What does state sovereignty really stand for? Does it downplay the role and status of the individual by making him a 'subject' of the state? The complex relationship between citizens and a sovereign state, and the changing trends therein, will be examined in the annual Constitutional Day lecture organised by Daksh, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the improvement of democratic governance in India, on 26 November 2013.
The lecture titled "Sovereign, Citizen, Subject: An exploration of the relationship between the people and the state" will be delivered by Usha Ramanathan, a renowned expert on law and poverty. It is scheduled to commence at 5:30 pm at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Bangalore.
Usha Ramanathan is a research fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in Delhi, teaches environmental law, labour law and consumer law at the
Indian Law Institute and is a frequent adviser to many non-governmental and international organizations. She is also the South Asia Editor of the Law, Environment
and Development Journal (LEAD Journal), a peer-reviewed academic journal jointly published by IELRC and SOAS.
The Daksh Constitutional Day lectures are organised each year on 26 November, the anniversary of adoption of the Indian Constitution. The talks focus on the state
of the republic, its governance, status of human rights and related issues. The objective is to have eminent speakers set the agenda for better governance and
accountability through articulation of thought provoking ideas. Giving last year's Constitutional Day lecture, Pratap Bhanu Mehta of the Centre for Policy
Research delivered a deeply insightful address titled The Great Churning: India's Progressive
Moment.
