Who hand-calligraphed the original manuscript of the Indian Constitution?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
Prem Behari Narain Raizada
Explanation
The original Constitution of India was neither typed nor printed. It was completely handwritten in a beautiful flowing italic calligraphy style by Prem Behari Narain Raizada.
When the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru approached him to write the document and offered him a fee, Raizada refused to accept any monetary compensation. Instead, he put forward a single condition: he would sign his name on every page of the Constitution, and on the very last page, he would write his name alongside his grandfather's name (Ram Prasadji). This request was accepted, and it took him approximately 6 months to complete the task.
Key Points
The original manuscript of the Indian Constitution was calligraphed by Prem Behari Narain Raizada.
He used 303-number pen holder nibs to write the entire document.
The illumination and decoration of the pages were done by artists from Shantiniketan, led by the renowned painter Nandalal Bose.
The original handwritten copies are preserved today in special helium-filled cases in the Library of the Parliament of India.
Additional Facts
B.N. Rau served as the Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent Assembly and prepared the initial raw draft of the Constitution.
S.N. Mukherjee was the Chief Draftsman of the Constituent Assembly, known for putting complex legal language into proper constitutional form.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is known as the 'Father of the Indian Constitution' as he chaired the crucial Drafting Committee.
Important Questions
Question: Who decorated and illuminated the pages of the original handwritten Constitution of India?
Answer: Nandalal Bose and his students from Shantiniketan.
Question: Who was appointed as the Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent Assembly?
Answer: Sir Benegal Narsing Rau (B.N. Rau).