This year marks the 74th year since the Constitution of our country came into force. The 284 members of the Constituent Assembly, ably led by the polymath Dr.B.R. Ambedkar, took up this gigantic task, studied the constitutions of 60 different countries and took three long years to draft the document which resulted in the Indian Constitution becoming the longest written constitution in the history of the world.
It took innumerable debates, healthy and constructive criticisms, extensive and prolonged discussions between the brightest minds of those times to come up with this document which then became the supreme law for this young nation. We resolved to be a ‘constitutional democracy’ whereby, irrespective of which political affiliation gained parliamentary majority, the guiding principle for any law subsequently formulated would be not only the letters but also the core spirit of the Constitution – i.e. JUSTICE, LIBERTY, EQUALITY and FRATERNITY.
While we remember this day with great pride and joy, we should also understand that any constitution can only be as good as the people who are sworn to protect it. And that responsibility eventually lies with ‘We, the people of India’. We should resolve to safeguard, protect and strengthen our constitutional values, individually as well as collectively as a society.
The architect of our constitution, Babasaheb Ambedkar, in his last address to the Constituent Assembly, echoed these same sentiments. He observed:“I feel however good a Constitution might be, it is sure to turn out bad if those who are called to work it are a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it are a good lot.”
He further emphasised:“In addition to our old enemies in the form of caste and creed, we are going to have many political parties with diverse and often opposing political creeds. Will Indians place the country above their creed or will they place their creed above the country? I do not know. But this much is certain, that if the parties place creed above country then our independence will be put in jeopardy a second time and probably be lost forever.”
Former President K.R. Narayanan, while speaking on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Republic of India in 2000, said, “Today, when there is so much talk about reviewing the Constitution or even writing a new one, we have to consider whether it is the Constitution which has failed us or whether it is we who have failed the Constitution.”
The words of Billings Learned Hand(27 January 1872 – 18 August 1961), an eminent American lawyer, jurist and legal luminary sums this up perfectly, “I often wonder whether we rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are fake hopes, believe me, these are false hopes. Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law and no court can save it.”
While claiming that the constitution is faultless and perfect would be utopian, casting unfounded aspersions that our constitution is a ‘copy paste job’ of Western democracies and hence needs to be rewritten and doubting the intentions of the founding fathers of the nation would be akin to murdering the founding spirit of this nation.
There comes a time in the life of every nation when the people who wish to be remembered as true patriots have to stand up against the constant attempts to delegitimise the very founding principles of that nation. The ‘Idea of India’ which aspires to provide all its inhabitants equal rights and equal opportunities to progress and prosper; the ‘Idea of India’ which ensures safety and security of its most vulnerable; that very ‘Idea of India’ is under threat today. The gateway to de-legitimising this ‘Idea of India’ is through unchallenged and unscrupulous attacks on the Constitution and its founding fathers.
All the citizens of this nation who cherish this ‘Idea of India’ will need to make their voices heard loud and clear.
“There is no greater threat to democracy than indifference and passivity on the part of its citizens.”– Bronislaw Geremek
It is time we recall some of the beautiful quotes by the founding fathers of our Constitution as well as great men of learning so that we are motivated to strengthen our resolve to protect our Constitution.
Let us remember the words of Noam Chomsky,a great American philosopher and thinker. “The world can be saved only when we can maintain a vibrant Democracy where informed citizens are fully engaged in deliberations, policymaking and direct action.”
In the words of K. Subrahmanyam, the doyen of strategic thinkers and policymakers and the father of S. Jaishankar, our present External Affairs Minister:
“No other country is comparable to India in terms of its diversity of religions, languages and ethnicities. Consequently, Unity is only possible under a Secular, Pluralistic, Democratic and Quasi federal Constitution.”
We are fortunate to have one of the best constitutions in the world.
The extracts from a recent judgement given by Chennai High Court are a food for thought:“Religion is not a competitive business. Spewing venom against other religious faiths and developing hatred against followers of a particular religion defies its purpose which is to help human beings evolve towards higher truths.”
“The ideal of secularism was not built into our constitution for no reason… Indian secularism stresses on equal tolerance of all religions… The failure to practise tolerance would only lead to alienation from fellow citizens and have a cascading effect on maintaining peace, order and brotherhood which cannot be put to jeopardy at any cost.” (Justice Anand Venkatesh)
“Our society can survive and be stable so long as law encourages inclusion and pluralism.”
“Broaden your horizons and associate with people who may not necessarily think, dress, eat or believe as you do.”
“Our constitution above all is an essay in the acceptance of diversity. It is founded on a vision of an inclusive society which accommodates plural ways of life.”(Chief Justice of Supreme Court D.Y.Chandrachud)
A prophetic warning by B.R. Ambedkar, the architect of our Constitution, in a historic speech on November 25, 1949:
“if we ignore the peril of increasing inequality in Indian societythen “those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which…(we have)… so laboriously built up.”
“If we are to go merely by the majority in the Parliament, we shall be fostering the seeds of fascism, violence, and revolt. The practice of constitutional fidelity is paramount to preserve and protect our democracy.”
(G.V.Mavalankar, the first Speaker of Lok Sabha)
These precious quotes are extremely relevant. In the present scenario where the idea of an inclusive pluralistic India as envisioned by the founders of our nation who drafted the Constitution, and which is one of the best in the world, is being challenged.
Ours is a multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-ethnic society since time immemorial.Our Constitution guarantees equal respect and equal rights to every citizen of our country and equal opportunity for every religion, culture and language to flower and blossom and at the same time promote fraternity and assure the unity and integrity of the nation. This is what our Constitution says, plainly and unequivocally.
To respect the Culture and Tradition of our nation is the duty of every citizen of India irrespective of caste, community and religion.
Similarly, to acknowledge and accept that India is a sacred land of Saints and Sages, Sufis and Sants and all major religions of the world who have contributed richly to and influenced the tradition, the culture and the thought process of the people living here together since centuries is the need of the hour.
Unity in Diversity has been the hallmark of our nation and in fact this has been our Culture and Tradition since ages.
To accept this reality and honour this tradition is the obligation and responsibility of every citizen of our country. This will generate the much-needed goodwill between fellow countrymen and positively contribute to creating an atmosphere of peace and harmony in the entire nation.
This is how we can fulfilour constitutional duty and responsibility of promoting fraternity and strengthening the Unity and integrity of the nation as mentioned in the Preamble of the Constitution.
“I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship.I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings.My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you.Let us work together for unity and love.”(Mahatma Gandhi)