Smritis began as practical handbooks—think of Manusmriti as an ancient GPS for social and moral conduct. Back then, these texts shaped everything from rituals to dispute settlement. Fast-forward to modern India, and that old map often clashes with today’s winding roads.

Legally speaking, the Constitution holds the highest ground. Personal laws now stem from statutes, not Smritis. Courts sometimes quote Manusmriti for historical context—like a museum exhibit rather than a rulebook. A 2023 Supreme Court ruling even called out regressive moral codes when upholding equality rights, signaling that ancient prescriptions no longer carry legal musketeering power.

Socially, however, echoes of Smritis still reverberate in villages and small towns. Customary practices around inheritance or marriage sometimes follow caste-based norms straight out of these texts. Grassroots reformers have been rolling with the punches, challenging discriminatory traditions through awareness campaigns and legal aid clinics. Dalit activists in Maharashtra, for example, have repeatedly pointed to Manusmriti’s oppressive caste directives as fuel for social justice movements.

On the gender front, Manusmriti’s prescriptions—like tying a woman’s status to her male relatives—clash head-on with contemporary ideas of autonomy. High-profile protests, from 2012’s Nirbhaya demonstrations to recent campus movements against sexist rules, underscore a broader refusal to view ancient edicts through rose-tinted glasses.

Culturally, Smritis still tug at the heartstrings as symbols of heritage. Concepts of dharma and karma seep into everything from Bollywood scripts to Yoga retreats in Rishikesh. In the diaspora, selective snippets of these texts often surface in wellness circles, touted as timeless wisdom—though critics argue that cherry-picking verses is hardly a holistic approach.

Smritis today function like faded blueprints: occasionally admired for their craftsmanship, frequently critiqued for outdated assumptions. They offer food for thought on ethics and duty, yet struggle to hold water as binding codes in a society that prizes constitutional rights and individual freedoms. The result is a nuanced tapestry where ancient lore coexists uneasily with the realities of 21st-century India.