Description

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

A controversy erupted over illustrations in a government booklet on India's Constitution, raising concerns about selective historical representation and artistic choices.

About the illustrations

The Constitution of India, came into force on January 26, 1950, features 22 unique illustrations that provide a visual narrative of India’s history.
The illustrations were conceptualized and executed by renowned artist Nandalal Bose and his team at Santiniketan.
A close aide of Mahatma Gandhi, Nandalal Bose had designed posters for the Congress session at Haripura in 1938.
Nandalal Bose was commissioned to create the illustrations in October 1949, just before the Constitution’s signing.
The illustrations span various periods of Indian history. They depict scenes from the Indus Valley Civilization to the freedom struggle. The artwork includes images from Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. This narrative approach reflects Bose’s vision of India’s historical journey.

Other key contributors include:

Prem Behari Narain Raizada: Calligrapher who handwritten the Constitution
Beohar Rammanohar Sinha: Designer of intricate patterns on the Preamble
Dinanath Bhargava: Sketch artist for the National Emblem
The calligraphy was executed by Prem Behari Narain Raizada, who inscribed the text in both Hindi (Devanagari Script) and English (Roman Script)
The calligraphy was done in the hashia-style of Mughal and Sultanate inscriptions.
2 types of borders are used in the entire manuscript.

While all pages have a simple gold-speckled border, some at the opening of a schedule, and the page where every schedule end, have a second inner border of gold ornament.

Illustrations were created using indigenous techniques of applying gold-leaf and stone colours.
There are influences of Ajanta cave paintings and the Bagh murals in its borders and illustrations.

Part	Subject	Illustrations
Part 1	States and Union Territories	Indus Valley seal-mark, the bull
Part 2	Citizenship	Vedic Ashram – Gurukul
Part 3	Fundamental Rights	Scene from the Ramayana – Conquest of Lanka and recovery of Sita by Rama & Lakshman
Part 4	Directive Principles of State Policy	Arjun and Lord Krishna’s conversation before the Mahabharata war
Part 5	The Union	Buddha’s Enlightenment under a fig tree
Part 6	The States	Vardhmana Mahavira in a meditative posture
Part 7	States in Part B of the First Schedule	Spread of Buddhism by Emperor Asoka in India and Abroad
Part 9	Panchayats	Scene from King Vikramaditya’s Court
Part 12	Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits	Dancing Nataraja from the Chola tradition
Part 13	Trade and Commerce within India	Arjuna’s Penance (from Mahabalipuram)
Part 14	Services Under the Union and the States	Scene from Emperor Akbar’s court depicting Mughal rule
Part 15	Elections	Images of Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh
Part 16	Special Provisions relating to certain classes	Heroes of the freedom struggle like Rani Lakshmibai and Tipu Sultan
Part 17	Official Language	Mahatma Gandhi walking with a stick – Dandi March
Part 18	Emergency Provisions	Mahatma Gandhi’s tour of riot-hit Noakhali in south-east Bangladesh
Part 19	Miscellaneous	Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose leading the military campaigns of his INA against British India
Part 20	Amendment of the Constitution	Natural features of India, including the mighty Himalayas

Preservation of the Illustrations

Today, the original copies of the Constitution, complete with illustrations, are preserved in helium-filled cases within the Indian Parliament Library. This preservation marks the importance of these artworks in understanding India’s constitutional history.

Sources:

INDIAN EXPRESS

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.What is the main controversy surrounding the illustrations in the government-issued booklet on the Indian Constitution?

1) Spelling errors in the text

2) Exclusion of certain historical figures

3) Printing issues in the booklet

4) Change in the Constitution’s preamble

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) 4 only

Answer: (b)

Explanation:

The controversy arose due to concerns that the booklet's illustrations selectively represented historical figures, omitting key personalities associated with India's constitutional history. This has led to debates over historical representation and artistic choices in government publications.