Indian Constitution as an aesthetic document

All the illustrations are listed on the last page of the Constitution. They can be categorised under 12 heads — the Mohenjodaro period, the Vedic period, the Epic period, the time of the Mahajanapadas and the Nandas, the Mauryan period, the Gupta period, the Medieval period, the Muslim period, the British period, the Freedom Movement, the revolutionary movement for freedom, and India’s natural features.

Illustrations begin with the National Emblem. Bose was very particular about the lions of the Emblem looking realistic. So, Dinanath Bhargava, who designed the Emblem (as a young student at Kala Bhavan, the fine arts institution in Shantiniketan where Bose taught) visited Kolkata Zoo several times over many months, observing the regal animal. The page bearing the Preamble, as well as many other pages of the Constitution, bear the art of Beohar Rammanohar Sinha, another of Bose’s proteges. Bose endorsed Sinha’s artwork for the Constitution without any alteration whatsoever.

The Preamble page bears Sinha’s signature, a short Ram in the Devanagari script, in the lower right corner. The page features text bounded by a rectangular border. Four animals are depicted in the four corners of the border, taken from the National Emblem. The lotus motif is prominently featured in the border artwork.

Each part of the Constitution begins with an illustration, and pages have distinct border designs. The artists’ signatures are carried along with the illustrations, indicating the collaborative nature of the project.

Many pages bear multiple signatures, in Bengali, Hindi, Tamil or English. Part 19 features a portrait of Netaji in military attire, saluting, surrounded by his troops. Nandalal Bose’s signature appears here, and A Perumal’s signature is visible on the left bottom corner of the page. Perumal would go around the villages of Shantiniketan and decorate the walls of the Santhal homes with nature themes. He lived and worked with great artists such as Bose for over four decades in Kala Bhavan and was affectionately called Perumalda.

Part VI, which deals with The States in Part A of the First Schedule, begins with a richly coloured painting of the meditating Mahavira. Two trees are in bloom, one on each side of Mahavira, and there is a peacock too, indicating harmonious co-existence in nature. This is one of the few coloured images in the Constitution. The illustration bears the signatures of Jamuna Sen and Bose. The border design bears the signature of an artist named Rajniti.

Part XV, which focuses on Elections, features Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Guru Govind Singh. The illustrations are by Dhirendra Krishna Deb Barman, a member of the Tripura royal family, who had close ties with Rabindranath Tagore and Bose. The border design carries the signature of Kripal Singh Shekhawat, a renowned artist and ceramist known for reviving the iconic Blue Pottery of Jaipur. Kala Bhavan attracted students and artists from all corners of India and the world, functioning as a melting pot of artistic influences while, in the end, creating a uniquely Indian style and narrative of artistic vision. Many of the artists who worked on the Constitution project went on to scale great heights in their careers, but at the time of this project, they were students and collaborators, eager to bring to life the vision of their revered “master moshai”, Bose.

Part XIII deals with trade, commerce, and intercourse within the territory of India, and is marked by a scene from bas-relief forms at the group of monuments at Mahabalipuram, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Descent of the Ganges is a large rock relief depicting the myth of the holiest of rivers, the Ganga, descending from heaven to Earth. Bose’s signature appears on the illustration, and Sen’s name appears at the bottom left corner of the border.

Part III, which deals with Fundamental Rights, features a scene from the Ramayana. The border bears Sen’s signature. Part IV (Directive Principles of State Policy) features a scene from the Mahabharata. The names of Bani Patel and Bose appear at the bottom right, and Vinayak Shivram Masoji’s name appears on the left corner of the border.

Part VII deals with The States in Part B of the First Schedule. The primary illustration depicts Emperor Ashoka riding an elephant adorned with livery, surrounded by Buddhist monks. The illustration is in the style of Ajanta, with the monks depicted bare-chested, wearing jewellery. This illustration was by Bose, whose work was deeply influenced by the artistic traditions of the Ajanta frescoes.

Perumal’s name is also visible on the lower left portion of the illustration. The border design carries Sinha’s signature. Here, he signs as Rammanohar. This is one of the few pages in the Constitution that carry the names of both Bose and his most senior student, Sinha.

The Constitution is unique as it was originally a handwritten document, calligraphed in English by Prem Behari Narain Raizada and in Hindi by Vasant K Vaidya. Raizada used a flowing italic style, having learnt calligraphy from his grandfather. Working in a room in the Constitution Hall (now the Constitution Club of India) for over six months, he used hundreds of pen nibs. Raizada’s signature (as Prem) appears on every page of the document. This was his only request before undertaking this monumental project.

The art in the Constitution of India navigates India’s history across time and is a tribute to the sociocultural, mythological, spiritual, regional, and physical landscape and influences. It mirrors the reality of a nation that acknowledges its past, celebrates the threads of unity in diversity, and looks forward to the future.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is the Union minister for culture and tourism.The views expressed are personal