Table of Contents
Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas) in India
Indian Constitution Day: Constitution Day in India is celebrated every year on 26th of November as the constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th of November in the year 1949 and came into force on 26th of January in 1950.Dr. Ambedkar is the Father of Constitution of India. After the independence of India Dr. Ambedkar was invited by the Congress government to serve as a first law minister of the India.
He was appointed as the Constitution Drafting Committee’s Chairman on 29th of August. He was the chief architect of the Indian constitution and known for the strong and united India.
Constitution Day/Samvidhan Divas
Constitution day 2023 will be celebrated on 26th of November, Sunday.
The Constitution Day 2022 was celebrated across the country by organizing various activities and programmes by all the private as well as government institutions. The schools and colleges commemorated the day by organizing mock parliaments, reading the preamble, essay writing competitions, speech and debate competitions.
One of the most important steps which was taken on this day in 2018 was that the Constitution was made available in Braille script so that it becomes accessible to the visually challenged people. The joint initiative was taken by the ‘Buddhist Association for the Blind’, ‘Saavi Foundation’ and Swagat Thorat, who started the first Braille newsletter ‘Sparshdhyan’. Seeing the length and size of the Indian Constitution, the Braille statute will be made available in five parts.
About Indian Constitution
Indian constitution was first described by the Granville Austin to achieve the social revolution. The ever lasting contribution of the Babasaheb Ambedkar towards the Indian constitution helps a lot to all the citizens of India. The constitution of Indian was adopted to constitute the country as an independent, communist, secular, autonomous and republic to secure the Indian citizens by the justice, equality, liberty and union.
When the constitution of India was adopted, the citizens of India were entered to a new constitutional, scientific, self-governing and modern India with the peace, poise and progress. The constitution of India is very unique all over the world and has taken around 2 years, 11 months and 17 days to pass by the Constituent Assembly.
Some of the following characteristics of the Indian constitution are:
> It is written and broad
> It has the democratic government – Elected Members
> Fundamental rights
> Liberty of judiciary, travel, live, speech, religion, education
> Single Nationality
> Indian constitution is both flexible and non-flexible
> Obliteration of caste system at the National level
> Common civil code and official languages
> Center is similar to a Buddhist ‘Ganrajya’
> Impact of Buddha and Buddhist rituals
> Since the Indian constitution came into act, the females in India got right to vote.
> Various countries all over the world have followed the Indian Constitution.
> One of the neighbor countries, Bhutan has also accepted the Indian Democratic system.
Why Do We Celebrate Constitution Day?
Constitution Day or Samvidhan Divas in India is an officially celebrating event which is celebrated every year on 26th of November to honor and remember the father of Constitution, Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. People in India remember their history and celebrate independence and peace every year after launching the own constitution of India.
Constitution Day is observed to spread the importance of the constitution of India and how it is helpful towards the growth and the development of the country. The day also helps us to remember the hardship and sincere efforts of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar which he took to frame the constitution of our nation.
India before was mostly governed by the regulation of the princely states and there was a need to have a document which lays the framework for the country’s political code, rules, procedures etc. There was also a necessity of a document which describes the fundamental rights and duties of the citizen residing in the country so that they could flourish and add up to the overall development of the country to reach new heights. The Constituent Assembly of India adopted the constitution on 26th November 1949 which became effective on 26th January 1950.
Constitution Day helps to ignite the lamp of knowledge in the minds of our new generation so that they can understand the importance of Indian constitution, respect it and follow it religiously. It also makes us stay connected to it in the current era when people are forgetting the importance of democracy. This is a way by which we can pay tribute to the Father of Indian Constitution and spread his ideas and thoughts.
It becomes very important that we pass the knowledge to our future generations about the struggle and hard work of our great leaders in achieving an independent democratic self-reliant country and helping us to live in the era of new India, and Constitution Day is the one of the days which helps us to pass this flame of knowledge to our future generations.
How Indian Constitution Day is Celebrated?
The Constitution Day is the day when we get to know more about our constitution. Various activities are organised in government as well as the private institutions. The most important activity which is observed on Constitution Day is the reading of the ‘Preamble of Constitution of India’. Schools, colleges and offices across the country organize the group reading of the Preamble and make it understand to everyone.
Various quiz, essay and speech competitions are held in schools with a core focus on Indian constitution and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Lectures and seminars are also organised focusing on the salient features of our constitution. Mock parliament sessions are also organised in various educational institutions where students discuss and debate on various issues.
Special parliament session is also organised on 26th November every year where members of all political parties pay tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar for his valuable contribution in framing the constitution of our country. The resting place Dr. Ambedkar is also decorated and illuminated on the occasion of Constitution Day. The sport ministry also organizes mini marathons to commemorate the architect of our constitution.
Suggestions to Celebrate Constitution Day in an Effective Way
Constitution Day should not be considered as the occasion which is to be celebrated only by the government or the political parties. We as a responsible citizen of India should also be enthusiastic to celebrate the day on our level so that we can also pay tribute to the people involved in framing our constitution. It is our duty as well a responsibility towards our nation to observe this day just as we celebrate our other national festivals. We can observe this day in various ways and some of those have been listed below:
- Organizing Awareness Campaign
We can organise various awareness campaigns and camps in our locality or in our societies to raise the level of knowledge about our constitution. Efforts should also be made to make people aware about their rights and duties towards the nation. We should also display the ‘Preamble’ of our constitution and share with everyone with pamphlets so that everyone becomes aware what exactly our constitution means.
- Conducting Dramas and Plays
Dramas and plays are the effective medium to showcase our thoughts and awareness to the common masses. The portrayal of freedom struggle and showing India before the constitution was adopted through short plays and dramas can make people aware about the importance of our constitution. It will not only make them experience the pain and struggle our great leaders took to make India independent but it will also make them respect the democracy they live in.
- Organizing Seminars and Lectures in School
Children are the foundation of a nation and it becomes important that they are aware about their roots and history. Organizing various seminars and lectures on our constitution in schools and colleges will help them know about the great leaders India had and how they helped in shaping the face of new India. It will introduce them to our great history as well as in the inception of nationalism in their mind.
- Social Media Campaign
Social media is one of the great medium to spread the awareness on a subject. Various awareness programmes can be organised across all social media platform about the Constitution Day and the importance of adopting a constitution for a nation. The youngsters of new generation have forgotten the rich history of our country and as they are more attached to the social media, this tool could be of great help to introduce them to the rich culture and history of our nation.
- Organizing a Flag March
We can also organize flag marches and distribute pamphlets to the people regarding our ‘Preamble’ and importance of our constitution. We should also include an event of paying tribute to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and his team for their hard work and sincere dedication in framing the constitution of our country.
- Important Role of Print and Electronic Media
The print and electronic media could also play an important role in spreading the awareness about our constitution. Various infotainment programmes can be broadcasted on the occasion of Constitution Day which should showcase the challenges and difficulties our great leaders faced in drafting the constitution and how much time did it take for the completion of the constitution giving it a final form.
Constitution Day not only makes us remember the struggle of our independence but it also commemorates the unsung heroes who contributed their bit in framing the Indian constitution. The hard work they did in shaping the constitution cannot be ignored and it would not be fair if we do not pay tribute to them for their sincere and devoted efforts.
The credit of framing the constitution should also go to each and every member of the Constitution Drafting Committee. The celebration of Constitution Day will be in a real means only when we pay our sincere tribute to the great leadership of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and his hard working team members who put their dedicated and sincere efforts in framing the constitution and helping India to reach new heights in all the fields.
