Approach: # This answer has been attempted fully in the paragraph format. There is nothing like every question has to be written in point form. In practice, in the real time, the whole paper will be a mix of pointed answers, paragraph and some of them as hybrid. The key has been created in the real time conditions with prime focus on demand and simplicity of reading.
Demand of the question: Examine the relevance of openness and flexibility in life while simultaneously preserving one’s identity.
Introduction: Swami Vivekananda’s statement advocates for a constructive balance between openness and rootedness, encouraging individuals to learn from diverse sources while safeguarding their individuality, cultural identity, and contextual wisdom.
Learning from others fosters personal and professional growth by exposing individuals to new skills, values, and perspectives. Openness frees individuals and societies from dogmatism and intellectual isolation, thereby transcending the “frog in the well” mindset. Exposure to diverse ideas broaden horizons, fosters dialogue, and helps mitigate ideological conflicts.
However, uncritical imitation disregards differences in aptitude and context. For instance, a mathematics student may draw perseverance and discipline from a sportsperson like Virat Kohli but cannot transpose sporting methods directly into academic pursuits.
Even the provisions in the Indian constitutions, converts the prominent democratic models into the age old deliberative and argumentative traditions in the Indian society, . For example, the country has selectively adopted global best practices such as Citizen Charters from Britain while suitably adapting them to local realities.
Economically, India’s mixed economic model blended elements of the U.S. market system with the USSR’s planning approach, by giving due importance of traditional cottage industries. In education and culture, Swami Vivekananda’s ideas promote creativity over conformity, enabling innovation rooted in tradition, as reflected in the National Education Policy 2020.
Thus, Vivekananda’s message mirrors India’s age old civilizational ideal of unity in diversity, where we have been learning continuously from all our contemporaries without diluting the cultural identity.