Making a Constitution

One morning, when the students of Shiksha Niketan School gathered in the school courtyard for the assembly, there was excitement in the eyes of their head teacher, Miss Kapoor, because it was November 26, Constitution Day.

- Kusum Agarwal

She had a special plan in mind for the occasion. Miss Kapoor was a passionate teacher known not only for her brilliant teaching skills but also for her immense love for history and political science.

"Good morning, children!" Miss Kapoor greeted her students and then said, "Today is Constitution Day!" The children were confused.

"Constitution Day? What is that, Ma'am?" Rohan, one of the students, asked.

Miss Kapoor began to explain, "The Indian Constitution Day is celebrated to remember the day our country drafted the Constitution, which is a rule book that guides our country. It is based on the idea of serving justice. It is a day to remember the value of freedom. Our Constitution gives the message of equality. By following the rules written in the Constitution, our country runs smoothly."

The children were curious and wanted to know more about the Constitution. What is there in our Constitution? How does it work? Who made it? They had many questions.

Miss Kapoor continued, "I will tell you all about the Constitution, but before that, today we will make our own. In this workshop, we will make our own school's constitution. This constitution will be applicable in every class and will guide us to maintain order, just like the Constitution of our country guides us. It will be a set of rules that we all will follow to make our classrooms a better place. If you want to participate, raise your hand."

Eager to participate, the children quickly raised their hands and then sat in a circle as directed by Miss Kapoor who counted 15 participants in total.

The group of interested students moved to an activity room. Miss Kapoor gave them coloured paper and markers. Then she asked each child to write a rule on that paper, which, if implemented, would make their class happier. She also said that they should try to make beautiful pictures along with every rule.