‘Dear India, to Have a Naya Start, Wish for an Inclusive Society’

(On the occasion of Republic Day, The Quint relaunches its campaign ‘Letter to India – Ek Naya Start’ and invites readers to send in suggestions to rebuild India after a tough 2020.

Shivangi Singh from Lucknow shares how India can start afresh. The views expressed are her own. The Quint neither endorses, nor is responsible for them.)

Dear India,

I am Shivangi Singh. I study in Class 10. I want a country that is kind, compassionate and empathetic towards the downtrodden. We need to display the same resolution in our fight for the people who are on the lowest rung of the society, as we may do for the eminent members of the constituent assembly.

We need to constantly remind ourselves that strength and unity lie in the “WE”. “We, the people of India” should not forget the Preamble or our Constitution, which gives the citizens of this diverse nation, the fundamental human rights and the power to form our own government. It gives the rights to “We, the people of India” and not, We the men, women, Hindus, Muslims, people of Uttar Pradesh or Maharashtra.

By infringing upon a document from which we derive our right to live, we are offending its very sanctity.

We are living in strange times and we should not let our ideological differences lead to differences in our heart. These past few months have been a test of our strength and patience. I believe the coming months will exhibit our resilience and accomplishments.

As we bounce back to normalcy, I sincerely wish that we work towards building a more inclusive society. A society which accepts everyone the way they are and not look at caste, class, religion, region, race, sexual orientation, gender and status.

A society where impoverished students do not take their life due to the fear of not being able to continue their studies. A society where every human lives with dignity and respect. A society where every human receives a shelter to live under, education, proper meals, and basic necessities. A society where every woman has access to sanitary hygiene.

I wish for a country where “Unity in diversity” is not just a topic students write essays on, but rather one which is truly reflective of this overused yet desired expression. That’s when our country will truly be a torchbearer to the entire world.