Bhartiya Samvidhan: 10 Things Every Student Should Know About Constitution of India

Education is undoubtedly the driving factor behind the evolution of every child into a responsible citizen and successful individual to add value to our society, and stream through everyday hurdles with ease. While subject-specific knowledge plays a pivotal role in shaping a specific career for any student, there are several other dimensions of learning and knowledge that helps the 360-degree of an individual.

In today’s complex and fast-paced lifestyle, it’s highly essential for one to be armed with a better understanding of everything going around, adapt and respond to diverse scenarios, and most importantly, know our citizenship rights and the legal framework that regulates our native land.

One such key area of learning is the Constitution of India. A foundational stone to the world’s largest democracy is India, the Indian Constitution bundles in codes of ethics and conduct across several dimensions. With that being said, we take a quick look down below at some of the key facts about the Constitution of India that every student must know:

10 Key Facts About The Constitution of India

1. Constitution Day: The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India on November 26, 1949. The Constitution replaced the Government of India Act, 1935, leading up to the foundation of the ‘Republic of India,’ from the ‘Dominion of India.’ The day is celebrated as the ‘Constitution Day of India,’ However, the Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950, celebrated as the ‘Republic Day.’ It was November 26, 2015, the 125th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, when Constitution Day was first celebrated in India.

2. Longest Constitution In The World: The Constitution of India is the longest constitution among all sovereign nations in the world. The Indian Constitution originally packed in about 145,000 words spanning across 395 articles in 22 parts and 8 schedules. At present though, the Indian Constitution has 448 articles. The original copy of the constitution which is now preserved inside the library of the Parliament, took around 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days, and was written by hand.

3. Crafted By Dr. BR Ambedkar: Although the original copy of the Constitution of India was handwritten by renowned writer Prem Narayan Raizada, it was Dr BR Ambedkar who crafted the final copy of the Constitution of India with key revisions. It was Dr Ambedkar who introduced equal citizen rights for all citizens, and regulations pertaining to women’s rights in the Constitution of India. Tasked with the presentation of the final draft of the Constitution, Ambedkar made key revisions in the Constitution following suggestions from the Constituent Assembly.

4. Defines India As Secular And Republic State: Recognising India as a Secular and Democratic state, the Constitution of India upholds democracy in the country. The term ‘Secular’ underlines that the state of India has no religion and its citizens are free to practice their religion of faith and choice. The term ‘Republic’ states that India is free from any kind of dictatorship or monarchy, and the state shall be led by elected representatives every five years.

5. Amalgamation Of Provisions From Various Countries: The Constitution of India draws several of its provisions from the constitutions of other countries across the world. Numerous features of the Constitution of India are either copied or are a modified version of similar provisions present in the constitutions of countries like Great Britain, United States of America, The Soviet Union or Present Russia, South Africa, France, Australia, Japan, Canada, Ireland, and Germany.

6. Firm Yet Adaptive In Nature: Laying the foundational stone to uphold democracy in India, the Constitution of India has several provisions in place mandating strict adherence and implementation of its key features to ensure peace and order, justice and equality for all, as well as fundamental right to every citizen. However, the constitution also enables citizens and lawmakers to update outdated laws and provisions in the Constitution through appropriate petitions. By far, the Constitution of India has been amended 106 times, since its adoption in 1950.

7. Starts With A Preamble: Similar to the Constitution Of The United States, which was the first constitution in the world to start with a preamble, the Indian Constitution also starts with a Preamble. What sums up as the summary or introduction, the Preamble to the Constitution of India underlines equality, justice, and freedom for all its citizens. Through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976, the words ‘Socialist’,  ‘Secular,’ and ‘integrity’ to it.

8. Fundamental Laws: Amongst its list of several provisions and regulations, the Constitution of India also underlines 6 Fundamental Rights entitled to all citizens. These rights include the Right to Equality, Right to Freedom, Right against Exploitation, Right to Freedom of Religion, Cultural and Educational Rights, and Right to Constitutional Remedies. The Constitution also seamlessly blends fundamental rights with fundamental duties, emphasizing rights with responsibilities.

9. Basic Principles: Besides fundamental rights and key legal provisions, the Constitution of India also underscores some key principles that lay the foundation of the democratic government looking over the country: These basic principles include: Fundamental Rights, Secularism, Popular Sovereignty, Federalism, Socialism, Judicial Independence, Cabinet Government and Directive Principles of State Policy.

10. Power Segregation and Centre-State Relations: It’s the Constitution Of India that seamlessly demarcates the powers and the functioning boundaries of the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches of the State of India. The power separation is uniquely crafted to avoid any additional concentration of power to one branch. The Constitution also strikes a balance between the relationship and synchronized functioning of the Centre as well as different States, and beautifully avoids the overlapping of powers and authority between different departments/wings of the Union and state governments.