The radio crackles to life. We rewind to April 2, 1952. A day that is set to go down in the history of India, and the history of the world, as a triumphant day for democracy. At the counting stations, ballot boxes have been emptied for every last vote to be counted. We wait with bated breath for the results of independent India's first-ever general election to be declared.

This is a significant moment for the world. The newly declared republic is at a crossroads, having just shaken off the yoke of colonialism before it was riven by Partition.

Over the past few months, this elaborate democratic exercise has played out step by step. A total of 175 million citizens, spread over a million square kilometres, have cast their votes to choose their leaders. The entire world has had its eyes on India.

A government of a nation of this size and population is not elected in a day. Voting began six months earlier on October 25, 1951. Voters from the tehsils of Chinni and Pangi in Himachal Pradesh were first to cast their ballots. The first Indian voter was Shri Shyam Saran Negi, a schoolteacher. In Travancore-Cochin, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Hyderabad and Punjab, polling commenced in December 1951. All the remaining states went to the polls during January 1952. Polling in the northern hilly areas of Uttar Pradesh took place in the second fortnight of February 1952. The entire process spanned 68 phases over 4 months.

Imagine the massive effort it took to set up hundreds of thousands of polling booths across the country! Independent India’s first-ever election witnessed a total of 1949 candidates contest the polls for 489 seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s bicameral parliament. The Legislative Assemblies of the states had a combined total of 3,283 seats.

The people of India have exercised their franchise to elect their first government. This is a watershed moment not just for India, but for democracy worldwide.

In Pehla Pehla Chunaav, our special episode of Samvidhaani Pitaara, hosts Seetal and Vineet KKN Panchhi take you on a time machine ride with a dramatised radio broadcast. Join us to recount the exciting events of the day that announces the winner of India’s first parliamentary election, and the party that will form India’s first democratically elected government.

Celebrate the legacy of democracy in India. May we have many, many more free and fair elections!

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harsh Gupta, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sameera Ahmed, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

Discover additional resources for reading and exploration on our website:

https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/radio-azim-premji-university

April 14 marks an important date for the Constitution of India, the document that is foundational to our democracy. It is the birthday of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, and one of the most vocal participants in the Constituent Assembly debates.

The Constituent Assembly of India, comprising indirectly elected representatives, was tasked with drafting the nation's constitution. Initially consisting of 389 members, it was reduced to 299 after the departure of many Muslim League members. Of these, 229 represented British Indian provinces, 70 came from Princely States, with 15 being women representatives, including one Dalit and one Muslim woman, and six representing backward tribes.

Convening on December 9, 1946, the Assembly dedicated two years and 11 months to its task, conducting 11 sessions over 166 days and generating approximately 36 lakh words of debate. Women collectively contributed 2% to the discussions. On November 26, 1949, the constitution was adopted and signed by 284 members. The final session on January 24, 1950, witnessed each member signing two meticulously hand-written copies of the Constitution, one in Hindi and the other in English, each page adorned by artists from Shantiniketan.

How much do you know about the people behind the Constitution of India?

Samvidhaan Ke Naam, this special episode of Samvidhaani Pitaara, is presented as a game show to test your knowledge, and have some fun, while you learn about the minds that influenced the letter and spirit of the Constitution.

Samvidhaan Ke Naam is presented by Vineet KKN Panchhi for Radio Azim Premji University.

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harshit Hillol Gogoi, Harsh Gupta, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sameera Ahmed, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

Audience voices:

Aashi Chheda, Anand Athialy, Gulsingh Badgujer, Hitika Gilhotra, Kinshuk Ghosh

For a full list of acknowledgements and resources, please visit our website: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/radio-azim-premji-university

Do you know why India celebrates Republic Day on January 26? It was on this day in 1950 that the Constitution of India came into effect, replacing the Government of India Act 1935. The Constituent Assembly chose January 26 as it was on this day in 1930 that the Indian National Congress raised a demand for Purna Swaraj — complete self-rule — through the Declaration of Indian Independence. This assertion by India’s freedom fighters emphatically rejected Britain’s offer of Dominion status to India.

The Constituent Assembly’s decisive enactment of the Constitution of India transformed the nature of the people of India — with this, we were no longer subjects of a British dominion; we were citizens of a sovereign, democratic, Republic of India.

Not only does the Constitution guarantee us many rights, it empowers us to demand these rights. In addition, it gives the citizens of India an important responsibility to shoulder — the duty of making India, that is Bharat, a better and stronger nation, and to enable fellow-citizens, irrespective of differences in religion, caste, class, or gender, to aspire to live in happiness, harmony, dignity, and contentment.

These noble ideas were born in noble thoughts, which were expressed in carefully considered and articulated words spoken by the members of the Constituent Assembly. They were debated, argued, pondered over, reconsidered, and finally accepted and inked in the draft of the Constitution.

From December 1946 to January 1950, the Constituent Assembly of India met over 114 days. The initial strength of the assembly had been 389, which was reduced to 299 after the departure of some members.

The second episode of this series, Dastaan-e-Samvidhaan — the story of the Constitution — remembers the landmark speeches made by prominent members of the Constituent Assembly, including Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, among others. In some instances, where original voice recordings were unavailable, we have taken the creative liberty to reimagine these speeches with the help of artificial intelligence tools while remaining scrupulously faithful to the documented content of the original speeches. These voice enactments are for the purposes of dramatisation only, and should not in any way be considered as replacements or substitutes for the original speeches.

Dastaan-e-Samvidhaan is presented by Vineet KKN Panchchi for Radio Azim Premji University.

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harsh Gupta, Harshit Hillol Gogoi, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sameera Ahmed, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

For a full list of acknowledgements and resources, please visit our website: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/radio-azim-premji-university