The Constitution as a Visual Republic: How Art Illuminates India’s Democratic Soul

 

The Constitution as a Visual Republic: How Art Illuminates India’s Democratic Soul

On 26 January, every year, as dawn breaks over Kartavya Path in Delhi—once the Rajpath—the Republic Day Parade unfolds as a living tapestry of India’s civilisational soul. Regimented columns of marching troops, gleaming armoured formations, and airborne salutes of the armed forces stand shoulder to shoulder with vibrant tableaux that celebrate India’s astounding socio-cultural diversity. From snow-clad Himalayas in the north to sun-kissed coasts on the east and west, from ancient tribal traditions to classical and folk art forms, the parade mirrors a nation that is at once ancient and ever-renewing. The synchrony of military precision with cultural exuberance is no mere spectacle; it is a quiet assertion that India’s strength lies as much in its unity of purpose as in its plurality of expression. In this ceremonial march, our Republic reaffirms that its defence is not only guarded by weapons and valour, but also by the shared inheritance of our diversity in languages, faiths, customs, and traditions that bind its people together into an indestructible democratic whole.

26 January 2026, we mark the 77^th Republic Day. It was on this day, 26th January, 1950, that post ‘our tryst with destiny’, we gave ourselves an extraordinary gift - the Constitution of India. While wishing you all a very happy Republic Day in advance, I wish to take this momentous occasion to write about the beauty of our artistically elegant Indian Constitution, the only one of its kind with such an artistic elegance, which has served us very well for all these years and will continue to do so for eons, notwithstanding our vastly diverse and quite complex nature of our country and its citizens. It is therefore no wonder that the Indian constitution not only continues to intrigue and impress people across the world but also inspires national and international constitutional experts.

However, in recent months, the Indian Constitution has re-entered public consciousness in a curious way.

Images of leaders brandishing pocket-sized copies of the Constitution - both inside and outside the Parliament - have become visual shorthand for political protest, invoking alleged constitutional abuse and democratic erosion. The word Constitution is being spoken, waved, and weaponised more than it has ever been. And yet, there is a deep irony at play. Even as the Constitution is repeatedly invoked in the heat of political contestation, very few—perhaps even among those who most visibly wield it—seem aware of what makes the Indian Constitution truly exceptional. Beyond its length, beyond its clauses and amendments, it stands apart as a rare civilisational artefact: a handwritten, hand-illustrated manuscript where law is inseparable from art, and governance is consciously woven into India’s vast historical, philosophical, and cultural continuum.

As India marks this year’s Republic Day, there is likelihood of the public discourse around the Constitution often gravitating toward its amendments, interpretations, and political contestations. Rarely do we pause to reflect on one of its most remarkable and least discussed dimensions – the Constitution of India is also a carefully conceived work of art - a visual and aesthetic republic—which deserves to be brought back into public memory, for it tells a story far deeper and more enduring than the slogans of the moment.

Unlike any other constitution in the world, India’s founding document is handwritten, hand-illustrated, and visually narrated. Every one of the 22 Parts of the original Indian Constitution begins with an image—an artwork that anchors constitutional provisions within India’s long civilisational memory. This was not an ornamental indulgence. It was a deliberate act of nation-building. Each of these images with brief description of the parts and italics words for the artistic images, is given at the end of the essay.

A Constitution That Speaks Through Images

When the Constituent Assembly completed the drafting of the Constitution, it was decided that the document should not merely govern India but also represent India—its civilisational ethos, cultural depth, moral inheritance, and historical journey. The task of visually shaping this idea was entrusted to Nandalal Bose, one of India’s foremost artists and a leading figure of the Shantiniketan school.

Bose, assisted by a carefully chosen team of artists from Kala Bhavana—including Biswarup, Gouri, Jamuna, Perumal, Kripal Singh Shekhawat, and others—crafted 22 images, one for each Part of the Constitution. Together, these images form a chronological and symbolic narrative of India, from the Indus Valley Civilisation to the freedom struggle, and from ethical philosophy to geography itself. Each of these 22 images are appended at the end of this article.

Part I: Civilisation and Territory

The first Part of the Constitution, dealing with The Union and Its Territory, is adorned with decorative motifs derived from Mohenjodaro seals, including the Zebu Bull. This image reaches back over four millennia to the Indus Valley Civilisation, asserting continuity rather than rupture. The bull, symbolising strength, leadership, fertility, and sacrifice, subtly mirrors the idea of a Union that protects and sustains its people.

Part II: Citizenship as Inheritance

Citizenship, dealt with in Part II, is illustrated through a Vedic Gurukul scene. Knowledge in ancient India was transmitted orally, through close teacher–student relationships. By choosing this image, the artists conveyed citizenship not merely as legal status but as belonging, learning, and shared values, passed down through generations. The Constitution, like the Gurukul, becomes the medium through which society remains connected to its foundational principles.

Part III: Fundamental Rights and the Triumph of Dharma

Part III, on Fundamental Rights, is illustrated with a powerful scene from the Ramayana—Rama’s victory over Ravana and the recovery of Sita from Lanka. This is not a religious assertion but an ethical metaphor. The celebration of Vijayadashami symbolises the triumph of dharma over adharma, justice over tyranny. By placing this image at the threshold of Fundamental Rights, Nandalal Bose visually underscored the purpose of these rights: to eliminate social evils and protect human dignity.

