In a heartfelt address that stretched far beyond legal discourse, Justice Surya Kant of the Supreme Court of India told an auditorium full of Indian-origin families in Washington DC that while miles may separate them from home, the Indian Constitution ensures their identity remains intact.
Speaking at a vibrant gathering hosted by the Washington Telangana Association, Justice Kant urged the diaspora to see themselves not merely as cultural emissaries but as living extensions of India’s constitutional soul.
“This is more than a network,” he declared, scanning a sea of professionals, students, and second-generation Indian Americans. “This is a family. And what binds us isn’t just language or tradition — it’s justice, dignity, equality. It’s the Constitution.”
While celebrating the diaspora’s impact in sectors like technology, business, and education, he offered a reminder that identity isn’t preserved only through Diwali celebrations or classical dance. “Cultural memory is vital,” he said, “but it is the constitutional framework that truly protects who we are.”
Justice Kant described how India’s judiciary has expanded its vision to include the concerns of non-resident Indians — from safeguarding property rights to navigating international custody battles and protecting digital privacy across jurisdictions.
“Increasingly,” he explained, “the courts have adapted to global realities, ensuring that NRIs find in the Indian legal system not distance, but belonging.”
He painted the judiciary not just as an arbiter of disputes but as a force that binds the nation’s moral and democratic fabric — at home and abroad. “Judges may sit in Delhi,” he said, “but their decisions echo in Seattle, in Sydney, in Sharjah — wherever Indians hold the Constitution close to their hearts.”
Justice Kant ended his address with a call to embrace this dual legacy — proud inheritors of a vibrant culture and vigilant guardians of a living Constitution.
“Carry the Gita and the Constitution,” he said with a smile. “Celebrate both Sankranti and sovereignty. Be rooted, be relevant — and always, be Indian.”
