The sovereign, socialist, democratic nation of
India adopted its constitution on
26 November, 1949 and began commemorating this iconic feat every January. Yesterday, we celebrated 60 years as a Republic. On this momentous occasion, lets go through how our constitution has helped us develop as a country:
The Fundamental Right to FreedomEveryone in this country is allowed to have his/her own opinion. Let me illustrate with an example. Suppose you are a notable bare-footed painter. You will realize that people who do not like your works can express their disapproval by ransacking exhibitions and burning your paintings in broad daylight. The right to freedom of expression stops the police from checking this menace.
We also have freedom to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India and practice any profession. I wonder whether Raj Thakeray knows about it.
Right to EqualityAll men are equal, some men are more equal than others.Have you ever stood in line in front of a government office and spied the occasional bureaucrat taking his acquaintance aside and pushing his file before any else? If the answer is
no, this blog isn't meant for you.
Women of our country want to be treated as equals and yet scream for reservation when it comes to seats in the Parliament and the Metro. Plus, I believe I'm going to be labeled a sexist because the first line of this paragraph does not contain any representation for the fairer sex. Damn!
Right to VoteA right/duty given to every Indian above 18 years of age.
Mumbai registered 45% voter turnout in the last elections. I wonder why they complain when corrupt politicians get elected. Votes can bought everywhere in the country
except on
eBay (they should change their advertisements).
Right to EducationOnly 44
deemed universities were de-recognized by the Education Ministry before the apex court ordered a status quo. How does anyone shoot one's self in the leg? Its quite similar to the way our country introduces self-defeating reforms.
Remember Slumdog Millionaire? 'The Three Musketeers' was never in
our syllabus. But we have read
saffron-ized history that changed with the change in regime.
Here's an interesting story on the plight of education in India.
Right to Constitutional remediesI wonder what our fundamental right to approach the courts for justice was called. In India,
Justice is blind. Absolutely blind! Try going on a shooting spree in a busy city at midnight and leave behind CCTV footage of the carnage as well as a hundred corpses. Years would pass by while the Supreme Court would let the government spend crores on your protection while you call yourself an aspiring actor in Bollywood. Why don't you simply rape a minor and get staggering 6 months in jail?
Right to Freedom of ReligionAccording to our constitution, no person can be discriminated against on the basis of his/her religion. Ironic, isn't it?
Right against ExploitationThe Wikipedia article on our fundamental rights says that the Right against Exploitation covers:
- Child labour (below 14 years of age)
- Forced labour
- Trafficking
- Slavery
The middle/cattle class and lower classes have long been exploited by the upper classes. Nothing for us down-trodden folks. Even OBCs have it better than poor old
'General' category.
And this concludes our lesson in Social Sciences. Be proud of our heritage - the land of Narendra Modi, Bal & Raj Thakeray and L K Advani (Names represent only the creamy layer of villainous evil-eyed fly-bitten ruffians).
P.S. The right to vote is not a fundamental right.
