Read the following statements about a constitution. Give reasons why each of these is true or not true.

a. The authority of the rules of the constitution is the same as that of any other law.

b. The constitution lays down how different organs of the government will be formed.

c. Rights of citizens and limits on the power of the government are laid down in the constitution.

d. A constitution is about institutions, not about values

Read the following extract from a conduct book for ‘married women’, published in 1912. ‘God has made the female species delicate and fragile both physically and emotionally, pitiably incapable of self-defence. They are destined thus by God to remain in male protection – of father, husband and son – all their lives. Women should, therefore, not despair, but feel obliged that they can dedicate themselves to the service of men’. Do you think the values expressed in this para reflected the values underlying our constitution? Or does this go against the constitutional values?

Here are different opinions about what made India a democracy. How much importance would you give to each of these factors?

a. Democracy in India is a gift of the British rulers. We received training to work with representative legislative institutions under the British rule.

b. Freedom Struggle challenged the colonial exploitation and denial of different freedoms to Indians. Free India could not be anything but democratic.

c. We were lucky to have leaders who had democratic convictions. The denial of democracy in several other newly independent countries shows the important role of these leaders.

How did your school celebrate Constitution Day on November 26th? Prepare a brief report.

Here are some of the guiding values of the Constitution and their meaning. Rewrite them by matching them correctly.