Human rights in India are not confined to legislations, declarations, or courtrooms. They live in the everyday dignity people experience in classrooms, workplaces, and communities. As the world advances toward the promises of the SDGs, India’s constitutional values and the Panch Pran vision of Amrit Kaal a developed nation by 2047, freedom from colonial mind-sets, pride in heritage, unity in diversity, and a deep sense of duty remind us that rights are not bestowed; they are inherent. And among all the forces that democratize those rights, education remains the most powerful enabler, shaping citizens who not only demand their rights but also uphold the rights of others.
From Campus to Community: Where Rights Are First Practiced
Campuses are the first “mini-societies” where young people learn how dignity works in real life. When universities promote fairness, accessibility, and mental well-being, students internalize that equality is non-negotiable. At BIMTECH, initiatives like the Sustainability Conduit, Equal Opportunity Cells, waste management drives, and inclusive cultural and sports activities help students respect diversity and celebrate differences. Responsible Business and Sustainability courses expand their understanding of rights not merely as legal concepts but as living principles. Here, human rights are not taught; they are experienced.
Learning by Doing: Turning Awareness into Action
Rights become meaningful only when we step into the realities of those denied them. Experiential learning initiatives such as the Rural Immersion Program expose students to challenges in healthcare, sanitation, digital divides, livestock productivity, livelihoods, and education in rural India. When students interact with women’s self-help groups, support village schools, organize blood donation and health camps, promote digital literacy, or work on WASH initiatives, they witness both inequity and aspiration first-hand. This transforms classroom privilege into community purpose from sympathy to solidarity shaping citizens who feel responsible for ensuring rights, not just claiming them.
Business Schools as Guardians of Dignity
Management graduates shape companies that employ millions, influence value chains, and steer innovation. At institutions like BIMTECH, embedding ethics, sustainability reporting, stakeholder engagement, and social accountability into curricula ensures that future leaders understand that economic decisions have deep human consequences. Students learn that “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” is not just a governance slogan, but a human rights promise inclusive growth where no one is left behind. When these graduates enter corporate boardrooms, they carry with them a mind-set that profitability must walk hand-in-hand with dignity, fairness, and inclusion.
The Human Journey: From Competition to Compassion
“तुम से पहले वो जो इक शख़्स यहाँ तख़्त-नशीं था,
उस को भी अपने ख़ुदा होने पे इतना ही यक़ीं था।”
Those who once sat on the throne believed they were gods until time reminded them they were human. Remember: No status makes one superior; Every seat of power is temporary & Equality is the ultimate truth. No human is above another the essence of human rights. “ਇਕ ਓਅੰਕਾਰ सतनाम” Ik Onkar, Satnam. There is One Supreme Reality, the same divine light in all.
In that spirit imagine a young student from a small town first in the family to reach a management school. New faces, new cultures, new ambitions. On one side, dreams of a better life; on the other, the heavy questions of reality: Will I get a job? Will this world accept me? How do I prove my worth? In an era where “I” dominates over “We,” competition often overshadows compassion. Stress, anxiety, and the fear of falling behind create shadows even on bright campuses. It is at such a critical junction that human rights education becomes transformative, helping students understand that success built on someone else’s exclusion is not success at all. Through conversations on diversity and dignity, through yoga and meditation that centre the mind, and through values like sharing and caring, campuses restore balance teaching the young that empathy is not a weakness but a leadership strength.
Towards a Future Where Every Right Finds Its Light
“आ ले चलूँ तुझे ऐसे गगन के तले, जहाँ ग़म भी न हो, आँसू भी न हो, बस प्यार ही प्यार पले…”
A dream, but also a direction. A just and humane society does not begin in Parliament or the courtroom; it begins in a classroom. If we want a world where no voice is silenced, no child is left behind, and no life is measured as less than our campuses must become the training grounds of dignity. This is the moral leap our nation seeks from sympathy to solidarity, from awareness to accountability, from personal success to collective progress. For this, human rights must not remain chapters in books; they must become the very air students breathe. They must flow through a curriculum that teaches fairness, a campus culture that respects every identity, a leadership model that listens before it decides, and community engagement that bridges the last mile. And this journey is not for academia to walk alone. Corporates, civil society, government, and universities must move together, ensuring that every young leader carries a rights-based compass into every decision they make. When graduates step into the world with empathy in their hearts and justice in their actions, responsible business becomes a national movement and Viksit Bharat 2047 becomes not just an ambition, but our lived truth.
Because in the end, human rights are not policies, they are promises. Promises we must keep. Promises our youth will lead. Your education gives you wings; let your humanity give direction to your flight.
Human rights are not policies — they are promises. |
Success built on someone else’s exclusion is not success at all. |
