CHENNAI : January was always a gratifying month as school goers. Our struggles to memorise literature from bygone eras and understand geographical boundaries got a respite with a spate of public holidays that the month generously offered. Republic Day on January 26 was one such. We were taught the significance of the day and how the Constitution came into effect in 1950. There were lessons on the Preamble and BR Ambedkar. Later, as adults, we watched our nation’s cultural heritage and accomplishments in a grand parade on our TV screens along with millions of other Indian households.
An often overlooked fact though, is the role that art played in the making of this document. Our Constitution is the only one that has been illustrated, besides being the longest in the world. The story goes like this. Drafting the Indian Constitution after our independence from colonial rule was a Herculean task indeed. Jawaharlal Nehru, who was the Prime Minister at the time, requested renowned calligrapher Prem Behari Narain Raizada to write the entire Constitution by hand. In return, all that the latter wanted was to sign each page. Next, it was decided to illustrate the manuscript, and Nandalal Bose, one of the pioneers of modern Indian art, was entrusted with the task. Working along with his students, his illustrations, which were primarily line-drawn sketches with a few paintings, took nearly five years to be completed.
True to the inclusivity that the Constitution envisioned, these drawings have been done in various artistic traditions and span 5,000 years of Indian history. The front cover has drawings inspired by the Ajanta cave paintings. The narration in Part I begins with the Indus Valley seal of a bull, as the Indus Valley Civilisation marked the known beginning of India’s history. In Part II which deals with citizenship, a drawing of hermits living in a forest was used to emphasise the preservation of the environment by citizens, which is specified as a fundamental duty in Article 51A of the Constitution. Part V has Buddha, symbolising the need for the Union Government to be enlightened while Part VI, which talks about the States, has Lord Mahavir as a metaphor for a nonviolent approach to governance. Part XIV has a beautiful illustration of Emperor Akbar and his excellent administration based on revenue collection.
The art also includes landscapes of mountains, deserts, forests, and rivers as well as leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Shivaji. However, only two women have been portrayed by the artists — Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi and Sita as a mythological figure. On the threshold of freedom, our country’s aspirations for a free and fair society found their way into the imaginations of the artists who gave them visual representations in our Constitution. Proving the pluralism of our culture, the artworks stand on the foundation of our rich history. Our civilisation has assimilated various communities and philosophies and seamlessly woven them into our national existence. While we celebrate our Republic Day with fervour, let us pause to remember the message of secularism and shared values in these artworks and pledge to abide by those principles of harmony to make our country proud.
Jitha Karthikeyan
jithakarthikeyan2@gmail.com
(Jitha Karthikeyan is an artist and curator, passionate about making art accessible to the larger public)