Modern India: In Between Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties
Animesh AL Rai
Assistant Professor (Sociology)
Indian Institute of Legal Studies
In the winter of 1946, more than three hundred men and women from different parts of India came forward to draft the new constitution for an Independent India. It was a complex task to compose a law for a heterogeneous and a diverse society. Some critics pointed out that India was just a ‘geographical term’ and could not be thought in terms of a nation. Yet, the founding fathers of India did carefully frame and promulgated the constitution on 26th January 1950.
The Indian Constitution gives an identity to 1.2 billion Indians today. At the same time it also gives the citizens of India their Fundamental Rights and Duties. In the present Indian context, it is observed that the citizens of India have more to demand for rights than to perform our legal duties. We are prone to delight in celebrating the rights given to us by our constitution. Like we love to follow our own religion, customs, culture, traditions, language, move within India freely and so on but at a same time we fail to perform our Fundamental Duties as Indians.
It is also observed that we are becoming only the rights demanding citizens but un-performers of our national duties. However, what is equally important is that we should also be an Indian accomplish the duties as demanded by the law of our land. In most cases of civil clashes and disorders, it is found that the government properties are damaged and dismantled the most. At times or often, we are reluctant to pay our taxes, wake up early for Independence or Republic Day celebrations. At times we simply forget or ignore the national duties assigned to us. Therefore, to be a citizen apprehensive of materialistic and moral developments it becomes necessary for us to perform our national duties as well. As true citizens of Mother India, we should not only be the right demanding citizens but we should equally be duty fulfilling citizens. This would be a way forward to celebrate the sense of citizenship.
