Q7 of 10 Page 53

A friend from Nepal has written you a letter describing the political situation there. Many political parties are opposing the rule of the king. Some of them say that the existing constitution given by the monarch can be amended to allow more powers to elected representatives. Others are demanding a new Constituent Assembly to write a republican constitution. Reply to your friend giving your opinions on the subject.

Writing a new draft for constitution is a very hectic and time-consuming task and therefore it usually leaves a time void. Obviously, the best way of handling this situation is to make some small workable amendments to the existing constitution while starting the writing of the new draft simultaneously. This will allow the administrators some legroom in understanding the needs and the best way to handle those requirements. If a draft is written in haste, then it is most likely to leave out some or other crucial points, which would create trouble in the long run.


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5

Read again the extracts from Nehru's speech Tryst with Destiny' and answer the following:

(a) Why did Nehru use the expression "not wholly or in full measure” in the first sentence?


(b) What pledge did he want the makers of the Indian Constitution to take?


(c) "The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye.”. Who was he referring to?

 6

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







(a) Sovereign


(b) Republic


(c) Fraternity


(d) Secular



(i) Government will not favor any religion.


(ii) People have the supreme right to make decisions.


(iii) Head of the state is an elected person


(iv) People should live like brothers and sisters.


 8

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.

 9

Read the following extract from a conduct book for ’married women’, published in 1912.

‘God has need the female species delicate and fragile with physically and emotionally, pitiably in capable of self-defense. 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 value expressed in this para reflected the value underlying our constitution? Or does this go against the constitutional values?