Constitution Day of India 2018: What is it and Why is it Celebrated?

What is Constitution day?

Constitution day which is also known as the Samvidhan Divas is celebrated every year on November 26 to mark the day on which the Constitution of India was adopted. While the adoption of the Constitution took place on November 26, 1949, it came into effect on January 26, 1950.

On November 26, 1949, the Constituent assembly had met and with loud and prolonged cheers and thumping of desks greeted the passing of the Constitution.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of the Constituent Assembly, in his speech before putting the motion to pass the Constitution, paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and said that I shall only hope that all those whose good fortune it may be to work this Constitution in future, will rember that it was a unique victory which we achieved by unique method taught by the Father of the Nation, and it is upto us to preserve and protect the Independence that we have won and to make it really bear fruit for the man in the street."

After the Constitution was passed, the historic session of the Constituent Assembly ended with the singing of the National Anthem "Jana-gana-mana adhinayaka Jai Hey, Bharat Bhagya Vidhata," by Purnima Banerjee, a veteran freedom fighter and sister of the late freedom fighter, Aruna Asaf Ali.

It was on November 19, 2015, when the government of India with the help of a gazette notification declared November 26 as the Constitution Day. There is no public holiday on this day.

The draft of the constitution was prepared by the drafting committee under BR Ambedkar’s aegis. According to the government notification, the Constitution Day was also a tribute to Ambedkar.

Earlier, this day was commemorated as National Law Day, after a resolution by the Supreme Court Bar Association, a lawyers’ body, in 1979.

Celebrations this year

With the collective efforts of the Buddhist Association for the blind and the Saavi Foundation and Swagat Thorat, for the first time the constitution will be made available in Braille. As part of the joint project, the constitution will be made available in five parts in Braille for the benefit of visually challenged individuals.

On Satuday, a rally was flagged-off from Amaravati. As part of ‘Bharata Rajyanga Gowrava Yatra’, 69 vehicles will cover 500 kilometres to mark 69th Constitution Day and reach Rajamahendravaram on Sunday evening.