Part IV: Directive Principles and Moral Governance

The Mahabharata scene of Krishna propounding the Gita to Arjuna appears at the beginning of Part IV, the Directive Principles of State Policy. The choice is deeply philosophical. The Directive Principles are not enforceable laws but moral guidelines for governance. Krishna’s counsel to Arjuna—about duty, responsibility, and righteous action—mirrors the constitutional expectation that the State must actively uphold justice, welfare, and ethical governance.

Parts V & VI: Enlightenment and Authority

Scenes from the life of Gautama Buddha, including his first sermon at Sarnath, are placed in sections dealing with the Union and executive authority. Enlightenment here is not merely spiritual but civilisational—symbolising awakening, compassion, restraint, and diplomacy. Buddhism’s historical role in India’s international relations further reinforces the appropriateness of this imagery.

Similarly, scenes from Mahavira’s life acknowledge Jain philosophy and its emphasis on non-violence and ethical conduct, reinforcing the plural foundations of Indian thought.

Parts VII to XI: Empires, Art, and Knowledge

The spread of Buddhism by Emperor Ashoka, scenes from Gupta art, Vikramaditya’s court, and the depiction of Nalanda University collectively celebrate India’s classical age—when governance, art, science, and education flourished together. These images remind the reader that India’s constitutional vision is rooted in a long tradition of statecraft combined with intellectual pursuit.

Parts XII & XIII: Rhythm, Balance, and Prosperity

Part XII, dealing with finance and property, is illustrated with the iconic Chola Bronze Nataraja. Shiva as Nataraja embodies cosmic rhythm, balance, and order. The symbolism is profound: economic systems, like the cosmic dance, require equilibrium. Excess, imbalance, or chaos can destroy harmony. The choice of this image reflects an advanced understanding of governance as a dynamic, balanced process.

Parts XIV to XVI: Diversity and Resistance

Sculptural traditions from Mahabalipuram, followed by portraits of Akbar against Mughal architecture, and then Shivaji and Guru Gobind Singh, visually narrate India’s plural political history. These images celebrate administrative innovation, cultural synthesis, and resistance to injustice.

The portrayal of Tipu Sultan and Rani Lakshmibai marks the early organised resistance against British colonial expansion, reminding readers that freedom was neither sudden nor inevitable—it was earned through sacrifice.

Parts XVII to XIX: Freedom, Sacrifice, and Conscience

Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March and his Noakhali peace mission appear in Parts XVII and XVIII. These images represent two sides of freedom—defiance against unjust laws and moral courage in moments of communal strife.

Part XIX features Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and other revolutionaries who fought from outside India. The border inscription seeking Gandhiji’s blessings acknowledges the diversity of strategies within the freedom struggle and honours Netaji’s decisive role in weakening British resolve.

Parts XX to XXII: Geography as Identity

The final parts of the Constitution are illustrated not with figures but with landscapes—the Himalayas, deserts, and oceans. These images quietly assert that the Republic belongs not just to its people but also to its land. Geography here becomes destiny, unity, and responsibility.

Finished Manuscript signed for posterity

The finished manuscript of the Constitution was signed by 284 members of the Constituent Assembly and adopted on 26 November 1949, which came into existence from 26 January 1950. While India has amended the Constitution many times, its artistic core remains untouched—a reminder that while laws may evolve, foundational values endure.

In viewing the Constitution through its art, one realises that India’s founders imagined democracy not merely as governance, but as a civilisational conversation across time. The illustrated Constitution asks us not only to obey the law, but to understand it—to see ourselves as inheritors of a long ethical, cultural, and historical continuum.

That, perhaps, is its most enduring lesson.

Happy Republic Day

Images : Courtesy Wikipedia

Part I – The Union and its Territory (Decoration with Mohenjo-Daro seals)

Part II – Citizenship (Scene from Vedic Asram (Gurukul))

Part III – Fundamental Rights Scene from Ramayana (Conquest of Lanka and recovery of Giya by Rama)

Part IV – Directive Principles of State Policy Scene from the Mahabharata (Srikrishna propounding Gita to Arjuna)

Part V – The Union (Scene from Buddha’s life)

Part VI – The States (Scene from Mahavir’s life)

Part VII – The States in Part B of the First Schedule (later repealed) (Scene depicting the spread of Buddhism by Emperor Asoka in India and abroad)

Part VIII – The Union Territories (Scene from Gupta Art. It’s development in different phases).

Part IX – No Part in original 1950 Constitution (Scene from Vikramaditya’s Court)

Part X – Scheduled and Tribal Areas (Scene depicting one of the ancient universities -(Nalanda))

Part XI – Relations between the Union and the States (Scene from Orissan Scupltures)

Part XII – Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits (Image of Nataraja)

Part XIII – Trade, Commerce and Intercourse within the Territory of India (Scene from Mahabalipuram Sculptures)

Part XIV – Services under the Union and the States (Portrait of Akbar with Mughal Architecture)

Part XV – Elections  (Portraits of Shivaji and Guru Gobind Singh)

Part XVI – Special Provisions relating to Certain Classes (Portraits of Tipu Sultan and Lakshmi Bai (Rise against the British Conquest))

Part XVII – Official Language (Portrait of the Father of the Nation (Gandhiji’s Dandi March))

Part XVIII – Emergency Provisions (Bapuji the Peace-Maker – his tour in the riot-affected areas of Nokhali).

Part XIX – Miscellaneous (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and other patriots trying to liberate Mother India from outside India)

Part XX – Amendment of the Constitution (Scene of the Himalayas)

Part XXI – Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions (Scene of the Desert)

Part XXII – Short Title, Commencement, Authoritative Text in Hindi and Repeals (Scene of the Ocean)

Long live our Constitution and our great nation.

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