26th November has been declared as a Constitution day by the Government of India.It was on this day in the year 1949 that the Constitution was adopted by the Indian Parliament.
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| Preamble of the Constitution ( sourced from internet) |
One of the many anecdotes from that time is regarding the adoption of the Preamble. Representatives from various sects vied for adoption by pronouncing the names of Gods etc. However Dr Ambedkar prevailed by letting the preamble be adopted in the name of the people, AND that is why the preamble starts with 'We, the people '.Tracing the democratic principles of life to the earliest Indian traditions of democratic parlance in Buddhist Sangitis( council meetings), Dr.Ambedkar observed that ' if things go wrong under the new Constitution, the reason will not be that we had a bad Constitution. what we will have to say is that, Man was vile'. Also he likened the Constitution to a temple, which is a place of worship however if a demon enters the temple he said that he would be the first to burn such a temple.
This is the clear and long-lasting vision provided by Dr. Ambedkar regarding his idea of the Constitution. Indeed the Constitution is a living document and has been undergoing changes as per the need of the hour. However very rightfully the basic structure of the Constitution has been kept intact.
The philosophy of the constitution of a welfare state, the basic understanding regarding power to the people, education, health , safety etc basic functions to be undertaken by the State has been implemented by every Government. Though the Right to Information Act 2005, Right to Education Act 2009, Right to food Act 2013, Panchayati Raj act 1993 were enacted after almost half a century since the adoption of the Constitution in 1949. However slow but steadily we certainly march to our goal of a uited secular Bharat marked by Liberty Equality and Fraternity.
We are a nation of 135 crore. It is we who should own and celebrate the Constitution as a safeguard of the basic human dignity and right to live. Articles regarding Fundamental Rights, duties and Directive principles of State gives the Rights to the citizens and also provide us the way as to how to live our lives in the betterment of one and all.
In the Indian subcontinent we have Afghanistan, Pakistan, Srilanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar etc .In my humble opinion I would like to state that the other countries in Indian subcontinent have suffered a very bad future post colonial era with countries going under Dictatorship or Fundamentalists. The ultimate sufferers are the people in such regimes. Whereas while other nations have suffered breakdown India on the other hand has maintained and is running itself like a well oiled machine solely due to the marvelous and wonderful Constitution our forefathers had envisioned and provided us.
Many today assume the rights as a matter of course not realising what could have been the faith of country sans a enduring and principled Constitution.
Lastly Constitution is not just a book , orcompilation of laws and codes, but a document embodying the fighting spirit and the struggle for freedom and dignity. It was the first vision document which the freedom fighters crafted and imagined. Therefore it is this spirit of belonging towards the Constitution which we all should embody and celebrate today on the occasion of the Constitution day.
Akshaymohan©
