Our Constitution

It’s never too late to write about your country. Rather than getting into raptures about our independence, I decided to take a look at our Constitution, and see what it provides for us.
The Consitution consists of the following:

1. The Preamble


2. Parts I to XXII, covering Articles 1 to 395


3. Schedules 1 to 12


4. An Appendix

Of course, even though each and every part of the Constitution is important, The Preamble and the Fundamental Rights guaranteed to every citizen, have the most importance.
Here’s the Preamble to our Constitution:

“We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and to secure all its citizens:
Justice, social, economic and political;
Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
Equality of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all
Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;
in our constituent assembly this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give ourselves to this Constitution.”

The Rights we have…

Part III, Articles 12 to 35, covers the Fundamental Rights.
Here they are:

1. Right to Equality


2. Right to Freedom


3. Right against Exploitation


4. Right to Freedom of Religion


5. Cultural and Educational Rights


6. Right to Constitutional Remedies

The Rights we don’t have

When we talk of Fundamental Rights for each and every citizen, we must realise that these Rights are for every citizen. So if you do as you please, it doesn’t mean that you do it at the cost of someone else’s Right.
And Right to Freedom doesn’t mean:

• The Right to spit and piss wherever you want


• The Right to kill, rape or hurt someone else in the name of religion


• The Right to sit in prision while carrying on your usual activities


• The Right to make false promises to the people just to get voted to power


• The Right to dirty the roads, and then complain about the garbage. Ditto with pollution


• The Right to sit and read this and do nothing to understand and implement the subtle (or not-so-subtle) meaning.

Any more Rights we don’t have?