I am a citizen of India. Do I know the Constitution? “As a student I studied the Constitution of India for the sake of passing in the examination but now I realise that I am learning it as a responsible citizen”, said Ms. Nithya. The second module of youth training was on ‘Democracy and Citizenship’ to infuse the spirit of citizenship and democratic ethos of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.
During the three day training the youth learnt basic structures of the Indian Constitution, i.e., Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties, and the Directive Principles of State Policy. Ms. Ajran says, “I didn’t know about the Indian constitution before attending this training but now as I am learning, I feel the need to know more about it”. Another youth, Ms. Lavanya, confidently said, “I am going to share with others what I have learnt here”.
Democracy gives space to the citizens to express one’s opinions with freedom and to demand one’s rights. Mr. J Krishna Murthy, the resource person explained to the youth that in democracy, the last and the least must participate in the decision making. Therefore local governance mechanisms are very important. He said, “Democracy literally means rule by the people,” and it empowers individuals to exercise political control over the form and functions of the government. He also helped the participants to understand the rights of dalits, adivasis, minorities, fisherfolk, youth and women in our country and the importance of Education.
Mr. R Poyyathu, a trainee from SWEET NGO said, “We cannot take for granted our citizenship and our rights, we need to become responsible citizens to ensure the progress and development of our country and every person, especially the most vulnerable.”.
42 youth, (17 male & 25 female youth) participated in module 2 training on, “Democracy and Citizenship” organised by the Indian Social Institute Bengaluru from 11-13 November 2022 at Pondicherry Multipurpose Social Service Society (PMSSS), Pondicherry.
Francis Balaraj SJ
Social Inclusion and Democracy Unit