Chennai :

The first edition of the Constitution  of India is a rare piece of art. Professionals from Shantiniketan decorated with exquisite designs the sides of each page of that handwritten publication of what is the world’s longest Constitution. Survey of India offices photolithographed the original on handmade paper but few copies now exist.
But they are making a return. Two years ago, Vijay Anand, an entrepreneur and a member of Chennai Tricolour Initiative, embarked on a journey to recreate the first edition.

“The original is enclosed in a helium-filled case in the Parliament library,” Anand said. “Some copies were handed down from generation to generation and have been lost over the years.”

His search took him to a family in Hosur whose ancestor was part of the constituent assembly in 1950. “They were kind of enough to share the copy they had,” he said. “The book survived through such a long time, albeit with some wear and tear.”

Several years of research told him that sourcing one of the first copies would be nearly impossible. “One of the original copies was auctioned by Sotheby’s for 35 lakh in 2012,” Anand said. “This book is valuable not just because it enshrines the foundations of the republic, but also because of the work that has gone into creating it.”

India’s Constitution has won recognition as one of the rare books of the world and found a place in the Library of Congress in the United States, said historian and Constitution enthusiast Vikram Raghavan. The tome, with all its artwork, commands a tremendous sense of awe and nostalgia for lawyers and students, he added.

Anand has invested the past two years in sourcing the best possible images for each page. A family from Ahmedabad sent him scanned images of a copy that they have. He then had each page hand drawn to recreate the original art. The work has not been easy. Every inch of the illustration and design is manually traced, digitally blown up and coloured. Each page took close to a week to recreate.

“The original is not accessible and it’s as good as gone,” Anand said. “We need one that we can preserve for at least another 100 years.”

He plans to make two versions – one will be a hardcover, the other a leather-bound edition for collectors. The 234-page volume will be published on specialty paper by Chennai Tricolor Initiative Trust. The copies will be available by September, Anand said. Besides limited copies that will be given to those contribute to the Chennai Tricolour Initiative Trust, Anand intends to give copies to schools at a nominal price so they can preserve them in their libraries.

“We want to spur healthy debate in government schools. The idea is to initiate a conversation on the foundation of today’s India, how the government functions. Healthy debates are not just about finding fault but being aware of both sides of the coin,” he said.

Download a remastered version of the preamble at http://bit.ly/2HnNKmN.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Chennai News / TNN / July 02nd, 2018