Bharat SainiLast Updated on June 26, 2018 by Bharat Saini
‘Duties and Rights’, the two juxtaposing assemblies have been impugning each other in a democratic system for a long time. On one hand, the channelizing machinery blaming the citizens and on the other hand the citizenry blaming the system for repeatedly being meretricious in appearance but mere lackadaisical in its methodology. But in this warfare of constant blamegame, are we losing the vivacious mettle of realization of our very own duties ?
Everyone seems more palpable than the other when the cause for the deliverance of our proper right comes. How many of us go for the deliverance of our very own duties ? The stream of the situation is to learn to avoid blaming others and becoming accountable. The acerbic friction between the system and the citizens is due to the paucity of synchronization between the two. Right to have clean localities is attainable when people stop disposing of waste in unwanted places, littering the trash on the road, near street stalls, open restaurants, burning the plastic wastes, etc. The system on the other hand, should rise above the inadvertence and should provide a proper waste management strategy in every city with an effective implementation. The holy requirement regarding right to ‘Privacy’ will be conserved only when tourists are abstracted from being molested one day or the other. India-Gargantuan processions either in elections or in religious fanaticims should not interrupt the machinery of the system. Percussions, abraded temper and unusual strikes bring a suspension against the synchronicity of our own rights. Our duty should be to avoid the malfunctioning of the machinery by contributing our little cooperation in the situation of morass.
The torpor and trammel of duties will incarcerate the rights in some form and substance in an improvident manner. The transmutation of tragedies in a solution-oriented positive note will categorically ensure our invincible rights. But the insipid spirit of our sense to perform duties cripple the entire effort to sustain such notion. The need of the situation is to propound such amenable positive insurrection against our own odds of torpid actions, abrogations, suspension and insouciant behaviour that hinder the impetus pathway of development and thus deprive us of our monumental rights. A positive approach is a desirable one.
Many people in the gush of jingoism forget what actually our duties are towards the nation and the society. Even the description of an utopian civilization expresses the quality of an effective duty performance. Every individual, irrespective of caste, age, gender, qualification and mental ability, when performs his or her duty, which is lawful and non-discriminating, which is unbiased and truly at last which is established by its very foundation on the grounds of brotherhood, corresponds the unification of a magnanimous nation. Such a nation will never outbreak a brouhaha over the impartial treatment and enforceability of rights, since such a nation irrespective of different levels of abilities, will never hinder the upliftment of any sector, rather it will cooperate and will bring a vivacious synchronization in the channelizing wheels of the nation which was once moving in a discursive manner.
Today our spasmodic expression is renegading the bounds of inhumanity. Today we feel so reluctant to help others. Have we become so inhumane to shatter the ambience of defunctionalization ? Actually we are on a digressive path, where we have shattered veneration, questioning each other’s obligations and accountability. Today we are looking for videos that justify the belittling morals in the society, in order to kickstart our effort, our duties, our conscience, our humanity ! It is high time for all of us irrespective of all segregations to inculcate the forgotten cognizance of benevolence.
But today, we are living in society, where we have participation in our own governance. With this governance, comes a responsibility too, to follow the didactic dictum that will establish a debonair nation. Many of us are becoming captious to inquire others’ accountability. But this should not be the notion of a nation which is aspiring for an august apotheosis. Yes, a congenial vantage is waiting for us to realize a candid epitome that when we take care of our duties, rights take care of themselves !
Against
—K.L. Surekha
“Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.
Get up, stand up, Don’t give up the fight.” —Bob Marley
There will be a never ending debate between Duties and Rights—which should take the precedence ? If rights could take care of themselves, why do we need to stand up and fight for our rights ? Will there be any need for us to run and knock the door of High Courts and Supreme Court to get our rights ?
Rights are fundamental rules in existence which are allowed of people or owed to people as granted by a country’s Constitution or Laws. Rights form the basis of civilisation and are regarded as the pillar of society and culture. On the other hand, Duty is the one we are morally (or) legally obligated to do.
There is always a notion to say that one’s right becomes another’s duty. Point of debate is which takes precedence ? Our constitutional makers have thought a lot and referred to many other Constitutions, to make Indian Constitution the best. If Duties take precedence, they might have incorporated them in our original Constitution itself.
People, in general, are duty-bound. May be there could be few who neglect their duties as a citizens of a country. Infact, those few people will always exist in any country. Supreme Court made it mandatory for everyone to stand up in theatres when national anthemy is played. Infact we are forced to display our duty towards a nation.
We have Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. But still our Rights do not get fulfilled. Say, we were granted Right to Freedom of speech and expression under Article 19. But still there were many cases that were filed in courts at different levels every single day. If Rights could take care of themselves, why would I need to prove my Right to freedom of expression ?
Example : Kushboo Case.
Several Rights got legal sanctions, say Right to Education, Right to Food etc. If Rights could take care of themselves, why would people die of starvation in Jharkhand when there is Right to Food ? Even today several children can be seen on any road, working as child labour and not getting proper education. Whose fault is it ? It is nothing but admitting of the failure on the part of Govt. in performing the duties of a welfare state ? Not just we as a citizen have duties, Government too has duties that are to be followed.
Take the case of Right to Privacy, in Aadhar issue. Even though the issue is in court, Government is making it mandatory for almost all of its services. Then how will Right to privacy be established ? In todays cyber world, we cannot ensure that our data-base is strong enough and can never be hacked. Eventhough Aadhar issue is not fully resolved, ration was rejected for few people in Jharkhand, resulting in deaths. If Rights could take care of themselves, then should there be any deaths as we have Right to Food and Right to Privacy.
Rights are several—Legal Rights, Fundamental Rights, Human Rights, Child Rights, Corporate Rights and so on. For example, Child Rights are so important that if they don’t get such Rights, one generation will be lost, About 263 million children and youth are out of school, according to UNESCO, Institute for Statistics (UIS). Then can we say that children are getting their Right to Education ? We, as humans have certain rights. But such Human Rights are mostly neglected. Ex. Sri Lankan Civil War—where thousands of people were killed and several missing and Rohingyas Muslims refugees issue. Every year the count of refugees is increasing. They are the people with no country and no rights.
“Human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by unfair economic structures that create huge inequalities.” —Pope Francis
Economic inequalities are such that in India richest 1% own 58·4% of wealth. This shows the exploitation of society.
We have moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. We have rights to live in a better way.
In my opinion, there always exists a delicate balance between Duties and Rights. As far as majority is concerned, we follow our Duties as a citizen of this country. But sometimes we need to fight for our rights, through Judiciary—which is a time-consuming as well as a costly affair.
