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A Pledge to Remain True to the Constitution Of India

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India celebrates its 69th Republic Day on January 26, 2018. Let us ask the most pertinent question of all times – in all these years, have we remained faithful to the spirit of the Constitution of India?

It was the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress at the midnight of December 31, 1929 and January 1, 1930, when the Tri-Colour flag was unfurled by the nationalists and a pledge was taken that every year on January 26, the ‘Independence Day’ would be celebrated with the people possessing a ceaseless desire for the establishment of Sovereign Democratic Republic India. The professed pledge was redeemed successfully on January 26, 1950, when the Constitution of India was framed by the Constituent Assembly after it conducted nuanced debates on the various aspects of Fundamental Rights, Duties, and Directive Principles. The Indian national image was given constitutional form on January 26, 1950. Many commentators consider the Indian Constitution a keenly nurtured fruit of the anti-colonial movement while others address it as the product of the extraordinary Constituent Assembly debates. Nationalism, as erratic and irrational it sounds , has been one of the paramount emotions to give steady form to the construction of nation-states. Such emotions may conjure the national community but they are impracticable for the micromanagement of affairs of people. The life of a community that has decided to constitute itself on the principles of equality and justice requires being enshrined in a written document. The Constitution acts as the ‘head’ to the ‘heart’ of the national emotion.

The Constitution has been called as the template of rational utopianism. But how much of its promise came into being after sixty-nine years? To what extent have we been able to realise the Constitution’s injunction of  fair play?

Questions recur about the rightful limits of the judicial intervention in the legislative policy decision-making. With the four judges coming out in the media light to question the integrity of the Chief Justice, it clearly shows that the guardian of the Constitution, the judiciary, is in turmoil; the mounting backlog of cases and the appointment procedure only adding fuel to fire. There has always been an atmosphere of tensions and apprehensions about the preservation of institutional integrity whenever there is an absolute-majority government in power which can unilaterally tweak the constitutional provisions for the achievement of its sole objectives. Surely, landmark judgements like Right to Privacy and the Triple Talaq judgements have sustained the Constitutional order but the diminishing cultures of protest, debate, and dissent have infringed upon some of the ‘basic-structure-doctrine’ of the Constitutional freedoms and individual liberty. The makers of a movie have to publish a one-page advertisement to clarify the contents of their movie being in consonance with the whims of a particular community while religious fanaticism and majoritarianism are on the rise.

Since 1950, the numerous government administrations have tried to stick to the letter and spirit of the Constitution, but whenever the constitutional democracy is challenged by extremists, the people have united to restore the Constitutional rule-based order, for instance the JP Movements of the 70s against the Emergency Regime. Whenever our institutions are in decline, the unity of the people has filled in that void to ensure the true spirit of Constitution being sustained. This Republic Day, let us question our duties and whether we have been successful enough to fulfill the Constitutional goals while our modern day institutions are in decline.

 

Feature Image credits: TripSavvy

Oorja Tapan
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The Vitality of an Internship

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Almost all of us at the University of Delhi face the question of whether we should go in for an internship for the sake of work experience or not. It is an important choice to be made on the basis of the trade-offs like losing out on social life, college attendance, holidays, and so on.

While all of us entered the varsity with more or less the same percentages, what makes us stand out at the end of our graduation is the amount of experience and learning we had gained. In order to notch up our networking skills, decision making, or just being responsible, we delve into various opportunities to improve our CV. An internship allows you to develop your existing skill-set, learn beyond your field,  gain prior familiarity and compatibility of the job environment,  and form a network of professionals. Whether it is paid or unpaid, an internship offers you experience and prepares you for the ‘big bad world’.

There are more chances of companies hiring you if you have interned already in their organisation or have prior work experience than someone who is just a novice. There is always a cost-benefit analysis involved while grabbing any internship opportunity. You have to cut your time off from outings with friends so as to attend office or meet deadlines at work and even lose out on going home during semester breaks. It is true that college life comes only once and maybe, right now, we are too young to live a mundane lifestyle. We have to compromise on our college attendance, internal assessments and even, semester exams’ prep while interning. What is required is ‘fine-tuning’ of college life and internships.

Another important thing is to be aware of our career choices. For an MBA aspirant or one who wants to seek placement, an internship will make a mammoth difference in your CV while for a UPSC aspirant, it may not be of much use.  Work-from-home internships are better to do during semesters. At the same time, remember that you are in college who is supposed to have fun with your peers and make memories. Choose wisely and decide the right time for venturing out on a new internship.

