In attaining our ideals,our means should be as pure as the end! 02 Dr Rajendra Prasad KNOWLEDGEPEDIA

IF I WERE A LEADER... Times NIE students get Need to uphold the features creative about the f I was a leader in India today,I would make it Revisit the caste and my priority to defend the features of the Con- amendments (if any) they Istitution. The makers of the Constitution were religion-based reservation... clear on basic principles that were accepted by all would like to propose in sections of the society and provided everyone with ur Constitution is one of the best equal opportunities. The constituent assembly conceived and enforced docu- the Indian Constitution made sure that the Constitution represented Oments in any democracy. If I ideals and aspirations of all the people of were given the mandate to lead In- if they could... the diverse population. It also laid down dia, I would like to revisit the caste a fundamental idea. An idea of what In- and religion-based reservations. dia wished to be. It is now our respon- While the Constitution provides social sibility to uphold and carry forward and economic upliftment of the down- this vision. trodden and protection to minorities, it re- HARSHITA NAMBIAR, class IX-A, New sults in denial of opportunities to candidates across the society,thereby affecting qual- Horizon Public School, Mumbai ity of output. The categorisation of citizens as minority and ma- jority also sounds divisive. ARJUN V, class IX, Gregorian Prez form of governance? Public School, Ernakulam would propose to remove the current structure of gov- ernment by bringing in a presidential form of gover- Inance. An election must be conducted to appoint a Dilute IPC’s Section 124 A, Sedition Governor to the state and a mayor to a city. Make all the laws passed before the current Constitution valid for ’m a Sikh, you may be a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian. only 25 years so we can get rid of all the old laws that But you know what makes us Indians? The Constitution are not relevant to the new India. In addition to this, I— which has within its folds the “Idea of India.” As a any law conflicting with the Article 14 (equal protection leader,upholding the Constitution to each letter shall be my of the laws) should be considered void. prime duty,for it constitutes OUR values and we will be fool- GOKUL PT, class XII, National Model Senior ish to watch it diluting. While in power, I’d practise Secondary School, Coimbatore mutual tolerance and forbearance to wrestling constitutional institutions like the Courts to my advantage. Also, I’d dilute a British provi- sion: IPC’s Section 124 A, which relates to Sedi- Reservations More laws for tion — in present form, I believe it is harming need to go! benefit of women democracy and curbing dissent. ASISH SINGH, Class XI, St. Augustine's Day f I were a leader today, he world’s longest Con- School, Barrackpore, West Bengal I would like to defend stitution, it caters to our Ithe features of the Con- T rights in almost all the stitution by pointing out that areas of governance, be it so- the features make it a secular, cial, cultural, religious, politi- Amend Article 16...Asap The Constitution democratic country. Yet, if giv- cal or eco- needs some doing en a choice, I would like to change nomical, t becomes a breach of the right to equality Nothing to amend — the reservations given to making us when caste reservations dominate f I were a leader in India today, because most are women, SCs, STs along with truly a secu- Ievery sphere of public function- I would defend the features other castes. When our aim lar nation. If ing. Caste has never been an in- I of the Constitution right where has been to do away with the there is any strument to gauge the economic sta- through a non-violent course caste system, then would it one tus. The reservations should, there- of action. If there would be they are not be wrong to encourage that I would fore, be on the basis of financial some article of the Constitu- such practices? I believe that like to standing of a person in the society. tion that was being violated, he provisions of the Constitution admission to any university amend, it This implies people, who are eco- I would create awareness re- have been framed by an informed man, who re- or school or even jobs would be re- nomically backward, possess the garding the subject and or- Tceived education from prestigious institutions, should be done only garding women’s safety against right to be elected notwith- ganise mass protests. If and proved his mettle at various instances. The Na- on the basis of mer- domestic violence and sexual standing their caste. I would there is something that I tion trusted him while he defined the fundamental it, not on caste. harassment. The trials must get like to amend the Article would amend, it would be a law rights of every citizen. Not everything can be S M V KAREESMAA, over within a few days so that 16 and defend salient fea- that violates the spirit of India touched or amended just to fulfil an idea. the evidence is not manipulat- tures by having poor rep- as the largest democracy. There isn’t a provision that I’d like to amend class 9, Ryan ed and the punishments are resenting the poor. DEV P SETH, class X, because most are right where they are. International severe. ABHIDEEP SHIKHAR, IX, CMS Venkateshwar Global School, BHARGAV DEKA, class XII, Podar International School, School, Kharghar, RITHVIK GURUKISHAN, class IX , Gomti Nagar 2, Lucknow New Delhi Ahmedabad Mumbai MGS Excellence, Bengaluru

