The Architect of the Indian Constitution, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar left us our Constitution as his legacy. We all know about his legacy, but do we know about the story of its making? Let’s talk more about Ambedkar and the Preamble.

The Constitution – the document that gave the coveted status of ‘Republic’ to India – is the result of years of hard work of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, who analyzed every other constitution that existed to make sure that India received the very best that it can. The Constituent Assembly worked together for a long time. During this time, all of its members debated each and every word that they wrote on the Constitution.

When we work on our college projects or society-work, however hard the work may be, we bond with our teammates and create memories – memories which we would recall as fond anecdotes in our later years. So, thinking about the magnitude of ‘Constitution-making’ in terms of a project, we can only imagine the number of stories behind each word of the Constitution.

Don’t worry, I am not going to talk about different articles like a smug lawyer; I am going to talk about the stories behind them, or rather, the stories between Ambedkar and the Preamble. Because, let’s face it, the Preamble is the only part of the Constitution that we actually know. (Even if it is because we poured over it in our good old NCERTs while bored in class.)

The Preamble is the Identity Card or the ‘horoscope’ of the Constitution. It is the soul and substance of our Constitution. Being the introduction or the preface of the Constitution, it is naturally at the very beginning of the Constitution. But did you know that the Preamble was written at the very end?

This was because the Constitution makers did not want the Preamble to be ‘misleading’ about the Constitution; they did not want it to say things that weren’t in the document. That’s why the Preamble by Ambedkar was taken up for discussion at the very end, on 17th October 1949 – just 39 days before its adoption.

But it doesn’t end here; the ‘Aims and Objectives Resolution’ is the source of the Preamble. It is after J.L. Nehru proposes it on 17^th December 1946 that the Preamble comes into play on 22nd January 1947. Here, the resolution contained the ‘blueprint’ of the Constitution that the makers had to follow. So, it was one of the first things that the Assembly debated upon. First, they decided on the Resolution. Then, they wrote the Preamble. Well, there’s some food for thought!

Now, while reading the Preamble, the very first line we see is, “We, the People of India”. Now, what does this statement signify? It says to everyone that India is finally free – it is not a dependency or dominion, but a full-fledged independent Sovereign. But the real significance is that it talks about the power of the Constitution. The Constitution is the most powerful entity in India – but who it gave that power?

The answer is people – the people of India gave the Constitution its power. The principle of autochthony is of utmost significance.

But did anyone ever think of this – what gave the Constituent Assembly the right to use those words? The common people did not elect a single member of the Constituent Assembly. We had no elections! The Members of the erstwhile Provincial Legislative Councils elected them, and the 2^nd Cabinet Mission to India, promulgated by the British government, sanctioned them! So, there is no real role of the people here.

Then what gave them the right to use ‘the people of India’?

The answer is this: the Constituent Assembly that the the British Cabinet Mission sanctions to India, a clause of the Government of India Act, 1947 – which was the reason of India’s partition while giving Independence to India and Pakistan – which stipulates that the Constitution drafted must be sent to the British before adoption. But India didn’t send it; or rather, Ambedkar didn’t. When asked about it, he said nonchalantly, “I forgot about it. It was a procedural error.”

And why is this mistake, a truly beautiful and wonderful ‘mistake’?

When Ambedkar ‘forgot’ about it, he prevented the Constitution from reaching the British, thus making our Constitution completely free from external influence. This is what gives them the right to use ‘We, the People of India’ (P.s. it is a verbatim copy from the Constitution of the USA).

Many people don’t know this, but the words ‘Socialist’ and ‘Secular’ are not in the original Preamble by Ambedkar. They come into addition later by the 42^nd Constitution Amendment Act by the Indira Gandhi government during the Emergency.

Now rises the really troubling question? Why? Why would a person like B.R. Ambedkar leave out these two words which were so crucial to the nature of the Indian state?

The answer is that he didn’t. He had these principles in the Constitution, although in a different form. He just didn’t use the term “socialist”, as it directly referred to Marxist socialism during the 1950s. Under Marxism, the economic philosophy says that the infrastructure, properties and ultimately, the economy is under control of the state. There is no private property, and people receive an equal income.

