'We Are Destroying The Constitution'

'We have to make people aware that the Constitution belongs to us.'
'We are the people who decide who will govern on our behalf.'

Vinay Kumar, 38, is an aerospace engineer based in Bengaluru. He feels that as a country we have strayed from the Constitution and the dreams of our freedom fighters.

This is not what the Founding Fathers wanted, he says.

He has decided that we need to reclaim our Constitution and rekindle the freedom struggle for a better life, a better country.

To do this he has printed 23 postcards with excerpts from the debates in the Constituent Assembly.

He feels they are relevant today and we have to pull the country from the abyss before it is too late.

"It is up to us to take the lead and make it easy for everyone to understand the Constitution," Vinay Kumar tells Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar.

Why do you feel that we have to reclaim our Constitution?

India obtained freedom after a century of struggle. Our freedom fighters had a dream of how the country should be, we are moving away from that dream.

Our founding principles have universal values; deep thought was given to it, influenced by democracies worldwide.

They had conflicting opinions, but they debated and came together to give us the Constitution.

The spirit of the freedom struggle is embedded in our Constitution. We are destroying it in an irreversible way.

After the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet, no government has really followed the Constitution. They have interpreted it to suit their convenience.
How do you think we can change that?

They interpret it in a way that suits them. If you read the Constituent Assembly debates, you will understand Constitutional values better.

Interpretation cannot be random; they have to be in line with the founding principles.

Common people don't talk enough about it.

It is up to us to take the lead and make it easy for everyone to understand the Constitution. I want to reach out to them.

The quotes you have selected for your postcards -- how did you select them and why?

Excerpts from the Constituent Assembly debates were selected according to their contemporary relevance. For people to wake up!

The freedoms that we enjoy today are the fruits of a struggle that lasted a century.

Only a handful of freedom fighters remain today. Younger generations don't understand the freedom struggle because they don't have many links to it.

A strong IT cell can flood the Internet with fake history. People should understand the truth and be inspired by it.

How much money are you spending on this? The postcards look expensive.

They are expensive as they are being printed in small quantities; they are selling at cost price (Rs 500 a set). I am bearing the losses.

Friends supported me by ordering a few hundred cards at the beginning. That money was used to print more cards.

Is your effort aimed at the political forces currently governing our country today?

Very much! It is largely an attempt to hold the powers accountable, by speaking truth to power.

Amazing people are supporting me; we are going to translate it into all languages that include Braille and Indian sign language.

It is an attempt to simplify the Constitution.

The bedrock of the Constitution are the Fundamental Rights which are totally ignored when the ruling party decides against it?

Awareness is important. The poor cannot afford to talk about Fundamental Rights as they are worried about where the next meal is coming from or how to make ends meet.

The privileged have to talk about Fundamental Rights.

Our schooling is not telling us enough about Fundamental Rights.

Is it right to give some judges posts after retirement?

This goes against the spirit of the Constitution that thought that each pillar of Democracy will keep an eye on the other.

People have forgotten that the Constitution starts with 'We The People'.

We need another freedom struggle of a different kind. The priorities of the common people are different.

Corporates have taken over the media and they decide to support or oppose the government.

Journalists and media houses have sold themselves. Journalists like Ravish Kumar and subscriber funded media are a glimmer of hope.

I met Rajdeep Sardesai at the World Test Championship final in London. He was carrying a polyester national flag. I told him that the national flag was envisaged in khadi.

Khadi and Indigo dye sparked a revolution that changed the history of this land.

They were the defining symbols of our freedom struggle. Today we have forgotten them.

Apart from their historic significance we need to revive them for their environmental friendly qualities.

Where would you begin to reclaim the Constitution?

We have to make people aware that the Constitution belongs to us. We are the people who decide who will govern on our behalf.

The Constitution is an eternal connection to the freedom fighters and their struggles.

Our Constitution gave us democracy, it gave us the right to vote which is sometimes sold for money or based on caste identity. How do we get past this?

It is a monumental task to change issues of caste. B R Ambedkar spent a lifetime fighting it. We have to continue the fight.

What can be more inspiring than Nehru's 'Tryst With Destiny' speech' on the midnight of 14th August, 1947 where he said, 'The service of India means the service of millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity.'

'The ambition of the greatest man of our century has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us but as long as there are tears and suffering our work will not be over.'

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com