[Watch/Read] On The 70th Year Of Republic Day, Learn Constitutional Values Through Movie Clips
Image Credit: India Times

[Watch/Read] On The 70th Year Of Republic Day, Learn Constitutional Values Through Movie Clips

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When people are lynched by a mob and others watch, it says something about our government. But it says a lot more about us – the citizens. It says that some of us, instead of following the process of law, are ready to pronounce judgment ourselves. And it says that some of us are ready to just stand by and watch.

When people are rude to each other, calling names, putting down others in the name of religion, caste, gender – on TV, social media, in homes and at work, it shows that many of us have lost our way on core values.

The last 70 years is full of examples of when we have stood up for the values of equality, liberty, justice, and fraternity. And there are many examples when we have not.

Now, as we enter the 70th year as a republic, it is time to put the mirror on ourselves: We, the People of India. It is time for us to introspect if we have acquired the maturity, standard, ethics and values that we promised ourselves 70 years back.

Mission 70 is a campaign that helps us do that. It is a national campaign that will run through the 70th year of the Constitution – starting 26th January 2019 to 26th January 2020. The campaign has been initiated by a platform – Citizen Adda – of more than 25 organizations from across the country.

The aim of Mission 70 is to remind citizens to connect between constitutional values and our everyday life. Its objective is to provoke reflection on how we are practising constitutional values in our lives and what we can do in times to come. We will trigger this reflection through a set of short films released every two months on social media. The films will also be screened in group workshops – Citizen Addas – where they will be discussed, debated and made meaning of.

The Series titles and time plans are as follows:

26th January – Constitution in Cinema

14th April – Constitution in Elections

15th August – Constitution and Freedoms

2nd October – Constitution and Social Justice

26th November – Constitution and Citizenship (Bharat ka nagrik matlab kya?)

26th January – Constitution and I

The first series is called Constitution in Cinema. Through clips of popular movies, the series will make us think about how we violate or practice the values of equality/justice/freedom in our everyday lives. It helps us hold a constitutional lens on everyday situations and question our own attitudes, views and behaviour.


Dabangg

This film highlights the importance of due process for all, even for those who we believe are wrong. Because the system must be run along values and principles and not individual beliefs. Only then it can serve everyone equally. In the film, Chulbul Pandey who tells everyone to follow the law but commits a crime in the public display is pure hypocrisy. However, we still appreciate this act.


Rang De Basanti

As citizens, we have a number of fundamental rights, and we are entitled to use it for our own good. Asserting our rights while being conscious of our responsibilities makes us a responsible citizen. The film clip is about a peaceful protest, but we see how many times such protest turns into unlawful activity. Let’s be conscious of ‘how’ we do along with ‘what’ we do.



Harry Potter

This talks about the core value of equality, how much one believes in it, needs it, and practices it in our day to day life. It is easy to sympathize and difficult to practice. Practising equality is about being just, fair and believing that all humans are equal because all are HUMANS no matter what.


Game of Thrones

This is about the principles of fairness and non-arbitrariness.


Drishyam

In this age of social media and live reporting from the ground, we need to be more conscious of what we are being served. How many things one can cross check before one believes? Certainly, it is difficult. But it becomes much easier if one is conscious of our own prejudices.

Newton

This film clip is about our rights and responsibilities around voting. It is true that none of us can be forced to vote, leave aside voting to any particular party. But do we realize the importance of voting as a citizen and making a conscious choice? And while making that choice are we being conscious of the constitutional values and evaluating whether the candidate upholds those values?


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Editor : The Logical Indian

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