Page 49 - Constitution

70 Years of Indian
Constitution
n the occasion of the adoption of our
Constitution as well as that of India
becoming a Republic two months later, the
Ocity of Mumbai wore a festive look. All major
buildings were lit up. I remember, my friend Anil Divan
and I moved from place to place; we went from Flora
Fountain to Victoria Station. Looking at the millions of
lights, we wondered whether these lights would dispel
the darkness of poverty and ignorance from the face of
India. The incident is indelibly etched in my memory.
We were proud that we were studying at the
Government Law College where Dr B.R. Ambedkar,
the main architect of India’s Constitution, served as the
Principal for two years, from 1935 to 1937. I knew Dr
Ambedkar closely. This great son of India was a victim
of the inhuman practice of untouchability. He was not
allowed to enter the temple at Pandharpur because he
was a Dalit. My father could not suffer this indignity of
a great citizen of India. In 1936, he invited Ambedkar
to come and enter our family temple--Shri Thakurji
Murlidhar Mandir at Thakurdwar, Mumbai.
Accompanied by leading figures like M.R. Jayakar,
a member of the 1st Privy Council of India and of the
Constituent Assembly, NV Gadgil, a freedom fighter,
writer and politician, who later served as a Minister in
the first Union Cabinet after Independence and also
as Governor of Punjab, Anant Hari Gadre, Rambhau
Mandlik, Rambhau Tatnis and about 100 Dalit
followers, Ambedkar entered the temple. To the best of
my knowledge, that was the first temple in India which
The demand for India’s Constitution
was made by Mahatma Gandhi as
early as in 1922, as an integral part
of his demand for ‘Swaraj’ but the
British rejected it.
was opened to Dalits. The memory of this great event
is still fresh in my mind.
When Ambedkar was asked why he was so
passionate about temple entry of Dalits, he replied,
“The issue is not of entry, but of equality.” It left a
lasting impression on my mind. It shaped my mind
and character to become a liberal and responsible
citizen, caring equally for all sections of the society.
Ambedkar’s mantra of equality is stored in my heart
and mind.
The Constituent Assembly of India was formed to
draft a Constitution for the country. On December 9,
1946, the members of the Constituent Assembly met
for the first time in the Constitution Hall, now known as
the Central Hall in Parliament House.
The demand for India’s Constitution was made
by Mahatma Gandhi as early as in 1922, as an
integral part of his demand for ‘Swaraj’ but the British
rejected it. On December 27, 1936, in his Presidential
Address at the Faizpur session of the Indian National
Congress, Jawaharlal Nehru reiterated the demand for
a Constitution for India in the following words: “With
the effort to fight the Act [Government of India Act,
1935] and as a corollary to it, we have to stress our
70 Years of Indian Constitution 49