buffet
model a natural
progression or a
paradigm shift
Sci & Tech

Cultivation of
organic food

Info Tech

Education

Credit based
higher education
system-status,
opportunities and
challenges

Preparedness of
our society for
Indias global
leadership

Is egalitarian society
possible by educating
masses?

How has satellite

television brought
about cultural
change in the Indian
mindset

Increasing
computerization
would lead to the
creation of
dehumanized
society

Independent
thinking should be
encouraged right
from the childhood

Education for
all campaign:
Myth or reality

What is real
education?

Women Issues

Indian women
in International
sports

Women
reservation Bill
would usher in
empowerment
for women in
India
The focus of health
care is increasingly
getting skewed
towards the halves of
our society (health
policy)

Administration
Creation of
Smaller states and
the consequent
administrative,
economic and
developmental
implications
Climate issues

Cultivation of
organic foods

Should a
moratorium be
imposed on all
fresh mining in
tribal areas of the
country?

How effective
are our
systems and
institutions in
dealing with
disasters?
Food security

If women ruled the

world
Hand that rocks the
cradle (old age
issue also)

Urbanization and its

hazard (urban policy)

Protection of
ecology and
environment is
essential for
sustainable
economic
development

Food securitylegislation and

implementatio
n

Water resource
should be
under control
of the Central
Government

Food security for

sustainable
national
development

Energy
security
Terrorism
National security

How
effective are
our systems
and
institutions in
dealing with
disasters?
Food

In the Indian
context, both
human
intelligence and
technical
intelligence are
crucial in
combating

Geography may
remain the same;
history need not
Should a moratorium
be imposed on all
fresh mining in tribal
areas of the country?

Are we a soft
state?
Good fences
make good
neighbors
Globalism vs.
nationalism

Wither women
emancipation

Terrorism and
world peace

securitylegislation
and
implementati
on

4. Culture and civilization

5. International Issues

terrorism
Creation of
Smaller states
and the
consequent
administrative,
economic and
developmental
implications
Does Indian
Cinema shape
our popular
culture or merely
reflect it?

National identity
and patriotism

Geography may
remain the same;
history need not

How has satellite

television brought about
cultural change in the
Indian mindset

Good fences
make good
neighbors

Importance of IndoUS nuclear

agreement

Preparedness of our
society for Indias
global leadership
6. Abstract/ Thematic writing

From traditional
Indian philanthropy to
the Gates-Buffet
model a natural
progression or a
paradigm shift

Discipline means
success, anarchy
means ruin

Attitude makes habit,

habit makes character
and character makes a
man

Indias role in
promoting
ASEAN
cooperation

Year

1993

1994

Theme

Democracy
Globalization

Globalization

Administration

Economy

Social justice

Economy

Women
issue

Ecology &
climate

Democracy

Economy

Education

International
relation/issue

Education

Polity

1996

Democracy

Futuristic &
thematic

Futuristic/
prognostic

Polity

1995

Total
choic
es

Women
issue

Contemporary
issues

ITC

Trend

Ethicalmoral
issue

Wide range of options with

generalized themes, little need
of data and analysis- candidate
could easily build premises of
the essay and take the side of
his/her argument

Ethicalmoral,
scholastic

Wide range of options; more

scholastic topics ethics, polity
and economy, with option for
reflective writing

Culturecivilization

Wide range on public policydemocracy, education,

economy, women issue- and
ethics; tenor still general and
thematic with latitude of
reflective, historical and cultural
arguments

Ethicalmoral

Contemporary issue related to

major democratic,
administrative, social and
cultural issues, candidate could
still frame basic theme without

much analytical data, but

needed good knowledge about
underlying issues
1997

Post-Independent
democratic history

Judicial
activism

Health issue

Religionethics

Contemporary issues on general

lines; needed- frame the
argument in favor of picked up
side; less direct topics

Ethics,
civilization

Nearing millennium topics were

contemporary, tilted to futuristicreflective themes; ethical-moral
themes diminish significantly

Culture

Contemporary policy issues

dominate, which require more
professional approach in dealing
with the essay writing- neededdata and underpinning of policy
issues involved.

Thematic,
reflective,
ethicalmoral
issues,
culture

Thematic topics come back to

dominate- options still wide
range where formulation of
strong argument remains helpful

Ethicalmoral

Analytical public policy themes

dominate

Urban policy
Religion in polity
1998

1999

Indian polity- language

issue; freedom &
liberty, composite
culture
Demography

Futuristic

Women
issue

Mass media

Affirmative
policy

Women
issue

Prognostic

Resource
management

Scholastic
topics

Education

2000

Globalization

2001

Democracy

Disaster
management

ITC

Education

Women
issue

Futuristicreflective

Reflective topics provide some

general option
2002

Democracy

Education

Ethicalmoral

Deviation from pattern- abrupt

topics involving reflective skillshypotheses, premises, opinion
based development of
arguments

Highly reflective topics, need

little data and analysis and more

Debating
topics
2003

Democracy

Globalization

Ethicalmoral

creative-retrospective writing
skills around chosen ethicalmoral standing
2004

Democracy
Judicial activism

2005

Democracy

Water
resource
management

Space
technology
issue

Women
issue

Food security

Education

Women
issue

Distributive justice

International
relationship

No reflective ethical-moral topic

ASEAN
Terrorism

Terrorism, food security- both

related to national security
appear for the first time
Thematic topic, purely requiring
reflective writing comes in

2006

Globalization

Sustainable
development

Education

Women
issue

2007

Globalization

Economy

Education

Women
issue

Economy

Education

Media

Economy

Health issue

International
relation

Panchayati Raj

International
relation

ITC

ITC

No reflective topic- all need

professional understanding of
the issue: impact of
computer/internet on human
behavior appears for the first
time.

Culture

Only two data based analytical

topics, both related to public
policy issue; rest reflective
requiring firm opinion about the
approach to the topics

Ethicalmoral

One purely ethical-reflective

essay, rest need public
policy/political approach to the
topics

All need data/ professional

knowledge about the issues- just
impressive articulation will not
work.

Too narrow choices: all need

professional underpinnings

Decentralization

2008

Democracy
Urban policy
Nation Building

2009

2010

Globalization

Nation & Nation

Building

Sustainable
development

Global economy &

polity

Equitable
development

Charity and
advocacy

National security
Terrorism

2011

Polity: decentralization

2012

Education
Food security

Economy

Terrorism
Women
issue

Sustainable
development

Culture
Disaster
management

Choices even narrower

Contemporary women issueSania Nehwal and Mary Kom

winning Olympic medals for
India
Others require specific data to
build the essays