Speech on Constitution Day

Do you know when Constitution Day is celebrated in India? Who is known as the father of the Indian Constitution? Read the article carefully and prepare your speech notes on Constitution Day.

Table of Contents

• The Preamble of the Constitution
• Amazing Facts about the Indian Constitution
• Why November 26? – History and Significance
• How Is Constitution Day Celebrated?
• Frequently Asked Questions on Constitution Day

Before learning about the Constitution Day, you should first know what the Preamble of the Constitution says, and a brief history about the drafting of the Indian Constitution. This will help you understand the significance and importance of Constitution Day.

The Preamble of the Constitution

A preamble is a short introductory statement that presents the principles of the Constitution and sets out guidelines for people living in the nation. This preface is shaped for highlighting the fundamental values, rights, duties, philosophy, and ethos on which our Constitution is built. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution is as follows:

“WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;

and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION”

Amazing Facts about the Indian Constitution

• The original Indian Constitution was completely designed and written by hand.
• By embellishing the borders with art pieces, every page of the Constitution was designed by Nandalal Bose.
• The Constitution was single-handedly written by Prem Behari Narain Raizada, a master of calligraphy. It took almost six months for him to complete the task, yet he didn’t charge any money for it.
• The original manuscript of the Constitution was written on parchment sheets measuring 16×22 inches. It was estimated to have a lifespan of about a thousand years. And the total weight of the Constitution was 3.75kgs.
• The Constituent Assembly conducted its first meeting on December 9, 1946. It took three years (1946-1949) to complete the drafting of the Constitution. The assembly had 299 elected members from Provincial Legislative Assemblies and had 13 committees in total, including the ‘Drafting Committee’.

Why November 26? – History and Significance

To have its own fundamental governing document and to replace the Government of India Act,1935, the Government of India appointed an assembly of people for drafting the Constitution. The Constituent Assembly was formed, and the first meeting was held on December 9, 1946.

Dr S. Rajendra Prasad was elected and appointed as the first President and H. C. Mukherjee as its Vice Chairman. Later on August 29, 1947, the drafting committee appointed Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as the Chairman with Munshi N Gopalaswami Ayyangar, Khaitan, Mitter, Muhammed Sadulla, Alladi, Krishnaswamy Iyer as the other six members. The committee conducted an analysis of the Constitution of over 60 countries before finalising the final draft of the Indian Constitution. The Constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, and it became effective on January 26, 1950.

For this very reason, on November 19, 2015, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment notified the decision of the Indian Government to celebrate the 26th day of November every year as ‘Constitution Day’. The purpose behind this commemoration was to promote constitutional values among the citizens of the nation. Though it has not been an age-old custom, the day has been observed religiously every year.

Constitution Day is also known as ‘Samvidhan Divas’/’National Law Day’ and is celebrated every year to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India on the same date in 1949.

How Is Constitution Day Celebrated?

The motive behind celebrating the Constitution Day is to educate and remind the citizens of the country about the importance of the Constitution and the relentless efforts of the Drafting Committee in setting up the Constitution. As an attempt to achieve this, one of the activities of Constitution Day celebrations, the Preamble of the Constitution is read aloud by multiple governmental organisations at a fixed specific time every year. In addition to this, there would other activities conducted. There would also be workshops/seminars on the role of the Constitution in nation building.

During the pandemic, the celebrations were held on 26.11.21 at the Central Hall of Parliament House. The mass reading of the Preamble was scheduled at 11:00 a.m. and schools, colleges, institutions, universities and government offices of various states, union territories, departments and ministries were requested to join the Preamble reading along the Hon’ble President. Dignitaries such as the Hon’ble Speaker, Hon’ble Prime Minister, Hon’ble Vice President and Hon’ble President addressed the nation and it was live telecasted. Web portals were also set up for people to participate in reading the Preamble online in 23 languages (22 official languages and English). There was also an online quiz on Constitutional Democracy that anyone could take. Certificates were provided for both activities.

This is the kind of importance the country gives to the commemoration of Constitution Day. As citizens of this country, it is the duty of each and every individual to understand the importance of the Indian Constitution and the Constitution Day.