Not just a Remembrance, but much more !

 Whenever it comes down to India, I'm reminded of its ancient and remarkable culture, the long-established tradition and multiplicities, or the diversity it engrosses within itself. In such a vivid and multifarious country, drafting a document like Constitution was indeed a task to be done.  The blood and sweat of our great leaders who devoted every bit of their spaces deserve not just a day but the eternity of remembrance for creating a piece that's gonna decide the country's destiny and its incessant journey ahead.

There was a time back in history, India was called the "golden bird".

Though tributaries turned a little upside down since then,  we still are the same river!

The colonialism India suffered in the past is hard to forget, but can't the spaces be saved for hope and introspection? I believe the day you acknowledge something is the day of celebration. 

So, I, therefore take a moment to recall Mark Twain when he quoted India as,

"The land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence, of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps, of tigers and elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of hundred nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of traditions, whose yesterday’s bear date with the modering antiquities for the rest of nations-the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for an alien prince and alien peasant, for lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the world combine."

Today 26th November is not just a day to commemorate the adoption of our Constitution by the Constituent Assembly but also a day to introspect. The day to introspect our deeds, our actions, and all that we wished to achieve but couldn't. Period.

Our constitution-makers took inspiration from many countries including the USA, Canada, France, Soviet Union, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Germany, and Ireland. About dozens of principles were adopted and enshrined beautifully in the constitution. And it came out as the World's longest constitution serving the world's largest democracy. That's the legacy we cherish to date. It is now our responsibility, of the young to take this exceptional legacy forward.

Just like any country, India too has witnessed an array of patches through its time. We came a long way through manifold decisions and important judgments that had shaped the basic foundation structure of the constitution. Be it the historical Indra Sawhney case, the Keshwanand Bharti case, the Minerva mills case, the Indira Gandhi vs Raj Narain, or the Shayra Bano vs Union Of India case, the Indian Constitution has withstood the test of time.

These milestones have not only strengthened the sanctity of the constitution but also has deepened the faith we citizens have in it.

B.R. Ambedkar once said, "However good a Constitution may be, if those who are implementing it are not good, it will prove to be bad. However bad a Constitution may be, if those implementing it are good, it will prove to be good."

And that says a lot. The regime governing must ensure that they are not here feeding up their vote banks but the people's lives.

Our experiences with single-party dominance have shown us that in the face of comfortable majorities, parties tend to concentrate their power. The result is reflected in the decisions they make and the policies they frame. The recent repealing of farm law is one such example. There seems to be a pattern in the way the government indulges in decision-making. That is, it takes decisions hastily without proper homework and deliberation, and then takes a step back after it faces a strong and adverse reaction by the citizenry. All this points to the discrepancies it had between the institutions and functioning in general. The government if continues to make unilateral and hasty decisions, only to revoke them later, will have no credibility left.  

The Constitution is a great machine of the government. The pure organic life of the Constitution should be able to encompass the generations of the past, present, and future of a country. In this sense, Constitution must address and spell out the needs of the time, keep pace with development including technology, and, at the same time, preserve our rich cultural heritage. The decision-makers and policymakers should ensure that keeping up with the integrity and sanctity of the constitution is the first step before deliberating any problem.

In the end, I would like to quote B.R. Ambedkar,

“Constitution is not a mere lawyers document, it is a vehicle of life and its spirit is always the spirit of an age”.

Keeping these words in mind, I urge every youth to not just be the spectator in the functioning ( of institutions) but also be the analyst of the same. It should be kept in mind that the power vested in the hands of people in a democracy is not only utilized for blindly praising the government but it should be used as an aid, to advise and correct the government whenever required so that the efficiency and quality of governance are maintained. And that indeed would be a real tribute to our constitutional makers.

With this, 

I wish every individual out there a very Happy Constitution Day!

-ANCHAL PANDEY