USA The Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany GERMANY was approved in 1949 when Germany was split into Jacob Shallus engrossed the original US Constitution. The East and West. It was not called a Constitution since handwritten document, on display at the National Archives it was a temporary law until the country was united. Museum, had grammatical errors. Once the original But the name Basic Law was not changed even after Declaration of Independence was revised on July 4, 1776, the unification. The original text prepared by a panel of Continental Congress commissioned John Dunlap to typeset and print copies. experts and civil servants is stored in a safe in the Dunlap produced around 200 broadsides for distribution to 13 states. Bundestag and is used to administer the oath of office to the chancellor and the president.

Artist Nandlal Bose led the initiative to add art on the pages of India's Constitution

The container with the original Basic Law for INDIA The National Archives Museum in Preamble to the US Constitution was Federal Republic of Germany in Barbarastollen Washington DC is the home of the written on parchment paper that has underground archive The original Constitution book was handcrafted by artists of Declaration of Independence, now faded Santiniketan under the guidance of Nandalal Bose. Each page had Constitution of the US and Bill of Rights some artwork and the calligraphy in Hindi and English were done by Prem Behari Narain Raizada. The Constitution was published in Dehradun and photolithographed by the Survey of India. It is preserved in a helium-filled case in

Code of AUSTRALIA The Australian Constitution — the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 — was given legality after the British Parliament passed it in 1900. The document was printed on parchments and secured with a red silk ribbon. Though Queen Victoria’s signature on this document enacted the Australian Constitution, the federation of the colonies did not become a Countries reality until January 1, 1901, at a ceremony in Centennial Park, India celebrated yet another year of the adoption of the Indian Sydney. At this ceremony, six independent colonies were unit- Constitution. Times NIE scouts out some of the world’s oldest and ed as the Commonwealth of Australia. The Constitution and Royal Commission of Assent are currently in storage but will The most illustrious founding documents go on display in late March 2020. in Stockholm NORWAY The Constitution of France, FRANCE called the Constitution of the Handwritten The Constitution was written by the Norwegian assembly on Fifth Republic, was adopted on October 4, records of the April 10, 1814. It was signed on May 17, now celebrated as the Riksdag of the 1958. Charles de Gaulle was the driving Constitution Day. The text was in Danish. In 1903, the docu- Estates force behind the new ment underwent some linguistic revision but retained conser- Constitution. The text was vative 19th century Danish. The original document is pre- drafted by Michel Debré, the served at the archives of the Storting, Norway’s Parliament. Written rules determining how Sweden shall be governed have existed first PM of the Fifth since the 14th century. All public power proceeds from the people and the Republic. The First Republic Riksdag, the national legislature. This is stated in the Instrument of was born out of the French Government — the law that sets out the basic principles of the country. Revolution in 1789. A national The first Instrument was issued in 1634. In 1809, another Instrument was assembly that was convened after the rev- enacted which set out the division of powers between the king and the olution drafted the Declaration of the legislature. The Riksdag took shape in the 15th century with the nobility, Rights of Man and Citizen on August 26, clergy, burghers and peasantry met individually and wrote their own 1789. This declaration finds a mention in records. When the Riksdag turned 500 years old in 1935, it was decided the preamble of the Constitution of the Fifth Republic. The Archives Nationales that the handwritten records from the Riksdag of the Estates in the 17th Painting of the Declaration of the Rights and 18th centuries would be published. This work continues. The records of Man and of the Citizen by Jean- holds the Declaration on the Rights of Man are kept at the National Archives in Stockholm. The Eidsvoll manor house where the Norwegian Constitution was signed Jacques-François Le Barbier and of the Citizen.

Source: Parliament, archival and government sources of different countries