However, Ambedkar didn’t want this kind of socialism for India. Rather, he wanted Democratic Socialism. It is a blend of Gandhian socialism and Marxism, and income is equal in division among people. Instead, people get equal opportunities to earn in a ‘mixed’ economy. Both the public and private sectors play. So, since Ambedkar didn’t want the world to misinterpret India as a Marxist state, he didn’t include the word ‘Socialist’ in the Preamble. So, how did he put it then? He wrote the concept in the Preamble as ‘Equality, of status and opportunity“.

As for ‘Secular’, Ambedkar didn’t include it because secularism referred to ‘Western Secularism’ in the 1950s, which Ambedkar didn’t want for India. Western secularism refers to the complete and absolute separation of powers between the Church and the State.
For example, if there is any discrimination in any religion, the state doesn’t interfere, even though the government might be aware of it.

Ambedkar didn’t want that for India– instead, he wanted a positive concept of secularism. Ambedkar wanted India to have no state religion, but if anyone commits anti-national activities or discrimination in the name of religion, he wanted the government to interfere and rectify the wrong. So, how did he put it in the Preamble (take a second, go through the text and see if you can find, lol)? He wrote what he wanted as ‘Liberty, of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship’. Beautifully brilliant, isn’t it? All credits to Dr. Ambedkar. But why did Indira Gandhi then put it in the amendment? After the Emergency, she made the amendment to put out a strong political statement.

Wow, so much story in just 14 lines and this isn’t even the end yet. There is a long debate on whether the Preamble is a part of the Constitution or not (it has been established that it is). There is a debate on if you can amend it (you can be, save for the fundamental features), if you can derive power from it, if you can justify it, and so many more. This is all thanks to one man, the great Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Read also: https://dubeat.com/2020/04/dr-b-r-ambedkar-and-caste-system/

Image Credits:

Harish Neela Lingam

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DU Beat remembers the wave of desolation and indignity on the crest of which our struggle for independence intensified. In recovering the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre from the tomes of history, we highlight the helpless people, their screams petrified within the bounds of time.

The colonial cruelties that crushed the soul of our country, clipped its wings of wealth, and bled dry its cornucopia with whiplashes of indignity, are no secret. We remember – and we carry these wounds of history with our heads held high. But there is perhaps a dilution in modern thought conscious of the extent to which we were preyed upon.

Thus, we attempt to renew the memories of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, a turning point of the Nationalist Struggle. Let us no longer draw away from the blood that was shed before the shedding of our shackles. Let us revisit the susurrus tidings of blood that beckoned the Baisakhi of 1919, and appraise the persistence of the massacre in popular memory.

The greatest ordeal that befell our countrymen was perhaps that of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

In a cold, premeditated hand, General Dyers, completely aware about the numbers, walked into the Bagh with an intent to kill and dealt a grievous offence against India and humanity the world over.

He ordered fifty soldiers to open fire on a peaceful gathering of men, women, children and infants cooped up in the bagh, unrelenting till the ammo had run out. As shot after shot was fired, the people – who were not even given a chance to disperse – fell. But in their felling, they lifted India and its cry against imperialism. For this incident made the fire in the hearts of Indians to rage – rage into a roaring fire that would eventually burn the British Raj in India.

The Massacre – the news of the murder of a six-week old baby and countless others – was what made Indians stir. It was what made Indians understand that Britishers had to be shown the door. What made moderates realize that it was not okay for the British to rule us. What made Gandhiji – who was settling for partial autonomy – raise a call for Purna Swaraj. And when Gandhiji called, the masses took to it.

It is not wrong to say that Dyers had cost the British their golden egg-laying goose. For even though there was a simmering discontent against the British regime, there was no call for complete independence then. But the Massacre was the spark – the spark which set the fire of Purna Swaraj in the hearts and minds of Indians. Just like the Enfield rifle was to the First War of Independence, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre was to the Freedom Struggle. It was the point of no return.

