Two days ahead of the 65th year of the Indian republic, a unique event involving engineers and constitutional law experts sought to urge all citizens to practice and uphold the 11 noble Indian values stated in the Constitution.
The Institution of Engineers (India) Karnataka State Centre here, unveiled on its premises on Saturday a stone plaque carrying the inscription of Article 51A of the Constitution, which defines the Fundamental Duties of every Indian.
Ravivarma Kumar, constitutional law luminary and Advocate-General for Karnataka, said Article 51A was as much about protecting the country’s integrity and sovereignty as about promoting harmony and unity among all sections of people; the basis for consumer rights; and about upholding the dignity of women. Let us make its values our religion, he said.
Dr. Kumar noted that unlike Fundamental Rights that citizens frequently invoke, the basic duties of an Indian were not formally stated for many years. He said Article 51A was akin to what the former U.S. President John F. Kennedy famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
He said, “If a nation has to survive, it is our duty to ensure that the Constitution survives. It is the Constitution that has made our flag fly high, we should salute the Constitution and start practicing it in spirit.”
Every Indian must try to stop practices that ill-treat and humiliate women, he said.
Dr. Kumar observed that courts now faced new and challenging cases and called for solutions from engineers on the lines of medical jurisprudence.
“I look forward to seeing a techno-legal jurisprudence,” he said.
The plaque was sponsored by The Hindu .
