SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Nov 25: Ranchi University officials on Friday stated that they will be organising two programmes to commemorate Constitution Day on November 26. These include one at the Institute of Management Studies (IMS) in collaboration with Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK), while the other one will be held at the political science department of the university.
Similar programmes will also be organised at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, wherein two guest speakers from Nirmala College and the History department at Ranchi University are set to address the students.
This is being done after the University Grants Commission (UGC) urged the higher educational institutions and their affiliated colleges/institutes to organise the ‘Constitution Day Programme’ on November 26. The Commission has also decided to organize a lecture on the theme ‘India: Mother of Democracy’.
The UGC Secretary Rajneesh Jain in a letter to Chancellors and Vice Chancellors of Universities and Principals of Colleges said that Constitution Day is celebrated every year on November 26 to mark the adoption of the Constitution of India. He said that Indian democracy has been growing for 75 years on the strength of inclusiveness and diversity and it is not only the largest democracy in the world but also the mother of democracy.
Jain said in his letter, “There is a lot of evidence in this matter from the Vedic period which underlines the democratic tradition of India. In such a situation, it has been decided that this year Constitution Day will be celebrated by organising a lecture under the theme ‘India: Mother of Democracy’.
On the other hand, officials at the Raksha Shakti University denied having any prior knowledge of the guideline and have stated that the university has yet to prepare for such a programme.
Notably, the UGC has further urged universities and colleges to organise lectures on topics such as the ‘ideal king’ as per the Indian philosophy as well as ‘khap panchayats’ and their ‘democratic traditions’.
At the same time, the importance of devotional tradition responsible for religious reforms has also been suggested by the commission to be discussed. In addition, lectures on tribal traditions of the medieval period have also been suggested.
Notably, all these topics are based on a book published by the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) on ‘India the Mother of Democracy’, which has been compiled into 30 chapters by 30 different authors. UGC has also planned to deliver 90 lectures in 90 universities across the country to make the writings of these authors accessible to teachers and students.
The UGC Chairman has said that there are many indications that the ancient form of governance in India was democratic. There is more evidence in the form of archaeological, literary, numismatic, epigraphical, devotional etc to emphasize the democratic traditions of India. Recent archaeological excavations at Rakhigarhi and Sanauli suggest that the roots of the people’s self-government go back to at least 5000 BCE.
