Some thoughts on Republic Day

 

On 26th January 1950, India became Republic. This day marks the assertion of the identity of a young nation, which had so far seen violence of unimaginable scale due to partition. We were also facing mounting challenges - Poverty was rampant, social ills were pervasive, calls for modernity were not reaching the ears of the illiterate population. 


But the founders of our nation carved the idea of India, despite these obstacles. When I say that our republic day marks the identity of our country, it is not without meaning. The flashy five bold letters - Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic that we find in the preamble of our constitution are not the only things that define our identity. It is much more subtle and elegant. 


Consider, for instance, Article 395 of the Indian Constitution. It reads as follows: 

The Indian Independence Act, 1947, and the Government of India Act, 1935, together with all enactments amending or supplementing the latter Act, but not including the Abolition of Privy Council Jurisdiction Act, 1949, are hereby repealed.


The repeal of the Indian Independence Act by our constitution is interesting. The Act provided for the transfer of administration from the British to the Indians. It has nothing controversial, except that the British parliament enacted it. 


The Constitution Assembly wanted this law repealed for a simple reason: Why should the people sitting at Westminster think they have made our country independent? Freedom is not something for the British to dole out. As our Tilak proclaimed vividly, "Swaraj is our Birthright! We shall have it!"


In my view, this is one of the best assertions of who we are as a nation. 


Today is also the day when the Indian Constitution came into force. Interesting things could be said about our constitution, apart from the boring fact that it is the lengthiest in the world. Among the 12 Asian countries that gained independence soon after World War II and drafted constitutions, only three have survived—India, Taiwan, and South Korea (US lawyers drafted the Constitution of Japan for most of the part).


India is now entering 73rd Republic day. Having a good constitution alone does not assure democracy. As we are slowly drifting towards the age of polarity, it is even more essential to revisit the founding values of our nation. 


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