Samvidhaani Pitaara with Vineet KKN Panchhi Radio APU

April 14 marks an important date for the Constitution of India, the document that is foundational to our democracy. It is the birthday of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, and one of the most vocal participants in the Constituent Assembly debates.
The Constituent Assembly of India, comprising indirectly elected representatives, was tasked with drafting the nation's constitution. Initially consisting of 389 members, it was reduced to 299 after the departure of many Muslim League members. Of these, 229 represented British Indian provinces, 70 came from Princely States, with 15 being women representatives, including one Dalit and one Muslim woman, and six representing backward tribes.
Convening on December 9, 1946, the Assembly dedicated two years and 11 months to its task, conducting 11 sessions over 166 days and generating approximately 36 lakh words of debate. Women collectively contributed 2% to the discussions. On November 26, 1949, the constitution was adopted and signed by 284 members. The final session on January 24, 1950, witnessed each member signing two meticulously hand-written copies of the Constitution, one in Hindi and the other in English, each page adorned by artists from Shantiniketan.
How much do you know about the people behind the Constitution of India?
Samvidhaan Ke Naam, this special episode of Samvidhaani Pitaara, is presented as a game show to test your knowledge, and have some fun, while you learn about the minds that influenced the letter and spirit of the Constitution.
Samvidhaan Ke Naam is presented by Vineet KKN Panchhi for Radio Azim Premji University.
Credits:
Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harshit Hillol Gogoi, Harsh Gupta, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sameera Ahmed, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar
Audience voices:
Aashi Chheda, Anand Athialy, Gulsingh Badgujer, Hitika Gilhotra, Kinshuk Ghosh
For a full list of acknowledgements and resources, please visit our website: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/radio-azim-premji-university

Do you know why India celebrates Republic Day on January 26? It was on this day in 1950 that the Constitution of India came into effect, replacing the Government of India Act 1935. The Constituent Assembly chose January 26 as it was on this day in 1930 that the Indian National Congress raised a demand for Purna Swaraj — complete self-rule — through the Declaration of Indian Independence. This assertion by India’s freedom fighters emphatically rejected Britain’s offer of Dominion status to India.
The Constituent Assembly’s decisive enactment of the Constitution of India transformed the nature of the people of India — with this, we were no longer subjects of a British dominion; we were citizens of a sovereign, democratic, Republic of India.
Not only does the Constitution guarantee us many rights, it empowers us to demand these rights. In addition, it gives the citizens of India an important responsibility to shoulder — the duty of making India, that is Bharat, a better and stronger nation, and to enable fellow-citizens, irrespective of differences in religion, caste, class, or gender, to aspire to live in happiness, harmony, dignity, and contentment.
These noble ideas were born in noble thoughts, which were expressed in carefully considered and articulated words spoken by the members of the Constituent Assembly. They were debated, argued, pondered over, reconsidered, and finally accepted and inked in the draft of the Constitution.
From December 1946 to January 1950, the Constituent Assembly of India met over 114 days. The initial strength of the assembly had been 389, which was reduced to 299 after the departure of some members.
The second episode of this series, Dastaan-e-Samvidhaan — the story of the Constitution — remembers the landmark speeches made by prominent members of the Constituent Assembly, including Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, among others. In some instances, where original voice recordings were unavailable, we have taken the creative liberty to reimagine these speeches with the help of artificial intelligence tools while remaining scrupulously faithful to the documented content of the original speeches. These voice enactments are for the purposes of dramatisation only, and should not in any way be considered as replacements or substitutes for the original speeches.
Dastaan-e-Samvidhaan is presented by Vineet KKN Panchchi for Radio Azim Premji University.
Credits:
Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harsh Gupta, Harshit Hillol Gogoi, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sameera Ahmed, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar
For a full list of acknowledgements and resources, please visit our website: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/radio-azim-premji-university

Back in the day when travel was a luxury unaffordable to many Indians, a boxy contraption that occupied pride of place in the drawing room offered a unique and enjoyable way to travel the length and breadth of India. When you tuned into the airwaves, you were taken for a joyride.
The rise of radio listening in India was coincident with seminal moments in our nation’s history. The sounds of India represent its diversity and pluralism. The music of Indianness finds resonance in the Constitution of India, a document foundational to our democracy, a tapestry tailored from disparate elements that make us Indian — our shared values, our history, and our diversity.
The sounds of India represent its diversity and pluralism. The music of Indianness finds resonance in the Constitution of India, a document foundational to our democracy, a tapestry tailored from disparate elements that make us Indian — our shared values, our history, and our diversity.
November 26 is Samvidhaan Diwas or Constitution Day. On this day in 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India, which came into effect on January 26, 1950. On this momentous occasion, Radio Azim Premji University hosts you on a musical journey with a difference. Carouse to handpicked tunes in Hindi, Urdu, Bangla, Kannada, Tamil, Khasi, Marathi, and more.
This is Hindustan Ki Nayi Geetmala presented by Vineet KKN Panchhi. This podcast episode is part of the series "Samvidhaani Pitaara."
Credits:
Akshat Krishna, Akshay Ramuhalli, Avishek Bose, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harsh Gupta, Maitreyi Shankar, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sameera Ahmed, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar
View the full playlist on our website: