I’m sure all of us have heard about the Constitution. It is kept in a helium case that contains the laws that are the foundation of this country. You’ve definitely heard of it, haven’t you? Well, did you also know that there is a specific reason why a specific day is dedicated to it?
This day is called Constitution Day . Constitution Day is celebrated every year on 26th November to commemorate the adoption of the constitution of India on 26th November 1949.The Constitution, adopted on this day, only came into effect 2 months later on 26th January 1950, since celebrated as Republic Day.
The Constitution of India is a comprehensive document that lays down the framework and demarcates the political code, structure, powers, and duties of government and sets out fundamental rights and the duties of citizens. It is the supreme law.
While the constitution was adopted in all but one day on 26th November 1949; in reality, making the constitution took far longer than just a day.
The constituent assembly, headed by Dr. Rajendra Prasad worked to frame it and this process took nearly three years and eleven sessions after the establishment of the assembly in 1946.
Under a drafting committee formed in 1947,(headed by Dr B R Ambedkar) a mammoth total of 7,635 amendments were presented. Later, 2,473 were selected for the draft Constitution. Members of the assembly and drafting committee included Dr BR Ambedkar, who is known as the father of the Indian constitution, Dr Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Valabhai Patel and Sarojini Naidu, among others. Prem Bihari Narain Raizada was the calligrapher.
Did you know that the Indian Constitution has borrowed various features from the constitutions of other countries such as the USA, Russia, Britain, Germany and Ireland?. For example, our Preamble and Directive Principles of State Policy have been taken from the USA and Ireland respectively.
Not only have the ideas of various countries been united to frame our constitution, but further, our constituent assembly itself had almost 390 people who worked diligently and determinedly together and shared their beliefs to create our unique book of laws. This just goes to show that from the very beginning of our independent nation, teamwork and a blend of the views of different people and communities, are a part of what makes India, India.
In my view, this Constitution Day, along with commemorating the Indian constitution, is also a celebration and reminder of the fact that by working together, we can create something unique that never existed before.It is a celebration of teamwork and of unity-in-diversity at its best, because at the end of the day, this is what makes India what it is and what embodies the true spirit of our nation.
Jai Hind!
