The Preamble to the Constitution says that the Indian republic aims to promote fraternity, “assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation”. He envisioned a society where there was social contact independent of the caste hierarchy, with individuals free to form associations which would not be negatively impacted by their ‘birth’ position. This vision was encapsulated in the phrase “social endosmosis”, or the freedom to move about and through different groups in society, which Dr Ambedkar likened to the idea of fraternity. For Ambedkar, a democratic nation meant the removal of such hierarchies. The caste system involves stringent rules regarding contact and communication between different castes and sub-castes. Dr Ambedkar adds that there should be “channels for conveying a change taking place” and “varied and free points of contact with other modes of association”. “An ideal society should be mobile” is a direct indictment of the caste system, wherein people are restricted to a certain position in society by virtue of the family they are born into.
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