Venu Menon
Wellington, December 2,2023
Members of the Indian diaspora gathered at the Indian High Commission in Wellington to commemorate Constitution Day, or Samvidhan Diwas, which falls on November 26 each year.
The occasion marked the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1949. It was implemented in 1950.
A video presentation on the Indian Constitution was followed by an address by Charge d’affaires and Second Secretary (Consular) Mukesh Ghiya.
He said the occasion served as a reminder of the “efforts and vision of the leaders who worked towards shaping a just and inclusive nation.”
He added: “Events [such as this] are held in India and missions abroad to promote awareness and understanding of the Constitution’s significance.”
The Constitution served as a guiding document that outlined the principles and laws governing the country, “emphasising justice, liberty, equality and fraternity,” Second Secretary Ghiya noted.
Constitution Day commemorated the values of democracy and the rule of law that were the foundation of India’s governance system, he said, and paid tribute to Dr B.R. Ambedkar as “a visionary and the chief architect of the Indian Constitution.”
Constitution of India
The Indian Constitution is the longest, only hand-written national constitution in the world.
It was drafted by a 299-strong Constituent Assembly, with nine women members, and came into force on 26 January 1950.
The Constitution replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the country’s fundamental governing document, transforming India from a Dominion to a Republic.
Republic Day is celebrated each year on January 26.
The original 1950 Constitution is preserved in a nitrogen-filled case at the Parliament House in New Delhi.
Interactive session
Second Secretary (Press, Info & Culture) Durga Dass engaged the audience with a quiz and updated them on the Constitution of India .
Preamble
The Constitution opens with the iconic words:
“We, the People of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens Justice – social, economic and political; Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; Equality of status and opportunity, and to promote among them all Fraternity, assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation.”
Background
Dr Ambedkar, chairman of the drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly, presented the final draft of the Constitution to Constituent Assembly President Dr Rajendra Prasad on 25 November 1949, before it was implemented the following year.
Dr Rajendra Prasad went on to become the first President of the Republic of India.
Special features
It took two years,11 months and 18 days to complete the framing of the Constitution. The original text of the Constitution had 395 Articles in 22 Parts and eight Schedules. More articles were added subsequently.
Currently, the Constitution has 448 Articles in 25 Parts and 12 Schedules.
It guarantees fundamental rights that include the right to equality and to freedom of speech and expression, assembly, association or union, movement, residence, and the right to practise any religion, profession or occupation.
It protects the right against exploitation (and prohibits all forms of forced labour and child exploitation). It safeguards the right of any section of citizens to conserve their culture, language or script, and the right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice
It ensures the right to constitutional remedies for the enforcement of those Fundamental Rights.
Genesis
Constitution Day was first commemorated by the Government of India in 2015, which coincided with the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar.
Venu Menon is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Wellington