 

Feature Image Credits: Blush

Oorja Tapan

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Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose- The Patriot of Patriots

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The birthday of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose is celebrated on the 23rd of January. This will be his 121st birthday and many of his followers have called in to mark this day as the ‘Desh Prem Diwas’.

In the pantheon of nationalist freedom fighters, the name of Subhash Chandra Bose should come on the top. The layer of intrigue to the circumstances of his death has added to his immortality. He was called the ‘patriot of patriots’ by Mahatma Gandhi – which is commendable as both of them had opposing ideologies. Bose really did commit himself to full independence of India when others like Gandhi and his followers during Bose’s time were only seeking to gain dominion status for India. In his book ‘Nehru & Bose- Parallel Lives’, Rudrangshu  Mukherjee explores the complex relationship between the two towering personalities of Indian National Movement Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Chandra Bose. The leftward radicalism of Nehru and Bose was counterbalanced in the Indian National Congress by the rightwing guard of C.Rajagopalachari, Rajendra Prasad, and Vallabhbhai Patel. M.K. Gandhi was the ultimate leader of both the groups. The difference between Bose and Nehru was the former’s alacrity in departing from Gandhian ideals of non-violence to pursue the cause of Indian independence.

Bose appealed to Indians, especially the young ones for all the right reasons. He took to arms to bring down the mightiest empire in the world. He is called the Father of Indian National Army and he coined the term ‘JAI HIND’. When Bose realised that the British were to be pushed hard to leave India, he decided that enemy’s enemy was his friend and visited Japan and Germany to get their support. His diplomacy was realist and promised to deliver results speedily. We would have defeated the British completely had Japan not been weakened during that time. Bose died a hero – such is the privilege of those who die young. In our imaginations, they always remain uncorrupted, idealistic, and forever young. The public image of Nehru family ruined once they came to power. Maybe you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.

Bose never came back in public life to claim his due in the post-independence Indian politics, even though some conspiracy theories say he did. The Congress party dumped him altogether. But his nationalism and socialist views largely explain his continuing popularity. He was a man of action and one of the greatest freedom fighters ever born.

 

Feature Image Credits: SchoopWhoop

Oorja Tapan

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How to Ace Your Upcoming Interviews

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Interviews are the most dreaded part of any examination. They are, nevertheless, prima facie personality tests where there is a need to maintain a fine balance between being blatantly honest and sounding pretentious to your interviewer.

With the Common Admission Test (CAT) results announced, it’s a given that many exam-takers will now be facing several interview rounds, in the upcoming months. Additionally, many final year students have been preparing for their HR interviews that are required for final placements or for internship interviews. There is, unfortunately, no fixed formula or set strategy to deal with all the questions during an interview, and only a few basic things that should be at everyone’s fingertips while appearing for one. Usually, the academic or technical interviews are more domain-specific that cater to a student’s basic knowledge of the subject and the subject-specific skill set. They may also involve questions on general affairs, which can be handled with ease if you read the newspaper on a daily basis and make sincere efforts to brush up your current affairs’ awareness. The personality interviews have always been tricky, and more often than not, the interviewers are observing your interpersonal skills. Many of us are tempted to make up things out of thin air in order to leave a great first impression. Predictably, this contradiction is the biggest blunder anyone could think of.

First and foremost, you need to accept that the interviewer is a smart and sensible human being. The interviewer is prudent and will not expect any candidate to know everything under the sun. Thus, if you are unable to answer a specific question, it is wise to politely say a ‘sorry’ rather than beating around the bush and waste everyone’s time. Most importantly, do not panic if you make a mistake and do not lie about your work experience, as the interviewer is a human too and will not judge you for being human. Secondly, since the interview is only about you, you are not expected to know the technicalities of an unrelated field. So, do not waste time preparing out-of-context questions and focus on the stream/field of study which you had been pursuing up till now and for which you are applying. The best shot that you have at interviews is to prepare for the generic “tell me about yourself” part or “why an MBA” or “why this company”. Since this part tends to be grueling for most interviewees, you should be genuine and outright in your approach. Start from the very beginning — where you come from, your interests, work experience, knowledge about your graduation subject, why do you want to change your stream (if so), why did you score a low C.G.P.A. and so on.

Keep your answers crisp, intelligent, short, and chronological. Tell them about the topics that excite you and subtly touch upon your aspirations. Don’t stutter while talking about your application — be thoroughly familiar with it. Unlike the popular adage, an interview is not an opportunity to “sell” yourself. Making it a conversation will always be the key to crack it.

