RIGHTS CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

“With the theory of individual happiness as the primary aim of existence, we shall only produce self-centered men. We have therefore to find a principle . . . which shall guide men toward their own improvement, teach them constancy and self-sacrifice, and unite them with their fellow men . . . . And this principle is Duty.”

A student from Arunachal Pradesh, Tapi Aku, asked a pertinent question to Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the third edition of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020’ event at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. She asked how citizens can be made aware of the fundamental duties (and not talk of rights only) and encouraged to abide by them. Responding to the girl’s question, he said that the importance of fundamental duties was stated by Mahatma Gandhi. Mr. Modi added, “There’s a fine connection between our rights and responsibilities. Our rights are directly dependent on the responsibilities performed by others. If a teacher performs his responsibility in the right way, the students’ right to learn is secure,” He further said “Today, I am talking to students who would be playing a key role in India’s development in 2047, when we mark hundred years of independence. I hope this generation takes it upon themselves to act on some of the fundamental duties enshrined in our Constitution,” (Source: NE NOW NEWS)

In 1947 Julian Huxley, English evolutionary theorist and director-general of UNESCO, wrote to Mohandas Gandhi Ji, in order to ask him to contribute an essay to a collection of philosophical reflections on human rights. Gandhi Ji declined but replied “I learnt from my illiterate but wise mother that all rights to be deserved and preserved came from duties well done. Thus the very right to live accrues to us only when we do the duty of citizenship of the world.” So, the idea of rights and duties is definitely interrelated. This topic is indeed relevant and thought provoking in the present times. India is a country where youth constitute a major part of the population. The young generation is undoubtedly more advanced and aware of their surroundings. They do not shy away from asking questions, they are eager to take actions and put forth their opinions. They know their rights and they aren’t hesitant in asking for the same. Although this seems to be quite promising and progressive for a developing country like India, somewhere down the lane, I believe, that the young generation needs to create a balance between their rights and duties. Before, we talk further about this balance; let’s take a look into the rights and duties mentioned in our constitution.

The Fundamental Rights, embodied in Part III of the Constitution, guarantee civil rights to all Indians, and prevent the State from encroaching an individual's liberty while simultaneously placing upon it an obligation to protect the citizens' rights from encroachment by society. Seven fundamental rights were originally provided by the Constitution – the right to equality, right to freedom, right against exploitation, right to freedom of religion, cultural and educational rights, and right to constitutional remedies. The purpose of the Fundamental Rights is to preserve individual liberty and democratic principles based on equality of all members of society. Dr Ambedkar said that the responsibility of the legislature is not just to provide fundamental rights but also and rather, more importantly, to safeguard them. (Source: Wikipedia)

Originally ten in number, the Fundamental Duties were increased to eleven by the 86th Amendment in 2002, which added a duty on every parent or guardian to ensure that their child or ward was provided opportunities for education between the ages of six and fourteen years. The other fundamental duties obligate all citizens to respect the national symbols of India, including the constitution, to cherish its heritage, preserve its composite culture and assist in its defence. They also obligate all Indians to promote the spirit of common brotherhood, protect the environment and public property, develop scientific temper, abjure violence, and strive towards excellence in all spheres of life. In case of violation of fundamental duties enshrined in the constitution by a citizen including President, Vice President, Speaker, parliament members, state legislative members, etc., it amounts to contempt of the constitution which is punishable under Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. (Source: Wikipedia)

It is quite interesting to note that the emphasis on the Fundamental Rights is much more than the stress on the duties. They are undoubtedly more detailed and emphasized when they are taught in schools, under the prescribed course of social science. However, I totally agree with the statement of the Prime Minister that there is a need to create a balance between rights and duties for better functioning of any nation. Imagine a scenario where everyone is fighting and protesting for their rights totally disregarding their duties. Well, I am sure it does ring a bell in the present context of what is happening in the nation. I totally understand the idea of peaceful protests and voicing one’s opinion in order to safeguard one’s rights but we need to understand that it definitely doesn’t mean that we harm the basic human rights of others. A peaceful protest doesn’t give anyone the right to block roads and hinder the smooth functioning of the daily lives of other citizens. Right to speech doesn’t mean a thoughtless defamation of one’s own nation and tolerance doesn’t mean ignoring anyone’s negative opinions about our country. When I look around people sitting on peaceful protests I expect them to realize that their fight for their rights should not interfere with the rights and resources of other citizens. Ensuring this would mean actual respect and balance of one’s rights and duties. Without this balance, we cannot expect a smooth functioning of any system. Duty and rights go hand in hand with each other. When there is a breach of duty from one person, there is a breach of the right of another person.

