Kerala added another feat to its achievements list last year. Kollam became the first constitution literate district in India in January 2023. The Constitution of India is the holy grail of the Indian Democracy that serves as a material qui vive for the citizens of India.
But what if citizens are not aware? Awareness of our rights is sine qua non for their enforcement. To begin the process, we need a clear understanding of what is mentioned in the Preamble of our Constitution. The Preamble mirrors the objectives of the pioneers of our Constitution who envisaged an India celebrating Unity in Diversity and where authority is derived from its people.
Therefore, it is imperative that ordinary Indians construe the fundamentals of our Constitution and thereby, develop a democratic consciousness. Driven by this necessity, LJRF Centre for Constitutional Literacy in collaboration with Social Justice Cell, Alappuzha organised Awareness classes on the Preamble on February 20, 2024 at two different colleges in the district, namely the Bishop Moore College, Mavelikara and Christian College, Chengannur, from 10 AM onwards.
Adv. Babitha Babu, MA LL. M and Ambassador, LJRF Centre for Constitutional Literacy, served as the resource person taking the classes, 30 minutes each. She shared that it was an overwhelming experience of merriness to take classes on the foundational document of our nation and added, the tenets of our Constitution need to be cherished and valued.
These small-scale initiatives serve as a token of inspiration to persist on our mission of Constitutional Literacy, as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar stated in his book ‘Annihilation of Caste’:
“Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated. We must realise that our people have yet to learn it. Democracy in India is only a top-dressing on an Indian soil which is essentially undemocratic.”
