The launch of the Constitution Museum and the Rights and Freedoms Academy is an effort to showcase the Constitution of India as the living, breathing and growing document it truly is. Seventy-five years since its adoption, the Constitution inspires Indians, including intellectuals, legal practitioners, historians, artists, activists and most importantly, those considered “common citizens”.
Our vision for this museum is to showcase the making and the makers of the Constitution of India, which includes not only the Constituent Assembly members who gave this invaluable document to us but also the citizens who sought remedies for their constitutional rights, the lawmakers who initiated essential amendments as well as lawyers and justices responsible for landmark judgements that make them the architects of India that we know of today.
While the museum will house an abundance of historical data associated with the making of the Constitution, it will not just be an archive of documents showcasing what happened before 26th November 1949.
For the uninitiated, this museum will be a go-to destination for understanding the Constitution, with various sections dedicated to each part of the document and its significance. Every Constituent Assembly member will be featured in the museum alongside spirited debates and deliberations that refined and created a robust manuscript ahead of its time. Through many formats—textual, audiovisual, experiential—we hope to ignite visitors' interest in the Constitution, its evolution and its various sections. We aspire to spark explorations and deliberations on the rights and freedoms made available to us.
The art featured in the museum, which is expected to become the major attraction, shall include art that was part of the handcrafted document and art that the Constitution inspired. This shall be a dynamic archive that will continue to grow with the Constitution. A Children’s Corner, with its interactive installations, quizzing stations, graphic pamphlets and novels shall introduce these complex concepts in a fun, experiential and accessible manner.
The Constitution Museum is not merely an endeavour to document Constitutional heritage but one that also contributes to it. On this 75th Constitution Day, we will honour the legacy of those who crafted this remarkable charter and ensure it remains a vibrant guide for future generations.
Not that all museums of memories wither, but that they endure the weather of time better when life is felt through the actual presence of the past in the form of relics. And that presence rejuvenates the self and lightens the journey ahead. As the Constitution, the Museum also leaves the visitor with hope and a hope to return to it.