“…Indeed, rejecting duty entirely means rejecting a public vocabulary that might save a range of values from continuing neglect, whether socioeconomic equality, global justice, or environmental welfare. Further, duties matter precisely because many of our most intractable problems are global. In his letter to Huxley, Gandhi writes, “…duties are at the core of a worthy citizenship of the world. It is highly doubtful that human rights alone will address these public dilemmas in either theory or practice.” (Source: Boston Review)

Coming at a basic unit or level, I must talk about parenting and schooling in this context because the knowledge of rights and duties starts here. At school and home level duties can be clearly connected to responsibilities. In order to exercise their rights children first need to understand their duties/ responsibilities. Dr. Jim Taylor writes, “Popular culture conveys to children very unhealthy messages about responsibility. Through its focus on the pampered lifestyles of the rich and famous and advertising that suggests that life should always be a party, popular culture communicates to children that if it's not fun, easy, or interesting, they shouldn't have to do it. If children get tired, bored, or uncomfortable, they shouldn't even try.” I have often had this conversation with children where they express how they hate routine without realizing that life has become easy for them because certain things happen with discipline and routine. The best example would be of ‘nature’ itself. The rising and setting of the sun and the balance in weather leads to smooth functioning of our daily lives. Change in these orderly functions could be tremendously hazardous.

With freedom and rights one should never give a back seat to discipline and responsibilities. At both home and school, elders need to set limits, say no, establish and enforce rules, set expectations, encourage kids to give back in some way, assign chores and make sure they get done and set and follow through with consequences. This is the stepping stone in learning discipline and understanding their responsibilities. With this parents also need to make the kids feel a sense of self esteem, love and sense of capability to be able to hold on to a particular responsibility. To make children interested towards their responsibilities, the first step as always would be setting examples. Then comes the part where you actually assign them important tasks and show trust. Once they accomplish the task it’s important to show appreciation as well, so that the task becomes a matter of pride for the child and he can accept it as his responsibility, quite happily. Last but not the least is the significance of accountability and consequences. Teachers and parents should hold kids accountable for their actions and set up appropriate consequences if a duty or responsibility isn’t handled with sincerity.

These steps become all the more important because I believe that in some way or the other the parents as well as schools have emphasized on rights without creating a significant base of duties for them to stand on. And therefore, these rights give a strong sense of entitlement and privilege to the kid which later becomes a matter of great concern for any society. Today, a child/student can unabashedly stand in front of a teacher and state proudly that a teacher cannot sternly punish him for any fault, under the law but the child/student on the other hand can say anything and would not come under any punishment by law. This does not mean that the child is to be necessarily punished for negatives but he/she must know the limit and if the limit is crossed also its consequences. I come across cases when the parents of children who are keen to study in the class complain that a few children create disturbance because they would have already done that topic in some tuition class. Here the children involved in creating disturbance need to be strongly told that they have right not to study but do not have right to insult teacher and disturb other students who want to learn in the class. We need to remember the dialogue the film PINK in which Mr Amitabh Bachchan says NO means NO and nothing else.

Our children should be made to realize that to ensure the safety of their rights they need to make sure that they exercise their duties towards others and their nation. It should be clear to them through the combined efforts of parents and teachers that their rights cannot exist independently without the support of duties. For this message to go out strongly, parents and teachers need to perform their duties and  each other so that the kids emulate the same. The readers might find it strange but the root of a deep sense of duty and responsibility lies in the nurturing of empathy. If a child learns to care about the feelings, needs and rights of others; he is actually fulfilling his duty towards society. So, it’s important to set examples of empathy. Let’s cultivate sensitivity before we work in the direction of sensitization. For we need to make our kids understand that: “Every right has its responsibilities. Like the right itself, these responsibilities stem from no man-made law, but from the very nature of man and society. The security, progress and welfare of one group are measured finally in the security, progress and welfare of all mankind.”