This is the 75th year of India’s independence and the eighth decade of the Constitution of India. Despite initial misgivings, the Constitution and its underlying principles have endured. It has truly emerged as the book of India, which Indians have continued to shape for themselves and for one another.
With the objective of appreciating the Constitution and unearthing the challenges it is currently faced with, the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy (‘Vidhi’) has embarked on the “Book of India” campaign, aimed at taking the Constitution and its founding values to the people, and framing a collective vision for India as an inclusive, democratic republic. Through research, consultations and outreach, we truly hope to open the Book of India.
One of the key principles on which the Constitution was founded is secularism. As we complete 75 years of India’s independence, the moment is opportune to articulate and identify challenges to the idea of secularism, and develop an evolved vision of what it ought to mean. There is a need today to be able to get across to the citizens the peculiarity of Indian secularism, and how that interacts with religious freedoms of both individuals as well as communities.
To that end, Vidhi and Manthan India organised a conversation to explore the contours of Indian secularism, what that means for contemporary legal and constitutional challenges, and how the difficult task of making a constitution work effectively may be achieved.
Watch the discussion above.