Recovering a massacre from the tomes of history, we turn to books, movies and art to glean off their meaning – their interpretation and their version – of the Massacre. And by consulting these ingredients of popular culture, we can get to see how the Massacre occupied the minds of its contemporaries and their successors. A short example of this can be seen in a scene of the acclaimed series Downton Abbey: At Lady Rose’s wedding (Season 5, Episode 8), when Lady Grantham asks about British India, Lord Flitshire replies that India is a “wonderful country” and “Bombay is a marvellous city” and Shrimpie adds that “Amritsar was a very unfortunate incident, ordered by a foolish man.”

But Lord Sinderby doesn’t agree with him and says that Dyers was doing his duty, saying that we can agree to disagree. But Lord Grantham cuts in “I hesitate to remind you that Shrimpie knows India and you don’t.” This conversation shows how deeply divided and opposed were people’s notion of the Massacre – how people viewed the incident and its implications.

The conversation we saw above was the impact of the Massacre on erstwhile European society, particularly in Britain – some supported Dyers while others didn’t. It must be noted that the House of Commons in English Parliament denounced Dyers and the other House of Lords heroized Dyers for his action. Though the commission of enquiry – Hunter Commission – criticised him, he was not put to a judicial trial and when he died – unrepentant – he was given both a military and civic funeral.

But on the other side of this coin are movies like Phillauri, Rang De Basanti, Legend of Bhagat Singh, Gandhi, Jallianwala Bagh who show a heart-rending account of the Massacre and its implication – how it became the turning point in the Freedom Struggle. Particularly Phillauri, which views the massacre under the lens of romance, adds a tinge of humaneness to the Massacre – that the murdered were not just numbers, but persons who had families, friends and partners waiting for them, persons to whom they never went back. Persons who wanted to avenge their deaths, as in the book written by Anita Anand – The Patient Assassin. In this book, which follows the journey of Udham Singh from Punjab to Germany, Russia, Mexico, California, and ultimately London – all with the single purpose of killing the man responsible for the Massacre, sheds out details on the Massacre in ways that have never been seen before – through the eyes of the kin of the victims, the survivors, the avengers.

But this is not the only one about the Massacre – there are many, each with a unique perspective. Jallianwala Bagh Mein Vasant, Midnight’s Children, City of Ghosts, Jallianwala Bagh, 1919: The Real Story, Khooni Vaisakhi are some of the books which have captured something or the other of the Massacre, immortalizing it in the annals of history and literature.

The Jallianwallah Bagh Massacre continues to influence our present!

But it is not that the Massacre had an impact only on its contemporaries – no, it is continuing its influence till date, impacting us even now. Evident from the Jallianwala Bagh: Repression and Retribution , a painting of the Massacre by the Singh twins, which in miniature Mogul style, uses extensive semiotics to convey the omnipotent impact of the incident – the feature image of this piece. And the lead sculpture of the Massacre by a trio of youngsters from Coimbatore only adds strength to the fact that the Jallianwala Bagh is not over – it is a continuing issue that impacts and guides the contemporary society.

It must be something to rejoice as the need for guidance is felt now more than ever – in the times when there are unconscionable assaults on democracy, times when oppression of minorities is on the rise, times when lawlessness reigns. Let the Jallianwala Bagh massacre guide us; let the hundreds of people who laid down their lives seeking a way out of the British Raj guide us. Guide us to reach an innate understanding that Liberty, Justice and Fraternity are pure principles which can’t afford to be scathed. Guide us to take it upon ourselves that the protection of these ideals lies on our shoulders – the society and not the government.

When India finally attained independence in 1947, many declared that the desolation of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre had been dignified. And I say no. No, it has not been dignified. It can never be dignified – as the dignity to the lives lost is not the result but the journey. The martyrs were not dignified by Independence, rather they were dignified by the non-violent show of national consolidation that won us the independence. It is still an ongoing process and the only way we can dignify the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre is by remaining true to the ideals, to safeguard which they lost their lives.

Read Also:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jallianwala_Bagh_massacre
2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jallianwala-bagh-massacre-how-1650-bullets-changed-the-course-of-indias-freedom-struggle/articleshow/68752809.cms

Feature Image Credits: Telegraph India

Harish Neela Lingam

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With the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the pen and paper mode of examination has been replaced by open-book examinations via online mode. But, is this transition worth the time and tension attributed by the students towards it? 

