Frequently asked questions about citizen’s pledge in India being propounded by Build India Group

What is National Pledge?
National Pledge is basically a pledge taken by citizens of the country. A pledge is a solemn oath taken by each and every citizen of the country to demonstrate his/her love and loyalty to his nation. He does this by reading out the words of the Pledge or symbolically expressing it in any other fashion, and trying to live up to it in all that he/she does or says in everyday life.

Is there any other country where there is a citizen’s pledge?

Many countries of the world have national pledges for their citizens. Some sections of citizens, for example, government employees or the military, may also have special pledges tailor-made for them. The pledge taken by US citizens, called the Pledge of Allegiance, is probably one of the best models of such a mass oath. Every American attaining the age of 18 years recites the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag with solemn reverence. Countries like Singapore, Sierra Leone and Jamaica, too, have a national pledge of loyalty to the nation for their citizens.


Don’t we have a citizen’s pledge in our country?

No. we have a National Anthem and a National Song but not a National Pledge.

Many students of English-medium schools take a moral pledge. How is that different from the National Pledge?

Moral or character-building pledges of students are necessary in their own way to develop values in our future citizens. However, such pledges are different from the National Pledge. A National Pledge is meant for citizens across the country, and deals with issues concerning the country and its people..

How should our National Pledge be?

After many long sessions of careful discussion Build India Group’s founding members unanimously approved a draft for a citizen’s pledge that we hope will one day emerge as India’s National Pledge. The final text of the pledge, after considerable deliberation and many a revision, reads as under:
“We the people of India today do solemnly pledge ourselves to the service of our nation with honesty, sincerity and commitment, always keeping our nation’s interest paramount, in all that we think, do or say for the greater glory of this land”

This may be termed for the time being a Pledge of Allegiance to the Idea of India. However, we cannot have the audacity to say that this is our National Pledge, but it is only a step forward in the campaign for a National Pledge to the country.

What has this pledge got to do with the Constitution?
We as citizens of this country are under moral obligation to discharge our Fundamental Duties as enshrined in Article 51A of the Constitution. The pledge embodies the same spirit. Build India Group believes that only when we are responsible towards our country can we be able to enjoy our Rights to the fullest.

Why should not this pledge begin with “I” in stead of “We”?

Because we are talking of a National Pledge Festival in the foreseeable future in which crores of Indians will take the Pledge together at a given moment across the country.

Why should the Pledge be in English?
The Pledge should be in all recognized Indian languages. We began with English and intend to have it in every major national language so that it can truly become a pan-Indian document. We have already drafted the Pledge in Hindi and Oriya and are getting the same translated in all Indian languages so that it is communicable to every Indian.

India is a land of diverse cultures. How can we have a pledge across the country?

Across the country, there are nearly 10 lakh lawyers. Can they pledge their love and loyalty to the country in unison? We do not think lawyers can afford to say “no”. Similarly, we have seen students across the country take an active part in the Mandal Commission movement and its aftermath. Can they not join hands for two minutes in a year across the country to affirm their love for the nation? If lawyers and students unite for a cause, it would be a formidable campaign and governments of the day too will sit up and take notice. So too will the media, and the people in general. Another significant and large step will be to involve all religious institutions in the effort to foster emotional integration of the country

How many people will say the pledge?

Change does not happen overnight, especially change on a national scale. But all good things begin somewhere, and begin very humbly. There is a felt need for emotional integration, promoting Indian-ness and working towards equipping the country to combat the menace of terrorism and rampant corruption sooner than later. Necessity is the mother of all inventions. The need of our times has given us this idea of a Pledge. A National Pledge can be the best possible tool to unite people emotionally and remind them of their duty to the country.


Why should there be an element of god when India is a secular country?

First, “secularism” does not mean keeping religion away from the people or the country. It denotes equal respect for all religions. The element of “god” actually gives us, irrespective of our faiths, an intangible strength in whatever we do. A religion is essentially centred around an element of Providence. We have so many religions and faiths.  These are very powerful and organized institutions. These have their own impact in our day-to-day lives. When it comes to country, these must join together and play an active role for fostering emotional integration. If people are ordained by these religious institutions to commit and practise their love and loyalty to the country, it will usher in a revolution that will have far-reaching benefits for our land. That ultimate consequence is our dream.

Does it mean another ritual for religious institutions? Is it possible?

