Citizens in school practices and reflections

The makers of modern India, like Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Rabindranath Tagore, strongly believed that India could not be a nation until it was made to become one. In other words, they believed that India was a nation-in-the-making. In this sense, nations are not merely made of geographical boundaries, standing armies or elected representatives, but of citizens: citizens who are good and are critical in their thoughts and spirit, who are made and not just born in a country. Some institutions, like family, religion, schools, peer groups, political organisations, media etc, influence our day-to-day lives. We often approach the concept of citizenship with larger political ideas, such as nationalism, universal adult franchise and elections, but forget about being responsible members of our families and our schools. This article sheds light on how certain practices in schools nurture the characteristics of a good citizen