” The Constitution Doesn’t Mandate Learning History. So There’s no Need to Learn it ” is the most Asinine Statement I heard from a Person who has graduated from one of the top tier premier Educational Institutions of our country.
Such Statements remind us that There’s a Stark difference between being a Literate and being Educated.
What exactly do I mean by Constitutional Morality ?
Does the Constitution Really say Anything about not Learning History ?
Well, The Beauty of this Topic is that. To understand What Exactly Constitutional Morality is, We have to understand the History behind it. Such an Irony.
Is there any benefit to learning History?
I will try to answer one by one as i try to Explain.
Constitutional Morality
The Beauty of this Topic is that To understand Constitutional Morality, one has to understand the History Behind it.
I would like to Quote few lines from Dr. B. R Ambedkar’s Final Speech during Constitutional Assembly on November 25, 1949
“Constitutional Morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated. We must realise that our people have yet to learn it. Democracy in India is only a top dressing on an Indian soil which is essentially undemocratic “
Dr Ambedkar recited the Above Lines while Referring to George Grote’s Concept of Constitutional Morality in Greek of Ancient Times.
Constitution is a Legal Document While Constitutional Morality is an Ethical Doctrine that ensurance adherence to Constitution by both State and the People, The Adherence is not just to Substantive Matter of the Constitution and the rule of law but also the Philosophy of The Constitution.
Simply Put , Constitutional Morality is Spirit of the Law. And Constitution is the Letter of the Law.
That Means Constitution is the Physical Part, Constitutional Morality is the Abstract Part.
Why Constitutional Morality is Important ?
It ensures Social Transformation of a Society into a Progressive One while Correcting Historical Injustices.
Some Examples can be given through Landmark Judgements Such as
1. Sabarimala Case, 2018, Removal of discriminatory practices to ensure Gender Equality under Aticles 14, 15, 17, 21, and 25.
Historically Women between the ages of 10 and 50 are excluded from entering the Sabarimala temple
The Supreme Court Gave a Land Mark Judgement that corrected this Historical Injustice
2. In Navtej Singh Johar Case , 2018.
Supreme Court gave a Judgement despite The Social Fabric and Morality of Prevailing Gender Norms and has decriminalized Section 377 of the IPC by striking it down to ensure the Constitutional Values of Liberty, Equality, Morality over Social Norms.
The Supreme Court Once again corrected the Historical Injustice, this time by striking down the archaic Colonial Statutory Laws that are discriminatory in nature.
Is Constitutional Morality only for the State and its Institutions and What about the People.
Constitution Morality Is for both the People and the State.
Constitutional Morality to Citizens Means Keeping the Constitutional Values like Equality, Justice, Liberty fraternity and Respecing The Constitution over and beyond ones Personal Prejudices, Biases be it Communalism, Regionalism and Religion..etc.
As a responsible citizen of India, I believe that, at least in my opinion, one should at least read the Fundamental Rights given by the Constitution, let alone the Constitution itself. As citizens, it is the bare minimum to know your rights, and once you are aware of them, you may read the Constitution once, not to become an expert, but simply to understand it. Becoming a constitutional expert is a herculean task, and the Indian Constitution is a Living Document and rapidly adapting to the ever changing society of India.
Reading The Fundamental Rights alone will provide an idea of what constitutional morality entails. As citizens, one may or may not choose to adhere to constitutional morality, since it is largely unenforceable and non-justiciable when applied to individuals. However, as responsible Indian citizens, one ought to adhere to it.
The point of contention is that making constitutional morality unenforceable and non justiciable for citizens is, in itself, a constitutional principle that ensures the spirit and letter of the Constitution, particularly values such as liberty and the right to freedom. At the same time, constitutional morality is enforceable against the State.
No Article says, “Citizens must follow constitutional morality.” That does not mean one should not follow it. If one seeks to be a responsible citizen, one ought to adhere to it, and those who do not are not punished by the State. Constitutional morality thus acts as a guiding principle for both a responsible government and a responsible citizen.
Constitutional morality is embodied in the Fundamental Duties under Part IVA and Article 51A of the Indian Constitution. These set an expectation for both responsible citizens and a responsible government. However, they are non-enforceable and non-justiciable in nature, and nevertheless serve as guiding principles , especially in the case of citizens.
In contrast, for the State, constitutional morality is not isolated but operates in conjunction with Part III (Fundamental Rights) and the Directive Principles of State Policy. While the Fundamental Duties themselves are non-justiciable, constitutional morality, when applied to the State, becomes justiciable and enforceable.
