Good morning one and all. Respected Principal, teachers, and my dear friends, it is my pleasure and privilege to stand before you today. I am honored to have this opportunity to speak to such a distinguished audience. Today on this occasion, I would like to talk about one of the most significant and powerful documents in Indian history, the Constitution of India.
Although officially the draft was completed on 26 November 1949, it came into effect on 26 January 1950. Its adoption marked the beginning of a new era of an independent India. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was the chairman of the Drafting Committee. The first meeting of the drafting committee was held on 9 December 1946 and it took nearly three years for the draft to be complete.
The Constitution of India is more than a mere legal document, it symbolises India’s freedom, democracy, and sovereignty. It is the supreme law of the land that ensures smooth governance, free of bias and prejudice. it is an embodiment of the fundamental rights, duties of the citizens, and fundamental principles and serves as a framework for a just democratic system.
The Constitution of India consists of a Preamble, 22 Parts, 12 Schedules, and 448 Articles. The Preamble outlines fundamental values like justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity as well as the various objectives of the Constitution. It proclaims India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, and republican nation.
The Constitution ensures each citizen their fundamental rights and freedoms. It guarantees them the right to equality, right to freedom of speech and expression, right to life and liberty, right to education, right to participate in the political process and many other rights too.It also promotes a sense of fraternity and harmony and enlists a variety of fundamental duties to be followed by the citizens.
The Constitution establishes a federal system of government where there is a division of powers between the central and state governments. It forms a parliamentary system of governance where the President presides as the head of State and the Prime Minister is the head of government.
With changing times, the Constitution of India has also been amended several times. We must cherish and respect the values enshrined in our Constitution and work towards building a society that promotes harmony, equality and fraternity.
