The Indian Constitution- Fascinating Facts and Unsung Heroes

Most of us have read about the Indian Constitution or Bharat ka Samvidhan.

The Indian Constitution is the longest written Constitution in the World. The original enactment had 395 articles, divided into 22 parts and 8 schedules and about 145000 words. It covers all the powers which are enjoyed by the executive, legislature and judiciary. Our Constitution is a balance of rigidity and flexibility, facilitating amendments and modifications.

When we talk of our Constitution, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the father of our Constitution and the 284 members of the Constituent Assembly who helped in drafting the Constitution, come to our mind.

Apart from these stalwarts, there are some unacknowledged, unknown or little-known nationalists and patriots who helped to create this historic document. 

This is an attempt to bring to light their stories and contributions.

This story also shares some interesting and lesser-known details about our Constitution.

1 Republic Nation

India got independence on 15th August 1947. But do you know, we were not truly independent on that day?

We became a dominion of the British Empire- meaning we were equal in status but still owed allegiance to the Crown. The British Empire continued to reign over India. Lord Mountbatten was the Governor-General of the country. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was sworn in as the Prime Minister but served under the command of the British Governor-General. A British Field Marshall led the Indian army, and judges appointed by the British continued to be part of the courts.

It is on 26th January 1950, that India became the Sovereign Republic and a truly independent nation.

The Constitution also came into effect on that day. India elected Dr Rajendra Prasad as the first President of India.

2. Constituent Assembly

Shri M. N. Roy, a communist leader, initiated, as early as 1940. the need to have a constitution. Subsequently, in 1046, the British Government agreed to form a constituent assembly to discuss and draft this important document. A drafting committee under the chairmanship of Dr BR Ambedkar was formed.

389 eminent persons, including 15 women, from different provinces and experts in their fields, were selected for this committee. It took the members almost three years to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India.

After many discussions and amendments, the final draft of the Constitution (both English and Hindi) was placed before the President on 24th January 1950 and adopted two days later.

3. The Original Constitution

 Our Constitution from the drafting, to the selection of the paper, the style of writing, the font and the illustrations were well envisaged and prepared with the ethos of the Swadeshi Movement and the freedom struggle.

The original Constitution is handwritten, not typed or printed. The original copy is 22 inches long and 16 inches wide. It was written on sheets of parchment and the manuscript comprises 251 pages.

Shri KB Joshi, a scientist from Pune, was working on paper produced from cotton linens as an alternative to the imported paper. He also researched handmade papers. He and a colleague, set up the Handmade Paper Institute, in Pune under the aegis of Khadi & Village Industries and production of hand paper began, giving a fillip to Swadeshi goods and industries and providing employment.

A handmade parchment paper, made from cotton rags on 90- 110 gsm bond paper, was selected for its durability to last for 100 years.

432 pen-holders were requisitioned and Shri Prem Bihari Raizada used 303 nibs to complete the project!

The calligraphy was in flowing italics style.

Artists from the Shantiniketan drew illustrations from our glorious heritage.

As per the Ink Color Etiquettes prevalent in those days, they used black ink. Also, this ink was chosen for its opacity and durability, making it one of the finest inks.

The Constitution was initially preserved by wrapping it in a flannel cloth and stored with naphthalene balls.

However, as black ink oxidized fast, they needed to protect this important document by some alternative method. It had to be preserved at a particular humidity level to prevent oxidation. The National Physical Laboratory and the Getty Institute of America designed a helium-filled airtight chamber. It has monitors to maintain the humidity at a constant level.

There are three original copies of the Constitution of India. The English and Hindi originals with artwork on them. The third is the print copy of the English version with only the text.

These copies are in the Central Library of the Parliament. There is a secure enclosure of the rooms with CCTV monitoring.

4. Shri Prem Bihari Raizada

When the draft of the constitution was ready, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru wished to have the original copy penned.

Shri Prem Behari Raizada, a renowned calligrapher, was entrusted with the prestigious job of penning it. Prem Behari took six months to complete the task.

Shri Prem Behari Raizada was born on 17th December 1901 in a family of traditional calligraphists. Both his parents were calligraphists. He lost his parents when he was very young and was brought up by his grandfather Shri Ram Prashad Saxena and uncle, Shri Chatur Behari Narayan Saxena.

Growing up in a family of calligraphists, Shri Prem Behari learned the art from his grandfather and became an expert calligraphist. He graduated from Stephen College in Delhi.

When the PM asked how much he would charge for the work, he said.

