The making of India’s Constitution

The 75th anniversary of the Indian Republic has spawned a cottage industry of books, lecture fests and television specials on various aspects of its Constitution.

- SHREEKANT SAMBRANI

Most of what has emerged from these efforts is well known and the analysis is often shallow and partisan, with, of course, genuflections of utmost reverence to the Basic Law of the country.

Most books parse debates in the Constituent Assembly in analysing how the document came to be drafted. Some of the more perceptive works discuss the interpretations and consequences of its provisions and seek to find underlying patterns and biases.

For the uninitiated, if there be any, the Indian Constitution is the longest among all at 1,46,000 plus words, amended 106 times during the three quarters of a century of its existence, and is generally lauded for its detail and depth.

The book under review is a most refreshing departure from this pattern. It discusses how people at large participated in what it correctly calls the assembling of the Constitution, from well before the formation of the Assembly until after its promulgation. The authors’ credentials — Rohit De is on the faculty of Yale University in the United States and Ornit Shani is at the University of Haifa — include extensive research, well-reviewed books and numerous seminar or conference presentations on the Indian Constitution.

While researching their earlier books (both published in 2018), the authors had independently accessed substantial archival material. Their subsequent conversations led to this joint work, carried out over six years, indicating the depth of research. The book abundantly testifies to its authors’ erudition and industry.