On a recent morning walk, a man I did not recognize stopped me. He reached into his wallet, pulled out a small laminated card, and showed it to me. “You gave this to me last year at a bus stop,” he said.

The card contained the Preamble to the Constitution of India.

He told me he had accepted it out of politeness; no different from a flyer handed out by someone promoting a shop opening or a discount sale. Normally, he said, he would have tossed it aside. But because this was a sturdy little card, he slipped it into his shirt pocket and forgot about it.

Days later, his wife found the card while checking his pockets before doing the laundry. Curious, she asked him about it. That was the first time he read the Preamble. He admitted, rather sheepishly, that he had never read it before. “I didn’t know such an important statement existed,” he said. “Why isn’t it better known? Why don’t we sing it like the National Anthem?”

He thanked me for giving it to him, smiled, and apologized for rushing off—he was late for his tailoring job.

^{PREAMBLE OF INDIAN CONSTITUTION | PHOTO: WIKI COMMONS}
His question stayed with me.

The Preamble, which begins with the powerful phrase “We, the people of India”, is not just a ceremonial introduction. It affirms that the Constitution draws its legitimacy from the citizens of this country. It is our collective declaration, of sovereignty, of democracy, of hope. It asserts that the nation’s foundational values- justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity, are not just ideals to be admired, but principles to be practiced.

As we mark the 78th anniversary of India’s independence on August 15, 2025, I believe we must revisit the Preamble not just as a text, but as a living promise.

Last year, in the run-up to the general elections, I found myself deeply disturbed. The atmosphere was charged with religious intolerance. The economic disparities around me had grown starker. Freedom of expression felt increasingly constrained. I wondered: what can an ordinary citizen do? What power does a single person have in the face of such overwhelming forces?

Then I reminded myself: the Constitution begins not with They, the rulers, but with We, the people.

And so, I decided to do something small; but deliberate. I printed over 4,000 laminated cards with the Preamble, in English and Malayalam. Every morning, during my walk, I would hand them out to strangers. I left stacks at tea stalls, grocery shops, and bus stands. When someone paused to ask what it was, I would speak briefly about why these values matter- and why we must vote for those who uphold them.

The man who stopped me on my walk that day was just one of many who received the card. I do not know how many others read it, or whether it made a difference. But that one conversation was enough to reassure me that such acts are not in vain.

^{INDIAN CONSTITUTION | PHOTO: WIKI COMMONS}
We live in a time when cynicism is easy, and apathy often feels like a refuge. But I believe we must resist the temptation to withdraw. Each act, however modest, counts. A word spoken, a card shared, a conversation sparked, a value upheld in the face of injustice- these acts matter.

Especially now.

We must remember the faces behind the phrase We the People; the daily wage worker, the street vendor, the weaver, the nurse, the farmer, the teacher, the domestic helper. They are the ones who build and sustain this country; its food, its clothes, its care, its homes. Their rights and dignity are not charity; they are the cornerstone of our democracy.

So as Independence Day approaches, let us not merely wave flags or share patriotic quotes. Let us recommit ourselves to the vision enshrined in the Preamble. Let us ask whether our actions, choices, and words reflect justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.

And let us not underestimate the power of small gestures; because when multiplied by millions, they become a movement.

After all, the Constitution was not handed down from above. It was adopted by us; We the People.