Eleanor Finch
The Indian Constitution is not just a legal document but also a work of art. The duty of illustrating the Constitution was entrusted to Nandalal Bose, a gifted artist from Shantiniketan, and his team of students. Nandalal Bose (1882-1966) was part of the Bengal School of Art and was influenced by the murals of the Ajanta Caves. He was also Gandhi's favoured artist of choice. His works are considered among India's most important modern paintings.
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What You'll Learn
- Nandalal Bose, the artist who illustrated the Constitution of India
- The manuscript was produced in 1954 and took four years to complete
- The illustrations were placed in chronological order
- Prem Behari Narain Raizada, the calligrapher who signed his name in the manuscript
- The illustrations reflect the country's rich heritage
Nandalal Bose, the artist who illustrated the Constitution of India
Nandalal Bose, born on 3 December 1882, was the artist who illustrated the Constitution of India. He was born into a middle-class Bengali family in Haveli Kharagpur, in the Munger district of Bihar state. His father, Purna Chandra Bose, worked in the Darbhanga Estate, and his mother, Khetramoni Devi, was a housewife with a skill for improvising toys and dolls for young Nandalal.
As a young artist, Nandalal was deeply influenced by the murals of the Ajanta Caves, which he spent months copying in 1909. He was part of an international circle of artists and writers seeking to revive classical Indian culture, including Abanindranath Tagore, Okakura Kakuzō, and Yokoyama Taikan. Nandalal's genius and original style were recognised by artists and critics alike, who felt that objective criticism was necessary for the development of painting and founded the Indian Society of Oriental Art.
Nandalal's involvement in India's freedom movement began in the 1930s when he created a linocut print of Mahatma Gandhi walking with a stick to mark Gandhi's arrest for protesting the British tax on salt. This image became an icon of the Non-Violent Freedom Movement. Nandalal also created a set of seven posters at Gandhi's request for the 1938 Haripura Session of the Indian National Congress.
In 1954, Nandalal was entrusted by Jawaharlal Nehru with the task of illustrating the Constitution of India, along with his disciple Rammanohar. Nandalal carefully selected a team of artists, including Biswarup, Gouri, Jamuna, Perumal, Kripal Singh, and other students of Kala Bhavana, who created twenty-two images for the manuscript. These illustrations, arranged chronologically, depicted fragments of India's vast historical and cultural heritage, using indigenous techniques of applying gold leaf and stone colours. The illustrations were completed in 1954 and took four years to finish.
Today, Nandalal's works are considered among India's most important modern paintings. In 1976, the Archaeological Survey of India declared his work among the "nine artists" whose artwork was to be considered "art treasures". The National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi holds 7,000 of his works in its collection. Nandalal Bose passed away on 16 April 1966 in Santiniketan of natural causes.
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The manuscript was produced in 1954 and took four years to complete
The Indian Constitution was first drafted in 1947, the same year India gained its independence. However, the production of the illustrated manuscript took place between 1950 and 1954, taking four years to complete. The hand-painted illustrations were created by Nandalal Bose and his team of artists, including Beohar Rammanohar Sinha, Dinanath Bhargava, Gauri Bhanja, Jamuna Sen, Amala Sarkar, Nibedita Bose, Bani Patel, and Rammanohar, his disciple. The calligraphy was done by Prem Behari Narain Raizada, who asked to sign his name in the manuscript in lieu of payment.
Nandalal Bose, born in 1882 in a middle-class Bengali family, was a prominent Indian artist. He was deeply influenced by the murals of the Ajanta Caves and was part of an international circle of artists and writers seeking to revive classical Indian culture. He was also influenced by artists such as Abanindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore, E. B. Havell, Ananda Coomaraswamy, and Mahatma Gandhi. His unique style and genius were recognised by artists and critics alike, and he was favoured by Gandhi himself.
Bose's work on the Constitution of India was commissioned under the direction of the first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who also asked him to sketch the emblems for the Government of India's awards, including the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Shri. The illustrations in the Constitution correspond to the original twenty-two parts of the document, with each chapter commencing with one or two illustrations. The illustrations are placed in chronological order, starting from the first Indian civilisation, the Indus Valley Civilisation, and moving towards the struggle for independence.
The illustrations in the Constitution are not just artistic endeavours but also reflect the country's rich heritage and history, mythology, and geography. They visually encapsulate the highest principles and aspirations of new India, combining various artistic traditions and making them accessible to a new generation of Indian artists. The entire process, including drafting, writing, and illustrating, took a total of five years.
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The illustrations were placed in chronological order
The illustrations in the Indian Constitution are placed in chronological order, starting with the first Indian civilisation – the Indus Valley Civilisation – and moving through to the struggle for independence. The opening page features a humped bull seal and the undeciphered script of the Harappan civilisation, which marks the beginning of the definition of Indian civilisation.
