Page 12 - NIS English, 16-30 November,2022

Nation Constitution Day Special

which our life, our society, our traditions, for Indian citizens' rights because the
our beliefs, our behavior, our ethics are British were actively obstructing their
included with all of them. At the same Constitution Day rights. It is only natural that everyone,
time, there are solutions to many should also be including Mahatma Gandhi, believed
challenges as well. Our constitution is celebrated because that Indian citizens should have equal
so comprehensive because in it we it gives us an rights, so he continued to fight.
have kept our windows open for outside opportunity to However, it is also true that Mahatma
light. And along with that, the light Gandhi tried to prepare the country for
which is within has also been given an evaluate whether our duty at all times, even while fighting for
opportunity to ignite it more. path is right or not. the rights of the freedom movement.
I'll reiterate what I said in 2014 while He continuously tried to sow the seed
speaking from the ramparts of the Red of cleanliness, adult education, respect
Fort. If I had to summarise the for women, empowerment of women,
Constitution in two words, I would say In this Amrit use of khadi and the idea of Swadeshi
"Dignity for Indians and Unity for India." Mahotsava of and self-reliance among the people of
Our Constitution guarantees the dignity Independence, it is the country.
of every citizen. It has maintained necessary for us to But the seeds of duties that
India's unity and integrity. Our Mahatma Gandhi had sown should
Constitution is the cornerstone of move forward on have become a banyan tree after
global democracy. It not only makes us the path of duty so independence. But unfortunately, such
aware of our rights, but also of our that our rights are a system of governance developed
responsibilities. Our constitution is, in a protected. which only talked about assuring the
certain sense, the most secular in the rights of the people as long as they
entire world. (political parties) were there. It would
There are no limits to what we can have been better if the duty had been
accomplish, how big our dreams can emphasised after the independence of
be, or where we can go. The Constitution mentions the country, then the rights would have been
rights, and the Constitution requires the performance automatically protected. Duty gives a sense of
of duties. Are we, as individuals, families, and responsibility towards society. Rights sometimes
societies, as serious about our responsibilities as our lead to a tendency that ‘I should get my rights’ and
Constitution, country, and citizens' dreams demand? there is an attempt to frustrate society. With the
As Rajendra Babu ji stated, we must establish what is sense of duty, there is a feeling in a common man
not written in the constitution by convention, which is that this is my responsibility which I have to fulfill.
also a specialty of India. We have emphasised our And when I perform the duty, then someone’s right
rights in recent decades, which was both necessary gets automatically protected, respected and
and correct. Because such systems have been
established in society, a large segment of the honoured. A healthy society is created as a result of
population has been denied rights. It was not possible both duties and rights.
to instil a sense of equality and justice in this large It is very necessary for us that we walk on the path
group without first introducing them to the rights. of protecting the rights through duties during this
However, the need of the hour is for us to reflect Amrit Mahtosav of freedom. It is the path of duty in
on our duties, responsibilities, and rights as citizens. which the rights are guaranteed, it is the path of duty
Because we cannot protect our rights unless we carry which accepts others’ rights with respect and gives
out our responsibilities. Parents fulfil their them their due. And when we are celebrating
responsibilities when they send their children to Constitution Day, we should always have this spirit
school. However, if they consciously insist on their that the rights of everyone will be protected if we
child learning the mother tongue, they are fulfilling continue to walk on the path of duty with a greater
their civic duty, serve the nation. A citizen also fulfils degree of devotion and rigour. Today we are fortunate
his civic duty if he saves water drop by drop. to fulfill the dreams of the freedom fighters with which
This year marks 75 years of independence. This is they had made India. We should leave no stone
Amrit Kaal. It was only natural and necessary to fight unturned to fulfill those dreams.

10 New India Samachar November 16-30, 2022