A Constitution that has endured the test of time

On its 75th anniversary, we, the people, must re-dedicate ourselves to attain the ideals the founding document of the Republic stands for

- Om Birla

The Constitution of India, adopted in the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, is the foundational law of the land that provides the essential moorings for the basic structure and principles of governance. It also establishes a framework for an enlightened social contract that lays down the fundamental rights and duties of citizens. The contract also provides a charter for inclusive development on the principle that no one should be left behind and a framework for a rule of law-based polity whose scaffoldings are the principles of equity and fairness. The founding fathers and the founding mothers of our Constitution bequeathed to us an extraordinary document – an embodiment of the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of a nation at the dawn of independence from foreign rule. The 75th anniversary of our Constitution is a fitting occasion to recognize the role played by countless Indians, who considered it their right and moral duty to engage with the Constituent Assembly and present their dreams and opinions about the future of the nation and the form and substance of its governance model through petitions and representations. The Constitution that we revere and hold sacred is as much a product of this engagement of the common people as the learned debates in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan. The words of B.R. Ambedkar placed the importance and essence of this sacred document in perspective when he remarked that "The Constitution is not a mere lawyer's document; it is a vehicle of life, reflecting the spirit of the age."