“Be a Jagrik Program helped me tremendously in advancing my practical understanding on Indian constitution”
Sanjay Kumar Verma (Zabardast Jagrik)

My name is Sanjay Kumar Verma and I never thought that I would someday work in the development sector. I wanted to be an engineer but something within me nudged me to get associated with social work and pursue a career in it, and hence, I enrolled myself in the Master of Social Work program, at The University of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. While I was pursuing my Masters in Social Work (MSW) at the University of Lucknow, I came to know about the program- Be a Jagrik, through Badlav India organisation. Being very honest I had initially very little knowledge of Indian Constitution and therefore, made up my mind to join the same. I was given the tag of a Jagrik when I joined this program at Badlav. Mr. Ramjee was the facilitator. I was told about the program which was based on spreading awareness about the Indian Constitution and our fundamental rights and duties.

During the program we did an interesting exercise in which the participants were given the following task: Identify five personal superstitions that you regularly follow/believe in and abstain from them for a week, with three testimonials to verify your act. The peers listed out five superstitions that they used to follow: 1. If a black cat crosses your path, it’s a bad omen. 2. Twitching of eye is inauspicious. 3. Praying while looking at a pair of common mynas will bring good luck. 4. Don’t get a haircut on Saturday. 5. Do not cut nails after sunset. The peers then had to restrain from following these superstitions for a week as per the task. In the beginning, restraining themselves was difficult as these were deeply ingrained beliefs but later, when they started realizing that these superstitions had no ground, they came out of it. As a result I found that being superstitious influences our behaviour and state of mind, which in turn impacts our daily lives and ability to perform.

I also completed many rights and duty based tasks and my own understanding about rights and duties increased. I took deep interest in these activities during the program and became more aware of my rights and duties as a citizen of India and this program also added to the extensive knowledge base which I gathered during the two years of my MSW at the University of Lucknow. Be a Jagrik Program helped me tremendously in advancing my practical understanding on Indian constitution which motivated me to work effectively. In my personal life my family used to be bothered by many legal issues but now, this program has enabled me to sort many things out. I would like to thank Badlav from the bottom of my heart for providing me this opportunity. Currently I have been working as a project manager with Aim Trust Lucknow.

“Be a Jagrik helped me experience the Constitution beyond books and understand its realities in everyday life”
Parvez Ahmad & Shivang

We are Parvez Ahmad and Shivang, both from middle-class urban families in Lucknow. At present, we are pursuing our Master of Social Work from Dr. Shakuntala Mishra National Rehabilitation University. Before joining the Jagrik Yatra, we had some understanding of constitutional rights, but we were not fully aware of our constitutional duties or the deeper meaning of the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution.

We knew that Indian society is largely patriarchal and that, despite constitutional provisions and rights, equal opportunities are still not accessible to everyone. A large section of society continues to remain deprived of their constitutional rights. However, the Jagrik Yatra gave us an opportunity to understand these realities beyond textbooks through different engaging activities and experiences.

One of the activities required us to spend 24 hours with only ₹32, representing the poverty-line amount for the exercise. We planned our entire day around this limited amount. Instead of brushing our teeth with toothpaste, we used datun. We had jaggery instead of breakfast and cycled to the university. When we felt hungry during the day, we bought lai-chana for ₹10.

Later, some friends asked us to have tea with them. We had to tell them:“आज चाय पिलाने की स्थिति में नहीं है कल पिलायेंगे।”

On our way back from the university, hunger became difficult to ignore. With ₹10 left, we bought two samosas and felt some relief. But soon after, our bicycle tyre got punctured. We had no money left in our pockets and were suddenly faced with the question of how we would get home. Eventually, we had to walk all the way back.

This simple activity made us experience something we had mostly understood through books. We realised the gap between social security and welfare programmes designed by the government and administration and the practical realities faced by people who have to survive with very limited resources.

Through several other interesting tasks, we got the opportunity to experience constitutional rights, duties and values in our everyday lives. The Jagrik Yatra helped us become more sensitive towards the realities around us and strengthened our understanding that constitutional values are not just something to be studied—they need to be understood, experienced and practised in real life.

“संविधान को पढ़ने से ज्यादा उसे अनुभव करना सीखा” – Akanksha Mishra & Abhimanyu

We are Akanksha Mishra and Abhimanyu, from middle-class families. Akanksha is pursuing her Master of Social Work from Dr. Shakuntala Mishra National Rehabilitation University, while Abhimanyu has completed his B.Tech. Before joining the Be A Jagrik Yatra, we did not have much understanding of the Indian Constitution. The journey gave us an opportunity to move beyond simply knowing about the Constitution and experience its values through practical activities.

While completing different tasks on Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties, we began understanding their relevance in everyday life. For one task, we formed a group with 10 other friends and conducted a campaign at the university to reduce water wastage by at least 25%. The campaign led the university administration to get the taps across the campus repaired and encouraged students to prevent water wastage in their homes as well.

Another task required us to collect ₹3,000 to purchase books related to the Constitution and encourage others to read them. We appealed to our friends for support and collected ₹2,400. Although we were ₹600 short, we contributed together and purchased three books worth more than ₹3,000, including books on the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure and Studies in Jury Judgement. We also encouraged our friends to read them.

As part of another task, we visited a nearby Naresh Bakery Restaurant and spoke with the owner. We learned how food items such as cakes and patties that are close to expiry are preserved for a short period and then given to the Robin Hood Army, which distributes them among people from underserved communities, homeless people and those living on the streets.

We also encouraged the bakery to avoid throwing spoiled food into the garbage and instead use it to make compost for gardens and plants.

Through these activities, the Be A Jagrik Yatra helped us understand that the Constitution is not limited to books or classrooms. It is about how we act, participate and bring positive change in the society around us.