Fundamental Duties (Article 51A, Part IVA)
It Shall be the duty of every citizen of India
– To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem (Article 51A(a))
– To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired the national struggle for freedom (Article 51A(b))
– To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India (Article 51A(c))
– To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so (Article 51A(d))
– To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women (Article 51A(e))
– To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture (Article 51A(f))
– To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures (Article 51A(g))
– To develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform (Article 51A(h))
– To safeguard public property and to abjure violence (Article 51A(i))
– To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity (Article 51A(j))
– Who is a parent or guardian, to provide opportunities for education to his child or ward between the age of six and fourteen years (Article 51A(k))
My Favorite One is The Article 51A(h)
Constitutional Morality of Learning History
The Articles 51A(b) and Artcles 51A(f) put an implicit duty on the citizens of India to learn about our History because without knowing our History it becomes impossible to value or preserve something you don’t understand. So Learning History is Obviously Part of it.
And it’s not just that. Article 51A(b) also says citizens should “cherish and follow the noble ideals of the freedom struggle.” But how are you supposed to follow those ideals if you don’t even know what they were or where they came from? That again comes down to knowing history.
When the Constitution talks about “composite culture,” it means the mix of traditions, ideas, and histories that shaped India over centurys. That includes literature, art, monuments, and the broader historical experiance of the country. So knowing this stuff isn’t optional if you actually want to preserve it.
This also makes more sense when you read it along with Article 51A(h), which talks about developing a scientific temper and spirit of inquiry, and Article 21A, the right to education. The Supreme Court in cases like Mohini Jain, Unni Krishnan, and Aruna Roy has recognised that education isn’t just basic schooling, it also includes awareness of culture and history, and the state can shape curriculum for that.
I am No Expert in Historical Studies, if Anything i Find myself often Struggling with Ancient and Medieval History.
One might say that history is just a book written by someone else, and there is no way to believe it. Such statements carry no weight, as everything is always written by someone. Even the original degree given by academic institutions is merely a piece of paper written by someone, and the curriculum and syllabus are learned from books written by someone.
The critical thing that some people with academic arrogance from premier Indian educational institutions miss is that there is something called authority and legitimacy. Even in institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology, you don’t read books written by random people; you read books from authors who are qualified in the subject matter. The same is the case in history, there are people with legitimacy. There are qualified historians, archaeologists, paleontologists, etc. History is not a mere fabrication of some events; it is factual data of events verified through different kinds of sources.
For example, if one writes about the Indus Valley Civilization, most of the material written by others also coincides with what that particular author has written. Tomorrow, if I come and say that some imaginary civilization existed and write it in a book, it does not become history or fact, but merely pseudo-history.
There are many sources of history, not just books written by historians: government archives, archives of the State and Central Governments, published archives, private archives, foreign repositories, biographies, memoirs and travel accounts, newspapers and journals, oral evidence, creative literature, paintings, and museums. If it were just a mere letter with no value, there would not be degrees in history. If it is just a mere letter, then everything else is also a mere letter with no value, including graduation degrees or a résumé/CV used during interviews.
History is a social science which relies on the cross referencing of empirical data (archaeology, numismatics, carbon dating) just as much as a “premier” engineering student relies on subjects like physics
One doesn’t have to be a Master on this Subject, It’s just enough to have a basic understanding of our roots.
Without historical context, we cannot even understand constitutional concepts like federalism, Fundamental Rights, parliamentary democracy, and statutory reforms like land reforms.
It becomes even more critical with the ever-increasing influence of electronic media such as movies and the press trying to control the narrative especially trying to establisha Single Political Narrative without any Concern to Real World Complex Situations. It becomes pertinent that we know what is right from what is wrong.
Sure, history is neither black nor white. It is gray, and sometimes looking at it through the lens of a modern moral compass might give a wrong idea. It is better to refer to it to understand how far we have progressed and what historical social evils are still present in order to eradicate them.
Yes, Fundamental Duties are not legally enforceable, but that does not mean they do not matter. They still show what a responsible Indian citizen is supposed to look like. And in a country like India, understanding history is honestly a basic part of that.
So no, the Constitution of India does not say “no need to learn history.” If anything, it clearly points the other way.
There is also alternative history, as well as majoritarian and minority history. The majority history has taken precedence over some histories of others. For example, most of the curriculum in India is taught mainly about history that has happened mostly in North India and ignores a major portion of South India. And I strongly support bringing out such suppressed historical facts and literature. For example, one of the alternate historical theories proposed by Jyotirao Phule is to view history through the lens of Dalit and Bahujan communities and provide material evidence for understanding the caste structure. I do not want to take a seminar on history; I just want to convey some basics of understanding it.
Even if you are an IT employee, it becomes more meaningful if you understand the history behind how you actually became an IT employee because of the 1991 LPG Reforms, instead of being oblivious to such historical landmark reforms. You do not necessarily need to understand Karl Marx’s theory of historical dialectics of capitalism or how societies change through conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Just the basics of who we are and how we came to be is enough.
Knowing History and Protecting our Culture i just one Part of Constitutional Morality.
And As I have Said Constitutional Morality is Non Enforceable and Non Justiciable on Citizens. If one aspires to become a Responsible Citizen of India , Constitutional Morality Becomes Non Negotiable.
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