President Murmu to lead celebrations to mark 75 years of Constitution

President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament in the historic Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan on Tuesday, kick-starting year-long celebrations to mark 75 years of the adoption of India's Constitution.

IMAGE: President Droupadi Murmu lights a lamp during the Odisha Parba 2024, in the presence of Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, in New Delhi, November 23, 2024.Photograph: ANI Photo

The government on Monday announced that a new website -- https: //constitution75.com -- has been created to enable citizens to engage with the legacy of the Constitution through interactive activities and resources. Mass readings of its Preamble will take place in schools, cities and villages around the country, it also said.

The Constituent Assembly met for the first time in New Delhi on December 9, 1946 in the Central Hall of the old Parliament House building.

Decorated elegantly for the occasion, the chamber wore a new look on that day with "a constellation of bright lamps hanging from the high ceilings" and also from the brackets on its walls, according to the Lok Sabha website.

"Overwhelmed and jubilant as they were, the hon'ble members sat in semi-circular rows facing the Presidential dais. The desks which could be warmed electrically were placed on sloping green-carpeted terraces.

"Those who adorned the front row were Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Acharya J B Kripalani," it said.

The dedicate website lets people learn the historic facets of the Constitution and its legendary makers.

Union Culture Secretary Arunish Chawla told reporters during a curtain-raiser briefing at the National Media Centre here that the occasion is an opportunity to bring awareness about the "full scale and scope" of the visionary document, connect with the Preamble and celebrate the "dynamic" nature of the Constitution.

It is also an opportunity to appreciate the calligraphic art of the Constitution, he said, and announced that the celebrations will also include a special project -- a booklet and an exhibition on this aspect of the Constitution.

Chawla in his PPT presentation shared that to commemorate the landmark occasion, an event will take place at the Central Hall of the old building of Parliament and it will be presided by President Murmu while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the guest of honour.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will also take part in the celebrations.

To mark the occasion, the government will also release a commemorative coin and stamp.

The iconic old Parliament building, an architectural splendour and a historic landmark designed by Sir Herbert Baker that guided the destiny of India for nearly a century, was inaugurated on January 18, 1927 by the then Viceroy Lord Irwin.

Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the new Parliament building on May 28, 2023. Soon thereafter, the old Parliament building was rechristened as 'Samvidhan Sadan' with proceedings shifting to the modern complex erected in its vicinity.