India’s constitutional journey has etched a remarkable arc

The statement of Winston Churchill cynically doubting the sustenance of democracy in India has long ago been put to rest. Much has been written about in legal and political literature about the endurance of constitutions, though with focus on Asian and South American countries, but not closely enough to capture the kaleidoscope of India’s democracy. India’s constitutional journey has been an indigenous exercise, without any external advice or instructions. In a brief preface to a booklet by Swami Vedananda Teertha, Dr. Ambedkar wrote, “The work would have been of greater value if the author had considered why the positivism and optimism of India’s ancient past gave place to the pessimism of later days.” While one may agree with Dr. Ambedkar to engage with this question on our quest for the unbiased discoveries of many Indias or rediscovering India beyond attempts to denigrate anything about our past, we need to know who pushed the pessimism project beyond what was true. The inimitable part played by the Supreme Court in ensuring a rights-based governance and balancing the interplay of fundamental rights and Directive Principles of State Policy is one part of our constitutional journey embedded in democracy.