Immanuel Kant wrote in Critique of Pure Reason: “All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.” 

According to dictionary.cambridge.org, “It is the quality of being based on clear thought and reason, or of making decisions based on clear thought and reason.”

Even in the Indian tradition, rationalists and sceptics have held out for scientific ideas since at least the 6th century BC.

Body

Your body must contain examples to support your stand which you have made clear in the introduction. The best way will be to base it on Indian Philosophy and various schools of thought. You may pick some of the following examples:

Ajita Kesakambalin, a contemporary of the Buddha, was the earliest known teacher of complete materialism. He is considered the forerunner of the philosophical tradition of the Charvakas, who privileged direct perception, empiricism and scepticism over Vedic ritualism.

The original texts of the Charvakas have not survived, but references to their rationalist tradition is found in Buddhist and Jain works. The Buddha himself cautioned against accepting “what has been acquired by repeated hearing”, and encouraged contemplation and independent thinking.

Within the wider Brahminical tradition, shades of opinion prevailed between the Brahmanas and the Shramanas, and many found their beliefs in the middle. The relationship between the two extremes was characterised as that between the “snake and the mongoose”, suggesting frequent philosophical debates and struggles.

Debiprasad Chattopadhyay, who has chronicled the history of philosophy and science in India, has mentioned one Uddalaka Aruni in the Chhandogya Upanishad, who speaks of the importance observing phenomena that take place before the eyes, and not supernatural phenomena — the very essence of rationalism.

Let’s take Maharashtra as an example. The region that is now Maharashtra has a long history of radical thought that challenged several ideas embedded in the caste hierarchies of the Brahminical Hindu religion. It was here that Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism, and the Republican parties carry forward his legacy in their own ways. Jyotiba Phule and Savitri Phule rejected caste and gender inequalities. The first recorded reservation in educational institutes for backward castes was instituted in Maharashtra by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur (1894-1922).

But Maharashtra was not the only state which saw vibrant social reform. Narayana Guru in Kerala and E V Ramasamy Naicker ‘Periyar’ in Tamil Nadu were early advocates of progress. The Self-Respect movement in Tamil Nadu, and the Left movements in Kerala and West Bengal made a strong case for rationalism and egalitarianism, and rejected blind faith. In the early modern period in Bengal, Raja Ram Mohan Roy and the Brahmo Samaj led the charge against regressive tradition.

Article 51A(H) of the Constitution of India gives a call “to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform”.

The leaders of the national movement hoped that the lofty ideals of the emerging Indian state would encourage a modern and progressive outlook. Privileging a civic idea of the nation over blood or faith, caste or creed, would be vital to keep a diverse and unequal country together, they believed.

Conclusion

Your conclusion can be a general statement in the present day context. For example

Covid times: It was natural and normal for us to be taken over by despair during covid crisis. A voice that chattered within us non-stop, talked “Doomsday” and the fight or flight response made us anxious one moment, our hearts full of sorrow the next and angry the very next, taking us on an emotional rollercoaster! It was talk within us that just refused to quieten down. One of the ways to beat it was ‘rationality’ rooted in our Indian tradition and practices, not any western stereotype