OPINION | Celebrating Bharat’s 76th Samvidhan Diwas

<p><strong>Sadhguru</strong>: Nations are generally made and held together on the basis of race, religion, language or ethnicity. Sameness is the formula of nation-building, but Bharat stands in defiance of this mediocrity. We took pride in building the nation, not on the sameness of people, but on the diversity of people. If you travel across the country, every fifty kilometres, people have different languages and lifestyles. Bharat was recognised as a human being &ndash; Bharat Mata, where all these different parts were part of one body. We do not expect the little finger and nose to function the same way, but they are together. There was an organic unity that this culture nurtured very carefully, tied together with a very strong spiritual thread.</p> <h2>Birth of a Republic</h2> <p>The land of Bharat has been a cultural entity for thousands of years, but in 1950, we became a republic. A republic happens because there is a Constitution where all the rules are written down. When we say, "I am a citizen of this Nation," in some way, we are saying that we will adhere to its Constitution. When the Constitution says something is right or wrong, we abide by it.&nbsp;</p> <p>In the past, the world was ruled by tyrants with guns, so fighting and killing them was a revolution. Today, almost the entire world is democratic. If you want to bring any change, especially in this country, you can only do it through a democratic process. For that, we have a framework which is called the Constitution. The gift of modern democracy is that it effects the change of power through the ballot box. It is a great achievement that we have found a means of transferring power without bloodshed, to disrupt power non-violently.</p> <p>Most religions also have a Constitution written supposedly by the Divine, a progeny or maybe a messenger, which makes it non-negotiable. If a Constitution is not negotiable or open to amendment, it means you cannot mend it. But the Constitution of a republic can be amended according to the times and mindsets of the times because it is an agreement between all of us to adhere to a common law, so that we do not collide at every point.</p> <p>If I write my own constitution and you write your own constitution, no one is going to be well. If we want to address the wellbeing of the largest number of people in a nation, then we must go by a single rule book. This is very important because then we can look at justice in a more humanistic way. We can use the rule book as a guideline. That is what we are doing today in many ways; we are looking at the rule book as a guideline and applying the law in a humanistic manner.&nbsp;</p> <h2>Bharat&rsquo;s Constitution&nbsp;</h2> <p>On Bharat&rsquo;s 76th Constitution Day, it is time that we establish the Constitution in everyone's minds and hearts. This is very important because that is where our nation&rsquo;s well-being is. Today, Bharat is sitting on the threshold of economic prosperity. When I refer to economic prosperity, I am not talking about the stock market. There are 400 million people in this country who have not eaten properly their entire lives. If we do the right things in the next five to ten years, we can move this huge mass of people from one level of living to another &ndash; not by philanthropy but simply by progress.</p> <p>We are sitting on the threshold, and we are on the right track. The problem is, we have been sitting on the threshold too long. Especially when you are on the right track, if you sit there for too long, you will get run over. It is important that we walk and walk fast. There is much to be done. Let us make it happen!</p> <p><em>Sadhguru is a Yogi, mystic, visionary and author.&nbsp;</em></p> <p><em><strong>[The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and views of ABP Network Pvt. Ltd.]</strong></em></p>

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