'Not a single penny. By the grace of God, I have all the things and am quite happy with my life.'

But he had one condition.

He wanted to write his name on every page and the last page, his grandfather's name.

His conditions were accepted, and India has the most unique, beautifully calligraphed original constitution in the world. 

He signed as Prem on every page and his grandfather- Ram Parshad Saxena's name on the last page.

A salute to one of the greatest calligraphists, yet such a magnanimous patriot!

5. Dr Ghanshyam Gupta

As we all know, there is a Hindi version of our Constitution called the Bhartiya Samvidhan, or Bharat ka Samvidhan.

The Constituent Assembly members opined that the Constitution be translated into Hindi so that common people can read it.

They gave the responsibility of translating the constitution to Dr Ghanshyam Gupta.

A committee of 41 members with many linguists and law experts were chosen to handle this stupendous task of translation.

Dr Gupta handed over the Hindi version of the Constitution to the President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, on 24 January 1950.

Dr Ghanshyam Gupta was born on 18 December 1885 in Durg. He completed his elementary education there and his higher education in Allahabad.

For about 15 years, he was the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and was close to Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress ideologies.

He also worked for women's education and social consciousness and raised his voice against religious conversions.

6. Shri Vasant Krishan Vaidya

An eminent calligraphist, Shri Vasant Krishan Vaidya, did the calligraphy of the Hindi version of the Constitution.

Sadly, not much is known about Shri Basant/Vasant Krishna Vaidya.

He too completed the penning and submitted the original 'Bharat ki Samvidhan' to the President, Dr Rajendra Prasad on the 24th of January 1950.

 7. Shri Nandalal Bose

Once the Constitution was adopted, both the original versions- English and Hindi were sent to Nandalal Bose of Shantiniketan.

Each of the 22 chapters of the constitution has an illustration painstakingly crafted by Nandalal Bose and his team of talented artists from Shantiniketan. The illustrations covered the glorious history from the Mohenjo Daro period to the freedom movement. They showed the Vedic period with gurukul and Rama, Sita and Lakshman returning to Ayodhya, and Krishna propounding the Gita to Arjuna on the battlefield. There are depictions of the lives of the Buddha and Mahavira and the courts of Ashoka and Vikramaditya. Also illustrated are Akbar, Shivaji, Guru Gobind Singh, Tipu Sultan, and Lakshmibai. The freedom movement shows Mahatma Gandhi on Dandi March and Subhash Chandra Bose.

8. Shri Beohar Rammanohar Sinha

Shri Beohar Rammanohar Sinha was an artist in Shantiniketan and one of the most proficient artists.

The credit for the Preamble of our Constitution goes to him. He also designed many of the illustrations that adorn the historic document.

He was so humble that he did not wish to sign his work. However, Shri Nandalal Bose, who was in charge of the project, requested him to sign at least his name so history would remember the great artist. He signed as Ram in the Devanagari script.

He was also a cultural ambassador of India who disseminated Indian art in the Far East and brought Oriental Art to India.

9. Shri Kripal Singh Shekhawat 

 Shri Kripal Singh Shekhawat also contributed to the art of the Constitution. He is credited with designing the blossoming twines that surround the text of the Preamble in the constitution.

However, he is famous as the person who revived the blue pottery of Jaipur.

10. Ladies from Shantiniketan

 If one sees closely the original Constitution, the names of the ladies who also crafted beautiful illustrations can be seen.

These ladies, who were then studying in Shantiniketan, also participated in designing beautiful artefacts. They are Gauri Bhanja, Jamuna Sen, Nibedita Bose, Amala Sarkar, Bani Patel and Sumitra Narayan.

It is indeed sad that despite their signatures being visible in the Constitution, little is known about these women artists.

11. Signatories to the Constitution

All the 284 members (including 15 women) of the Constituent Assembly, signed the original copy in both English and Hindi on January 24, 1950. Forty-six of these signatories signed in Hindi, including President Dr Rajendra Prasad.

The President signed the document in a slanting manner. There is an interesting story regarding this. Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru reached the venue first and signed at the top of the list. When the President arrived, the staff requested him to sign above the PM's signature. As there was tiny space, the President signed in a slanting style!

Many men and women participated in the herculean task-from the conceptualization to the drafting, discussions, translating, calligraphy and preserving the Constitution of India.

Many of them worked anonymously, silently, and selflessly with fervour and patriotism to create the world's longest, handwritten, historic and artistic-valued Constitution of India!

This story is a tribute to these unknown and unacknowledged heroes!

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