 

Feature Image Credits: US News Money

Oorja Tapan

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A Tribute to the Bravery of our Army

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January 15th is marked as the National Army Day. Here’s a look at the extraordinary history of the Indian National Army.
The tales of the sacrifice and courage of the Indian National Army makes our chests swell with pride and eyes a little moist. They beat the cold and heat so you and I can sleep at night in peace. The stories of their bravery and valour should not be remembered only on one day, but they should always be cherished in our hearts forever. Life in the armed forces is as distinguished as it can be. When they are protecting our country’s borders at a temperature of -50 degree Celsius at 16000 feet above sea level at the Siachen glacier or battling the temperature of 50 degrees in the blistering heat of Rajasthan, they are not doing it for themselves but for their country and its citizens.

Thousands of soldiers have given up their lives while protecting our land. Each and every one of them deserves our utmost respect. Listing every act of their bravery will be one of the most humongous tasks, but this January 15th let us reminisce few of the countless milestones our soldiers have achieved.

1. The war of 1967: Fighting Chinese aggression and defending Sikkim.

Nathu La Incident: Infiltration was a common strategy deployed by the Chinese Army to instigate India, and thus, the Indian Army decided to fence the border. As soon as the fencing work commenced, the Chinese Commissioner came to the Indian side and asked them to abrogate it. The Commissioner left after a heated argument. And then just after a few minutes, Chinese troops indulged in a heavy gunfire. Contemplating China’s aggression, Indian side opened fire too. The effective firing resulted in damage to Chinese bunkers, and the death toll was over 400, resulting in China’s defeat.

Cho La Incident: China couldn’t accept their defeat at Nathu La incident, and they planned an unparalleled attack again at Cho La pass. China lost its 40 elite commandos. The end of the battle witnessed China leaving Sikkim once and for all. Two brave officers – Capt. Dagar and Major Harbhajan Singh met a gallant death.

2. Annexation of Goa, against the Portuguese Republic in 1961
When India gained independence in 1947, Goa remained under the control of Portuguese. The 1961 Indian annexation of Goa under the demand of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru government was an action by India’s armed forces that ended Portuguese rule in its Indian enclaves. The operation involved land, sea, and air strikes for over 36 hours, and was a decisive victory for India, ending 451 years of Portuguese colonial rule in Goa.

3. The valour of the Sikh Regiment in the Indo-Pak war 1965 and 1971
Before the ceasefire was called by the United Nations and then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indian Army, with the Sikh Regiment at its forefront, had managed to cut across territories in Pakistan reaching the outskirts of Lahore in 1965 war. While the major conflict zone of the 1971 war was around East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh), the Indian Army opened another front on the western border to keep Pakistan occupied.
This was again where our legendary Sikh Regiments fought Pakistan at the western front, ensuring that Bangladesh manages to attain independence. The film Border was based on the Longewala Post fight in which just 120 soldiers of the Sikh Regiment fought valiantly, under the leadership of General Kuldip Singh, against the Pakistani tanks for one whole night until the Indian Air Force finally put a stop to Pakistan’s attack on the western front in the morning.

4. Kargil Heroes

“If death strikes before I prove my blood, I swear I will kill death.”

These were the words of Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey. During the 1999 Kargil war, he led his troop to capture the Jubar top where he was wounded by bullets on the leg and shoulder. As a part of Operation Vijay, he cleared the enemy positions amidst heavy shooting. Bravely striking the first enemy position, he killed two enemies and throttled the second position by killing two more. Unfortunately, the bullets injured his shoulder and legs. Undaunted, he continued to lead the assault. At the end, a bullet penetrated his forehead. His daredevil act led to the capture of Khalubar.

Captain Vikram Batra, an officer of the Indian Army, was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest and most prestigious military award for valour, for his actions during the 1999 Kargil War in Kashmir between India and Pakistan. He is celebrated for the capture of Point 5140, at an altitude of 17,000 feet, which was under the illegal possession of the Pakistani soldiers. Despite being fired at by heavy machine guns, Captain Batra and his men managed to destroy two 2 machine gun posts. He died rescuing an injured officer while leading his men to on a successful assault on Point 4875.

The acts of valour by the men in uniform are not wholly encompassed by this article. We, as a nation, are forever indebted to their sacrifice. We salute our gallant soldiers and their esteemed contributions to for our motherland. Jai Hind!

 

 

Image Credits: Youth Connect

Oorja Tapan

[email protected]                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

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