The Constitution of India — An Introduction
The Preamble
Learn what the Preamble says, and the core values of the Constitution.
The Constitution's core values guide the government's policies and decisions, and citizens should practise them too. Their essence is in the Preamble, the opening page: a summary of the whole Constitution.
It begins: 'We, the People of India'. The Constitution was made by the people, through their representatives, not handed down by a king or an outside power. After centuries of kings and a century of foreign rule, that's the whole point!
Then it describes what kind of country India is:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sovereign | the people have the supreme right to decide internal and external matters; no outside power can dictate to India's government |
| Socialist | wealth is made by society and should be shared; the government should reduce inequalities |
| Secular | full freedom to follow any religion, no official religion; all beliefs get equal respect |
| Democratic | people have equal political rights, elect their rulers and hold them accountable |
| Republic | the head of state is elected, not hereditary |
Compare secular with the theocracies in the last chapter, where the constitution rests on one religion. And republic: India's President is elected; nobody becomes President because their parent was!
Then four goals:
- Justice: no discrimination by caste, religion or gender; reduce social inequality; work for everyone's welfare, especially less advantaged groups
- Liberty: no unreasonable restrictions on what we think, how we express it, and how we act on it
- Equality: all are equal before the law; social inequalities must end; equal opportunity for all
- Fraternity: behave like members of one family; nobody treats another citizen as inferior
These are ideals. Real life doesn't always match them yet, which is why we keep working towards them.
The words 'Socialist', 'Secular' and 'Integrity' were added to the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment in 1976: even the Preamble is part of the living document!
In 1949, Begum Aizaz Rasul told the Assembly that equality for women "is no new concept ... but is an ideal that has long been cherished by India."
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