TeaAs the American historian Granville Austin has said, the Indian Constitution is a unique document. Despite its enactment and endurance for 75 years, the Constitution did not become the people’s book. But it is changing now. Communities and protesters are slowly adopting and celebrating it.
,The Gita neither runs nor runs by the Quran, our country runs by the constitution of Bhima. (Our country is neither governed by Gita nor Quran, it is governed by Bhimrao Ambedkar’s constitution). With this catchy song, the Bhil community in Udaipur, Rajasthan is not only sticking to the Constitution, but also embracing its chief architect, Bhimrao Ambedkar. Through folk songs, small gatherings and redressal of issues of daily life, Bhils and many other communities are finding meaning in the Constitution.
Bhils form small groups of volunteers and reach out to communities to solve problems by applying the Constitution, Preamble values and constitutional principles.
Read also: India’s democracy goes beyond the last mall in Noida. Rural feudal rich are facing problems
indigenization of the constitution
Another such group operates from Jodhpur and is led by youths from the Kalbelia community – a tribe of snake charmers who were left on the margins after the enactment of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1971. It is interesting to see how these communities – about whom there is hardly any discourse in the mainstream of Indian society – are connecting to the Constitution through tribal songs and daily activities.
These youth-led groups are calling for fundamental constitutional principles to address the problems of representation, access to rations, birth certificates and proof of residence—issues common among historically nomadic communities such as Kalbelia.
These initiatives are also undertaken by a network of civil societies, which act as a capacity builder. They train individuals through cross-learning workshops and community gatherings, acting as a knowledge-sharing platform. Constitutional democracies around the world are facing an existential crisis, but this community-driven engagement may allow us to reshape the idea of constitutional endurance and look at it from a broader perspective of connecting with the real custodians of this document . As we celebrate 75 years of India’s independence, it is important to move forward with the indigenization of our first document.
Read also: ‘No common sewing work’ – Muslim women in Malerkotla sew flags for the tricolor in every household
issue of inaccessibility
Despite its importance, the Indian Constitution cannot be called accessible. However, it has performed well in the endurance test. Scholars Tom Ginsberg, Zachary Elkins and James Melton Argue That the average life span of a written constitution is 19 years. His research shows that the Indian Constitution has survived almost four times.
But is this survival the only reason for such endurance? Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Sujit Chaudhary and Madhav Khosla Argue That the constitution survives for various reasons. One of the most important reasons is that it provides space for the settlement of elite aspirations while encompassing groups that were previously ostracized and sidelined. However, the literature on the tolerability of the Constitution does not take into account the issue of civic engagement. As important as it is to them, the common man’s interaction with the Constitution is at its most limited.
For example, a constitution connect Survey Studies conducted in 93 schools in India found that only 33 schools practiced engaging with the preamble or constitution in morning meetings. This is despite a clear government Government Order On reciting the national anthem in school meetings. While students engage with the constitution in their political science courses, it is not from a practice standpoint.
Read also: Freedom not just result of Congress efforts and satyagraha – Hindu Right Press lauds RSS’s role
a paradigm shift
British constitutional scholar Ivor Jennings called the Indian Constitution a “lawyers’ paradise” because of the complex language and phrases it has adopted. Jennings’ claim is not false. The literal complexity of the Constitution has kept its values and principles away from the common people. In the last 75 years neither the state nor the civil society has tried to take the Constitution to the people. However, post 2014, we have seen an increase in engagement.
In 2015, the Forum to Popularize the Constitution of India began hosting public events in multiple languages on Constitutional issues, Gradually, civic organizations such as Law and Policy Research Center began to curate texts on the constitution, while they like Constitution Connect Started working in regional languages to make the lessons more accessible. Curated by academics like Professor Tarunabh Khaitan and lawyer-researcher Surbhi Karva online videos and podcasts to disseminate knowledge of constitutional principles to the public.
text of preamble And carrying copies of the Constitution has emerged as a popular means of dissent in recent years, especially during the anti-CAA protests between 2019 and 2020. These efforts were limited to non-state actors. Kerala The government initiated efforts for constitutional literacy. In January, the Kollam District Panchayat, the District Planning Committee and the Kerala Institute of Local Administration took the initiative to provide basic knowledge of the Preamble and Fundamental Rights.
supporters The Constitutional Literacy Initiative argues that familiarity with state power allows individuals to take on the role of constitutional guardian. Christopher Dreisbach in his book, Constitutional Literacy – A Twenty First Century Essentials, says that “(k) the knowledge of the Constitution (is) sufficient to properly enforce it”. These calls reinforce the role of citizens as constitutional guardians. Thus, as India completes 75 years of independence, we must push to make the Constitution simple, jargon-free and most importantly, accessible.
Rajesh Ranjan is a Samata Fellow. He is also the co-convener of the Legal Aid and Awareness Committee at National Law University, Jodhpur. thoughts are personal
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)