Advertisement

On Republic Day, we remember Prem Behari Narain Raizada, man who "wrote" the constitution of India

Prem Behari Narain Raizada was asked by Jawaharlal Nehru to draft the Indian Constitution with his own handwriting which is no less than a masterpiece.

On Republic Day, we remember Prem Behari Narain Raizada, man who "wrote" the constitution of India
SHARES

On January 26, 2021, let us remember Prem Behari Narain Raizada, the one who had written the original constitution of India.

The Constitution of India was published in Dehradun and photolithographed by the Survey of India which showcased the flowing italic style coupled with beautiful calligraphy, all of which can be attributed to Raizada.

Republic Day is celebrated every year in India on January 26, since 1950 to honour the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect after the war of Indian Independence. Nearly seventy years ago, the founding fathers of the Indian republic, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, B. R. Ambedkar, Subhas Chandra Bose and Vallabhbhai Patel steered the new nation in a direction in hopes and dreams of unity in a diversified India.

However, it was Prem Behari Narain Raizada who drafted the Indian Constitution with his own handwriting which is no less than a masterpiece. While Nandalal Bose and his students designed the borders of every page and adorned it with beautiful art pieces, it was the singlehanded effort of Prem Behari Narain Raizada that brought the primary contents and the preamble to the Constitution, to life.

Born in December 1901 to a family of calligraphers, Raizada was asked by Jawaharlal Nehru to write out the first copy of the seminal document. When asked about what he would charge for the same, he said “not a penny” except that “On every page of Constitution I will write my name and on the last page I will write my name along with my grandfather’s name.”

His request was honoured by Nehru, and both names can be seen in the document. Moreover, when the manuscript was completed, it was 251 pages and weighed 3.75 kilos.

RELATED TOPICS
Advertisement
MumbaiLive would like to send you latest news updates