Constitution Day 2021: 10 interesting facts about Constitution of India

NEW DELHI: Constitution Day, also known as National Law Day, is observed every year on November 26 to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India. India celebrates 72nd Constitution Day today. This day aims to spread the importance of the Constitution and to spread thoughts and ideas of BR Ambedkar. The Constitution of India was adopted on November 26, 1949, and became effective on 26 January 1950.

In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced on the 125th birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar that November 26 will be observed as the Constitution Day. Ambedkar who had chaired the drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly and played a pivotal role in the drafting of the constitution.

Also read | Union Budget 2022: NIT funds too little for expansion, research, ranking

Constitution of India: Interesting Facts

• The Constitution was drafted by the Constituent Assembly. The 389-member assembly (reduced to 299 after the partition of India) took almost three years to draft the Constitution, holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period.
• It was on December 9, 1946 that the Constituent Assembly met for the first time.
• BR Ambedkar is recognised as the Father of the Constitution of India.
• The assembly's final session convened on 24 January 1950. Each member signed two copies of the constitution, one in Hindi and the other in English.
• The original constitution is hand-written by Prem Behari in flowing Italic style, with each page decorated by artists from Shantiniketan including Beohar Rammanohar Sinha and Nandalal Bose.
• Over 2000 amendments were made to the first draft of the Constitution.
• It is the longest constitution in the world. In its current form, it has a Preamble, 22 parts with 448 Articles, 12 Schedules, 5 Appendices and 115 Amendments.
• The National Emblem was adopted on January 26, 1950, when India was declared a republic.
• The then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru moved the “Objectives Resolution” on December 13, 1946, which was later adopted as the Preamble on January 22, 1947.
• Three exclusive copies of the Indian Constitution are being preserved in special helium-filled cases at the Central Library of the Parliament, they are 22 inches long and 16 inches wide.