About the Book: Fraternity Constitutional Norm and Human Need
Theres no dearth of references to a sense of kinship beyond ones family or tribe
in ancient Indian texts. We know from anecdotes in the Ramayana and Mahabharata,
the Upanishads and epigraphic sources like Ashokas 12th Major Rock Edict, that
our ancestors were no strangers to an expansive understanding of fraternity.
Therefore, although the earliest adoption of fraternity as state motto happened
in 18thcentury France, the West cannot claim to have taught fraternity to India.
Even so, it took our freedom struggle and the writing of the Constitution for it
to become an integral value governing our lives.
While