Karnataka government to organise state-wide ‘Constitution Awareness Jatha’

“As we enter the 75th year of adoption of the Constitution, it is a good milestone to look at how the Constitution has performed and what are the challenges that lie ahead,” it said.

Also Read: Aerospace engineer ignites awareness with ‘Reclaim Constitution’ initiative

‘Preserving the Indian Constitution’

“Also, the structure of the Indian Constitution is being debated and its embedded values appear to be under threat due to misconceptions or vested interests. Therefore, saving and preserving the Indian Constitution which was laboriously constructed is the biggest challenge of the present times,” it said.

Therefore, the government has taken a decision to create mass awareness to reaffirm the power of the Indian constitution through this “Constitution and Unity of India” programme, it added.

The Constitution Awareness Jatha would be organised in all 31 districts. The Jatha will have an LED mobile van that will play multimedia on the essence of the Constitution, and how it has been prepared and adopted.

The LED van will be followed by four to five more tableaus which depict contents related to the Constitution and other connected things specific to the districts, it said, adding, there will be wide participation from the government, private and civil society.

There could be cycle rallies, it further said, adding that the district administrations have been given the freedom to design and conduct them.

The Jatha will travel through the districts and reach every gram panchayat, thus involving the elected members at the grassroots. It would take 27 days to cover the district. In bigger districts, more than one tableaus are planned by the district administration.

Elected representatives to attend

The MLA/MLC and MPs have been requested to participate in the Jatha in their respective jurisdictions. During the Jatha, the officials will also verify those citizens who are not covered in the state government’s guarantee programmes and who could be otherwise eligible, it said.

The Jatha will have local halts, where cultural troupes will perform and there will be participation from the college students, workers, farmers and Self Help Groups (SHGs). There will also be on the spot competitions on the Constitutions.

The Jatha will be flagged off by the District Incharge Ministers on 26 January, and it would be just after the hoisting of the national flag, the release said, adding, the details of the Jatha and the route maps will be available on the website created especially for this purpose.

The second part of the programme is a Workshop and Expo, intellectual discourse and discussion by experts on many facets of the Constitution. It will be done at Palace grounds in Bengaluru on 24 and 25 February.

Concurrently there will be an expo on Constitutional values and science and Technology by KREIS (Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society) and other organisations.

This intellectual discourse will be on topics like the concept of equality, liberty, secularism and social justice. The participants would be from the state, the country and a few from outside India too. At the end of the round table, a declaration will be drafted based on the discussions.

This is jointly organised and curated by the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), the Institute of Social and Economic Change (ISEC), and Karnataka Law University. These institutions would be collaborating with other institutions and NGOs in organising the round table.

The third part is a mega convention on Constitution awareness on 25 February at Palace Grounds where the public from all walks of life will gather.

The expected gathering would be around a lakh from all over the state, the government said, adding, this will be the valediction programme of the entire event and will be attended by many intellectuals and public representatives from across the country.

Also Read: Gombe Habba meets discourse on reclaiming our constitutional values

Doll display during the Dasara

In October last year, a one-of-a-kind community doll display was organised during the Dasara celebrations in Bengaluru with an initiative named “Reclaim Constitution”.

Reclaim Constitution, an initiative by Bengaluru-based aerospace engineer, Vinay Kumar, to promote constitutional values, has dedicated its first doll display to something more than the usual.

In a one-of-a-kind community doll display, the organisers invited people of all faiths and religions to participate by lending dolls or statuettes that reflect the values enshrined in the Preamble to our Constitution.

An integral part of Dasara celebrations in South India, Gombe Habba aka Bommai Golu comprises dolls of different kinds, shapes and sizes. Over the years, revellers have taken the notch higher with their doll arrangements. In fact, it’s not just the Gods but miniatures of actors, singers, freedom fighters and even models of Chandrayaan 3 among others that get a spot on the divine steps during this Golu season of Navaratri.

(With PTI inputs)