One cannot deny the concatenations of changes that the world had to witness in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From sacrificing junk food from our favourite cafeterias and savouring our dried up taste buds with lost but not forgotten home cooked food to attending formal meetings over zoom with an ironed shirt above and wrinkled pajamas below. All aspects of life; be it economic or mental was affected by the pandemic and so was the field of education. The closing down of public institutions such as schools, colleges to stop the outspread of the COVID-19 virus meant a full stop to education.

However, the full stop was erased and education continued with the aid of online classes over various platforms such as Google Meet, Zoom, etcetera. The inception of online classes paved the path for the teaching and student community to ponder upon the conduction of exams. How will the exams be held? If held, will the usual pen-paper mode be applicable? If no, then what other alternative can be used? Thus after much thought and colloquy, the alternative of open book exams through online mode was adopted by many universities across the country.

“My mama always said, life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. And then OBE happened…. and now I’m sitting here with my 8.5 CGPA looking at those 9 web page tabs where I looked for content (reference) and can’t recollect much. Trust me, shrimp was better, I miss you Bubba.” – Mikhil Wang, Hindu College, Delhi University with a ‘Forrest Gump’ reference.

My bitter relationship with Open-Book Examination started way back in Class 9 when we were supposed to solve 10 marks in the format of Open-Book Assessment. Thank the lords and CBSE for dismantling the above concept (maybe they read my mind and acknowledged how unfruitful the entire concept was) Fast forward to 2021, here I am impatiently and nervously anxious to appear for my first university level examination but unfortunately via open-book examination process and worse through online mode.

First things first, open-book examinations hold no meaning to test a student’s understanding capabilities if the questions are not analytical in nature and being. Direct questions possessing the requirements of merely copy-pasting from the prescribed books does not lead to a holistic development of intellect and an individual at the end. Resources, time and patience; all for jotting down from the books without understanding the concepts. Is it worth it?

Is it fruitful to move forward in academic ventures without even knowing what was taught in the previous years? The fact that the pen and paper mode is what has resulted in the development of rot learning in the education system is accepted. But, at least an effort was made by the student community to know what the concepts are and what they behold. This is completely absent in the OBE mode or better say, Out of Brain Examinations.

Thirdly, what are the answer sheets marked for in this mode of examination? Only Edward Cullen can enlighten us whether the marks in such examinations are deducted for plagiarism or the required length of answers. On another perspective if no marks are deducted from anyone, does it mean everyone tops? I wish I had the points to answer such questions.

Last but not the least, the technical aspects required for appearing in an online OBEs is what worries every student the most. The academic progressions of a student lies in a privilege that is not accessible to all the students; internet connections. Unavailability and fluctuations in internet services while downloading question papers or uploading answer sheets is every student’s worst nightmare.

I am clueless about how to prepare and what to prepare. Online classes have been quite unfavorable for me with unstable internet connections most of the time. It seems we are appearing for the OBEs by giving our time and resources just as a formal procedure to get into the next semester and not to assess our growth. 

Shubhamitra Baruah, 1st year student

This is a personal rant. Differences in thought and agreements is what has led to growth of individuals, both literally and philosophically. Till then, let me still be confused and crib about the existence of OBEs.

Read Also : https://dubeat.com/2020/12/freshers-guide-to-online-examinations-obe-2-0/

Himasweeta Sarma

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DU Beat spoke to many amazing women who had their hair trimmed short, and others who shaved them all off, in order to get an insight into their opinions and experiences.

Though the world has undoubtedly made progress, gender stereotypes still persist in the way you look, dress, and style yourself, for your choices are still enslaved to age-old socio-political oppression, including hairstyles, where the length of your hair determines the extent of your femininity.

Shraddha Iyer, a second-year LSR student, cut 9 inches off her hair.

