The Preamble of the Indian Constitution is considered the soul of the constitution. It is the first page that greets readers when they open the hand-written constitution. The Preamble of Indian Constitution lays down principles, ideas, and core concepts upon which the new nation was envisioned and would operate. The Preamble is a sort of introductory page that introduces the constitution and lays down the aims and objectives of the constitution and the country. Together with the study of the Preamble, associated topics such as the original preamble of Indian Constitution, and the significance of preamble of Indian constitution have been discussed.
The preamble of the Indian Constitution
Whenever any government-issued book is opened, the first thing to greet us is the Preamble of our constitution. The Preamble is a strong representation of the hopes and ideals of the authors of the constitution. It embodies the kind of concepts and principles the country is conceived in and wishes to operate on. It also lays down what the Constitution is and is not. The Preamble is a unique feature of our constitution. It opens by addressing the citizens of the country which emphasises the importance of the republic and the democratic principle the country was conceived on. It declares the country to be Sovereign and Socialist. It also declares the country as being Secular and the Democratic Republic. The Preamble also promises to its citizens the following rights:
- Justice in all aspects
- Equality in opportunities and status
- Liberty in all its forms
- Fraternity of spirit transcending boundaries
Constitution
The Constitution of India is the source from which the government derives its constitutional supremacy. The constitution lays down the relationships between the government and its people and the duties the government has towards its people and vice versa. The creation of the Constitution is a testament to India’s freedom struggle and its release from the colonial imperialism of the British. The constitution was made under the guidance of British legislative support which is why after coming into effect it would replace the Government of India Act of 1935. The historical context for the creation of the Constitution was not an easy task and it was coloured by communal violence and riots all over India shortly before India’s independence. Sovereignty came at the cost of the division of the country and the creation of Pakistan in 1946. The Preamble of the Constitution, therefore, is the result of all such complicated processes.
Original Preamble of Indian Constitution
The Original Preamble of the Indian Constitution was a hand-written document. Nanda Lal Bose at Shantiniketan was sent the copies of the Constitution and he along with his students decorated the margins of the Constitution. Prem Behari Narain Raizada calligraphed the document with the Hindi version of it being calligraphed by Vasant Krishan Vaidya.
Significance of Preamble of Indian Constitution
The components of the Preamble are where its significance lies. The significance of Preamble of Indian Constitution are as follows:
- Justice, Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality are the objectives that the Constitution promises to secure.
- It shows the date on which it was adopted which is historically significant
- It lays down the basic principles and concepts which inform the relations between the government and the people.
Conclusion
The Preamble is an important feature of the Constitution as it lays down the groundwork for later laws, rules, and conventions. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution does show that the ultimate source of power in the country is the people or the citizens of the country.