Yes. We talk of a common ritual for all faiths and a billion hearts beating together for the country. We are talking of a celebration of our commitment to the country. In fact such a thing involving all religions for our country has never happened in India. Religious bodies need not affect their regular temple/mosque/church or other institutional rituals. All that these institutions need to do is to make people alert by beating cymbals or drums from temples, sending out the clarion call from masjids, and through the pealing of church bells, and the like, so that people can be alerted about taking the pledge. Since there are religious shrines in every village and hamlet and city and corner of India, this will take the message to even remotest village in the country and involve each and every household. The Pledge Festival will evolve as a festival of commitment to the country to be reiterated by each and every citizen. Even those who would not like to empathize with or participate in such a festival will get the message and ask themselves about their roles in this sense of belonging to the country.

Will our educated mass appreciate it?

Many people of all backgrounds and all classes may not approve of such an event. There are skeptics everywhere. Then there are status quoists. Many more Indians are, unfortunately, selfish and self-serving and the country is the last thing on their minds. Many of our nation’s woes today can be attributed on account of such people. But an alert from religious institutions may wake some of these apathetic people at least and drive them to think of the country for a moment. Many of them may, and will, join later.

Why should heads of all faiths agree to involve their religious institutions for a nation building programme?

Why not? They shall do it happily. It’s our country after all. These institutions wield tremendous power and potential to unite the country emotionally. For thousands of years these institutions have been the source of strength for all people as well as, sometimes, the cause of divisiveness amongst different communities and faiths. They are best suited to play the cementing role in uniting the country emotionally through the spirit of patriotism. Somebody will have to tell them that they need to do it. Build India Group is doing just that. They cannot afford to say “no” to such a proposition. If any religious head says “no” to this idea, history will not forgive him..


If such a pledge festival happens as BIG envisages, how does the common-man benefit from this Pledge?

If people get emotionally united for the country and display their love and loyalty to it, they will have a better sense of security, a sense of belonging with other Indians, deeper empathy for social issues and the environment, and an overriding sense of duty towards discharging their responsibilities as citizens.

How is the National Pledge going to protect us from corruption and terrorism?

The Pledge itself can be the best launch-pad for concerted hate against corruption and terrorism. Corruption and terrorism are both behavioral disorders. Laws alone cannot prevent the recurrence and perpetuation of corruption and terrorism. While corruption is a reflection of one's mindset to appropriate something to which he or she is not legally entitled to, terrorism is an outcome of intense hate sowed in the mind of an individual by fanatics against an individual or a group of individuals or society as a whole. To prevent terrorist activity or put a check on corruption, the best method is to launch a hate campaign against such behavioral disorders. If in a village, 90 out of 100 families participate in the pledge festival, then the ten others cannot ignore such a festival. This is how we can get our country sanitized. This, in effect, will not allow outsiders to make our neighbour’s house a safe haven to kill and maim us on our own soil.


How will the Pledge help to provide food to the starving millions in the country?
The progress of any nation depends on its management of resources and the collective output of its people. To ensure efficient management and enhance output, thereby enhancing the economic security quotient of the people, all citizens must do whatever they are doing, and contribute in whatever manner they can, with their fullest commitment. Unstinted commitment of every individual to his work is the hallmark of a progressive society. This commitment comes from within, and involves emotional attachment to work as a matter of passion and not merely as a job. In spirit, if we can keep this country’s interests paramount, the managerial problems related to our resources can be overcome in large measure or to a great extent. It will give us good leaders, good and responsible citizens and continuously keep reminding us of our duties and responsibilities towards the country.  It is pertinent to mention here that the Build India Group also emphasizes that hating politics is a crime against democracy and campaigns that educated and committed Indians should join politics for better management of the state.

So when does the Build India Group propose to hold the Pledge Festival?

Build India Group proposes that the Pledge Festival should be celebrated on the third Saturday of every English calendar year at 10 a.m. across the country.


Why third Saturday?

Because the founding members of the Build India Group had taken the Pledge together and ceremonially for the first time at a conclave on the third Saturday of January 2008 (January 19, 2008).

Why should not BIG hold this festival on January 19 every year then?

We fear such an event should not get tied down to a particular date, which eventually may lead to the time overwhelming the occasion or the date being important for the date’s sake. We focus on the event, and the idea behind the event. Therefore, the festival should be day-specific and not date-specific.

Is there any bar to take the pledge on occasions like Republic Day or Independence Day Celebrations or in social gatherings?
No. There is absolutely no bar to recite the pledge on different occasions like Republic Day or Independence Day celebrations. In fact saying the pledge on such occasions makes our patriotic sentiments more intense and, therefore, people have already started reciting pledge on such celebrations in various educational institutions and many lawyers have joined this move. On January 23 this year, Delhi High Court Bar Association members did say the pledge in HIndi in their Republic Day Celebrations. On August 15 this year CAT Bar Association members and judges in Delhi, Lawyers of Dwaraka Bar Association and lawyers of Orissa High Court had also taken this pledge.