“Most people expect a dramatic reason for why I cut my hair short. They asked me if I got dumped or how my parents ‘allowed’ it. Whereas, I cut it simply because I can – people need to stop assuming that every time a woman makes an unconventional choice, they are trying to make a statement. Also, it’s not a ‘boycut’. Please keep your gendering to yourself.”

What then becomes pertinent to understand, is that such attempts are not only directed at making a difference in the gender sphere but also in one’s way of living. Syeda Iram, another LSR student, chose to go bald because she didn’t like her mother telling her to take her Hijab off. “I wanted to make her choose between a Hijabi or a bald daughter. My mother saw me and she said, “Have you lost it?”. I love styles that defy societal norms,” she commented. She was, however, conflicted because Islam prescribes women to avoid shaving their heads. “If someone is considering shaving their head, do it! Beauty standards are fake products of capitalism. You’ll feel free,” added Iram.

And at the same time, for some, cutting their hair short may not be a strong leap for feminism, and can simply cut it because it’s their body. Bani Singh, an entrepreneur said, “To me, it is really amusing that every act of a woman is a form of rebellion or a statement in itself. I just find this the safest way to experiment with my hair, as opposed to using colour or other chemical treatments.”

“People would stare at me, trying to figure out which gender I’m from. I even remember some coming to me, and saying what I did was so courageous but here’s the thing: shaving your hair shouldn’t be gutsy but just normalised,” explained Aishwaryaa Kunwar, who shaved off her hair completely, two months back.

In the end, as long as you know opting for a certain thing is what’s right for you and your body, it’s solely your choice and nobody should or has a say in it.

Also Read: Gender Based Beauty Stereotypes and How to Break Them

Also Read: Most Indian women professionals judged based on looks: study

Featured Image credits: Samsara news

Annanya Chaturvedi

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With the pandemic disrupting life around the globe, education faced a severe hit along with all other spheres of society. Unlike other universities, Delhi University’s academic calendar started months after most universities in the country started. But how does this impact life in the varsity?

Delhi University formally commenced the academic session for first-year undergraduate students on 18 November 2020. This was after the delay of almost five months, partly due to the non-declaration of the 12th Board results and partly due to a conscious management decision. Formally, kicking off the admissions in October with the first cut-off list, things have been hectic at the varsity.

The current academic calendar for the first-year is segregated into two parts: November to March and April to July. On paper, this leaves around three months for teaching including the conduct of Internal Assessments. What the varsity failed to consider was the length of the admission process itself. The final date for admissions kept getting pushed and finally came to an end on the 31st December 2020. To get things into perspective that is one and half months of a four-month semester. Interestingly, admissions under all supernumerary categories took place only in December. The loss of academics is to be in some way considered negligible and ignored.

Even if that was to be excused, the calendar is tormenting and tiring. The University scraped off all vacations and holidays except ‘Public Holidays’ which some colleges refuse to recognise as well. Continuous classes, six days a week is draining. Moreover, the varsity doesn’t factor in how this pans out with college societies and extra-curricular culture. Even societies due to the sheer lack of time- pushed and compressed activities, and doubled the workload. There is no time whatsoever to self or any other activity. And before someone plays devil’s advocate to give the argument of time mismanagement, I already plead guilty, but it still doesn’t change that the calendar is suffocating and inhumane.

Another peculiar feature is the mismatch of the first-year calendar with all other years. So while the first-years panic about exams, one might perceive that the seniors are enjoying the prime of their life in the middle of their semester. A role reversal will soon debut in May as well. This incongruence is very likely to affect societies too, especially in colleges that follow the two-year society system.

This makes things quite cumbersome and toxic as the teachers unload magnanimous hours of syllabus per lecture and the students grapple to keep up. Before someone hurls “Even they couldn’t have done anything,” well they sure could have. The Delhi Technical University, more popularly DTU opted for a continuous evaluation system. The likelihood of you reading another one of these pieces with me cribbing about the system is equal, but that way I would’ve learnt much more than I am doing right now. With OBEs and practically no time to study, things seem beyond repair.

Dear Academic Calendar, please have mercy.

Read also: https://dubeat.com/2020/12/freshers-guide-to-online-examinations-obe-2-0/

Image Credits: Indian Express

Mehul Joshi

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