Ramesh marks anniversary of Constituent Assembly's signing Indian Constitution

Congress Rajya Sabha MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh on Saturday noted that 76 years ago to the day, 264 members of the Constituent Assembly formally signed the Constitution of India — a document he described as a charter for profound socio-economic transformation.

In a post on X, the Congress leader also recalled that the members gathered for a group photograph afterwards, which he said “is one for the ages”.

“76 years ago today, 264 members of the Constituent Assembly formally affixed their signatures to the Constitution of India that they had earlier adopted on November 26, 1949. They signed three copies — two of which were handwritten in English and Hindi and carried 22 illustrations by artists from Santiniketan, led by none other than Nandalal Bose himself,” Ramesh said.

He pointed out that the elegant English calligraphy was done by Prem Behari Narayan Raizada, while the Hindi calligraphy was by Vasant K. Vaidya.

“The first page of these handwritten Constitutions had the national symbol that was designed by Dinanath Bhargava, who had spent a few months visiting the Kolkata Zoo at Nandalal Bose's insistence so as to ensure that the lions in the emblem looked exactly like the real lions,” the Congress leader said.

Ramesh further noted that “quite apart from the fact that it is a charter for profound socio-economic transformation,” the Lalit Kala Akademi — established in August 1954 — has described the illustrated Constitution as “a seminal art treatise” that navigates India’s multi-layered history and celebrates its unity in diversity.

“That very day, the members sat together for a group photograph. It is one for the ages,” he added.

With PTI inputs