BENGALURU: With an aim to impart an in-depth understanding of the Indian constitution, a collective of individuals volunteering for the Centre for Law, Policy and Human Rights Studies, Chennai, has initiated an online lecture series on the subject of constitutional law. Titled ‘Bring Home The Constitution’, it is conducted by the general secretary of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Dr V Suresh, and human rights activist D Nagasaila.
The 10-lecture series commenced on May 6 and is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays on their YouTube channel called Koodam and Zoom, details of which are posted on social media. It already has over 950 registrations from across the country, all of whom are provided reading material prior to the session.
Elaborating on the subject of the series, Suresh says it is directed towards the ordinary citizens in order to encourage and empower them via key elements. “The attempt is to talk about the Constitution in a simple way but not a simplistic manner. In their everyday interactions with the law, citizens go ahead to shape it. There is a wrong impression that laws are only shaped in courts, which is the last resort.
This series is purely aimed at critically understanding the Constitution as citizens, so we can engage with it in our day-to-day lives,” says Suresh, who is also an advocate. The upcoming session on May 13 will focus on ‘Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression’ over the course of one hour, which will be followed by a round of questions and answers.
Deepak Kurki, a contemporary dancer based in Bengaluru, was among those who attended the session on May 6. He emphasises that while law is written in a language which is complex by nature, the lecture series puts it in a simple sense.
“They simplified the law but at the same time imparted the authentic information for one to grasp. They do maintain a language to which a common individual can connect with. What I also realised was that we are so disconnected to the set of laws that we only go through them when we arrive at a problem. That’s not the point of the law, it’s for good and bad times. Knowing your rights is crucial, especially in the current times,” says Kurki.