The illustrations are not just decorative but are intended to visually encapsulate the highest principles and aspirations of a new India. The artists drew inspiration from various sources, including the ornate designs of the Ajanta and Bagh Caves, Chola art, Deccani miniature, and poster art of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The illustrations were created by Nandalal Bose, a gifted artist from Shantiniketan, and his team of students. Bose was born in 1882 into a middle-class Bengali family and developed an early interest in modelling images and decorating Puja pandals. As a young artist, he was deeply influenced by the murals of the Ajanta Caves and sought to revive classical Indian culture. He was part of an international circle of artists and writers that included Okakura Kakuzō, William Rothenstein, Yokoyama Taikan, and Eric Gill. Bose was also a favourite of Mahatma Gandhi, who he created a black-and-white linocut print of in 1930 to commemorate Gandhi's arrest for protesting the British tax on salt. This image became an iconic symbol for the non-violence movement.
Bose and his team, which included five women artists, took four years to complete the twenty-two illustrations in the first illustrated manuscript of the Constitution. The illustrations correspond to the original twenty-two parts of the Constitution, with each chapter commencing with one or two illustrations. The calligraphy that accompanies the illustrations was done by Prem Behari Narain Raizada, who forwent payment in exchange for being allowed to sign his name in the manuscript.
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Prem Behari Narain Raizada, the calligrapher who signed his name in the manuscript
Prem Behari Narain Raizada, born on 16 December 1901, was a master calligrapher who hand-wrote the Constitution of India. He came from a family of renowned calligraphers and began learning the art form at a young age from his grandfather, Ram Prasad Saxena, a scholar of English and Persian. Raizada further refined his calligraphic skills during his time at St. Stephen's College in Delhi.
When the Constituent Assembly of India completed drafting the Constitution in the late 1940s, they wanted the document to be handwritten, reflecting the country's history and struggles. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, chose Raizada for the task of transcribing the Constitution. Raizada's skill and talent were evident in his work; he used hundreds of pen nibs, sourced from England and Czechoslovakia, to flawlessly inscribe each letter of the 251-page manuscript, which weighed 3.75 kilograms.
Raizada's passion for calligraphy extended beyond mere remuneration. When asked about payment for his immense undertaking, he refused to accept any money. Instead, he requested permission to sign his name, "Prem", on every page of the Constitution and to include his grandfather's name, Ram Prasad Saxena, alongside his on the final page. This condition was granted, immortalising their names within the historic document.
Raizada's contribution to the Constitution of India is a testament to his mastery of calligraphy and his dedication to his craft. His work not only brought the Constitution to life but also ensured that his name and his grandfather's would forever be associated with this significant moment in India's history.
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The illustrations reflect the country's rich heritage
The illustrations in the Indian Constitution reflect the country's rich heritage and history. The endeavour to illustrate the Constitution was to ensure that it was not only a legal document but also a work of art. The artists drew inspiration from various sources, including the ornate designs of the Ajanta and Bagh Caves, quintessentially oriental Chola art, and Deccani miniature art. The illustrations also reflect the country's freedom movement and revolutionary movement for freedom.
The illustrations in the Constitution are placed in chronological order, starting from the first civilisation of India, the Indus Valley Civilisation, and moving towards independence. One of the most interesting illustrations is on the opening page, which features a humped bull seal along with the undeciphered script of the Harappan civilisation. This illustration draws attention to the Indus Valley, where the ancient Indian civilisation was born. Another illustration in Part II of the Constitution, which deals with citizenship, depicts an ashram with four ascetic figures offering prayers and performing yajnas.
The calligraphy that accompanies the illustrations was done by Prem Behari Narain Raizada, who asked to sign his name in the manuscript instead of receiving payment. His pen name, "Prem," can be found on all pages of the manuscript. The Hindi version of the Constitution was calligraphed by Vasant Krishan Vaidya.
The artist responsible for the illustrations in the Indian Constitution was Nandalal Bose, a gifted artist from Shantiniketan. Bose was born in 1882 and is considered one of India's most important modern painters. He was influenced by the murals of the Ajanta Caves and was part of an international circle of artists and writers seeking to revive classical Indian culture. He was Gandhi's favoured artist, and he created iconic images for the non-violence movement. Along with his disciple Rammanohar, Bose took on the task of illustrating the original manuscript of the Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
Nandalal Bose, a renowned Indian artist, was the primary illustrator of the Constitution of India.
Nandalal Bose led a team of artists, including Beohar Rammanohar Sinha, Dinanath Bhargava, Gauri Bhanja, Jamuna Sen, Amala Sarkar, Nibedita Bose, Bani Patel, and Prem Behari Narain Raizada, who created the calligraphy.
The illustrations were inspired by Indian history, mythology, and geography. They draw on influences from the Ajanta and Bagh Caves, Chola art, Deccani miniature art, and 19th and 20th-century Indian poster art.
The illustrations were intended to visually represent the principles and aspirations of a new India. They contribute to the Constitution being not just a legal document but a work of art reflecting the country's rich heritage.
