In a world increasingly polarized by identity politics, India stands at a crucial juncture. With 65 per cent of our population under 35 years and a median age of 29, we possess an extraordinary demographic advantage. However, this potential dividend can transform into disaster if our youth succumb to divisive narratives that undermine our constitutional values.
The Challenge of Diversity in a Divided World
India’s defining characteristic is its remarkable diversity – of languages, cultures, religions, and traditions. Yet globally, we witness growing antipathy toward multicultural societies. Rising inequality, economic insecurity, and the amplification of divisive narratives through social media have created echo chambers that exacerbate fear of differences. This global phenomenon has not spared India. Incidents that affect our social fabric continue to be seen. The psychological dimension compounds this challenge – human minds evolved with fight-or-flight responses that instinctively view differences as threats. Our cognitive architecture is not naturally attuned to embracing diversity.
Cognitive Dissonance and the Need for a Moral Framework
When societal conditions push toward homogeneity while our constitution celebrates pluralism, citizens inevitably experience cognitive dissonance – a conflict between beliefs and actions. As philosopher Immanuel Kant recognized, we require a “categorical imperative” – a rational, universal framework to navigate this complexity. What better framework for India than our own Constitution? In our pluralistic democracy, constitutionalism provides that rational, universal philosophy. Constitutional morality offers citizens and state organs alike a coherent approach to respecting individual dignity while fostering societal fraternity.
Article 51A: The Blueprint for Constitutional Citizenship
The often-overlooked Article 51A of our Constitution outlines Fundamental Duties that provide a citizenship blueprint perfectly suited to our diverse reality. Unlike the Brexit phenomenon, where nationalism and fear psychosis drove decision-making unchecked by rational analysis, Article 51A offers a thoughtful alternative. These transcend abstract principles to offer a practical framework witnessed in diverse societal initiatives across India.
The judiciary has repeatedly breathed life into these duties. In the landmark Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan case, the Supreme Court invoked Article 51A to establish guidelines against workplace sexual harassment, upholding the duty to “renounce practices derogatory to women’s dignity.” Similarly, in M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, the Court referenced Article 51A(g) while mandating environmental education in schools, demonstrating how constitutional duties translate into environmental protection. When the Supreme Court invoked Article 51A in its landmark judgment on the right to privacy (Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India), it demonstrated how these duties inform our evolving understanding of rights. Similarly, when the Delhi High Court referenced Article 51A while addressing air pollution concerns, it showed how constitutional duties translate into environmental justice.
Youth-led initiatives exemplify these principles in action. The student-driven “Fridays for Future” movement across Indian cities embodies the duty to “protect the natural environment,” while college campus initiatives to ban single-use plastics show young citizens taking constitutional responsibility. When engineering students from rural Odisha developed low-cost water purification systems for remote villages, they fulfilled the duty to “develop scientific temper and strive toward excellence.”
Economic expressions of 51A emerge through social entrepreneurship in the form of women led organization like Lijjat Papad and dairy cooperative like Amul, exemplifying both women’s empowerment and the duty to “strive toward excellence in collective activity” and promotion of harmony while safeguarding livelihoods.
When Mumbai’s residents collaborated to restore Versova Beach, removing over 5 million kilograms of waste, ordinary citizens transformed constitutional theory into ecological action.
Women-led self-help groups across rural India, like the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) with over 1.5 million members, embody multiple duties—promoting dignity, developing economic excellence, and fostering brotherhood across divides.
These examples demonstrate how Article 51A addresses precisely what sociologists like Durkheim identified as “anomie” in transitional societies. While studies show increased polarization in societies worldwide, these initiatives reflect 51A’s potential to create stability through constitutional citizenship.
This framework addresses precisely the sociological challenges identified by theorists like Emile Durkheim, Anthony Giddens, and Daniel Kahneman. Where Durkheim spoke of “anomie” in societies undergoing transition, 51A provides stability. Where Giddens warned about globalization creating “new individualism,” 51A emphasizes collective responsibility. Where Kahneman highlighted how “impulsive irritation and anger” cloud judgment, 51A cultivates reasoned engagement.
From Theory to Practice
For India’s youth to truly embrace constitutional morality, we must move beyond theoretical discussions. Educational institutions must integrate the values of Article 51A into curricula. Media platforms must promote responsible dialogue that challenges rather than reinforces prejudice. Public figures must model constitutional citizenship in word and deed. The alternative is stark. As Michel Foucault observed, “People know what they do; frequently they know why they do what they do; but what they don’t know is what they do does.” Without constitutional consciousness, well-intentioned actions can unwittingly reinforce division
The Path Forward
India’s demographic dividend offers unprecedented potential for national development. But this potential can only be realized if our youth operate within a moral framework that celebrates our diversity rather than fearing it. In Thoreau’s words, we must “learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.” Article 51A provides that awakening – a citizenship framework that can transform our diversity from a perceived vulnerability into our greatest strength.
Rather than retreating into homogeneity, let us engage heterogeneity. Rather than succumbing to the “regression of listening” that Adorno warned against, let us cultivate the maturity to embrace complexity. Rather than allowing our diversity to divide us,
let us harness it to propel India forward. This can be achieved via imaginative institutional mechanisms such as “transformative accommodation”, which combines the recognition of deep cultural diversity with a regard for typically liberal concerns for individual well-being, freedom and equality.
The promise of our demographic dividend depends not just on numbers, but on the moral framework that guides our youth. Article 51A offers that framework – a path to fraternity, freedom, and fidelity that can truly transform potential into progress.
Avinash Pandey, IRS is Deputy Commissioner of Customs & Indirect Taxes in Ludhiana. Views are personal and do not represent that of the government.