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Prem Behari Narain Raizada
Prem Behari Narain Raizada | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 17, 1901 |
| Died | 1966 (aged 64–65) |
| Occupation | Calligrapher |
| Known for | Hand-writing the Constitution of India |
Prem Behari Narain Raizada (1901 CE –1966 CE) was a renowned calligrapher from India, best known for his remarkable achievement of hand-writing the Constitution of India.
Biography[edit]
Raizada was born in December 1901 into a Kayastha Saxena family known for their calligraphy. After the early loss of both his parents, he was brought up by his grandfather, a scholar proficient in English and Persian, who introduced him to the craft of Indian calligraphy. Raizada later attended St. Stephen's College in Delhi, where he continued to improve his calligraphy skills.[1][2]
While the Indian Constitution was being created by the Constituent Assembly in the late 1940s, Jawaharlal Nehru requested Raizada to write the first copy of this important document.[1] When asked how much he would charge for handwriting the constitution, Raizada responded,
“Not a single penny. By the grace of God I have all the things, and am quite happy with my life,”
“But I have one reservation—that on every page of Constitution I will write my name and on the last page I will write my name along with my grandfather’s name.”[2]
Prem Behari Narain Raizada was the calligrapher who wrote the Indian Constitution. He created the original document in a beautiful italic style. The Hindi version of the Constitution was written by Vasant Krishan Vaidya. Raizada worked in a room at Constitution Hall (now called the Constitution Club of India) and took six months to finish the document, which had 395 articles, 8 schedules, and a preamble. He used his special flowing style of writing and went through hundreds of pen nibs while working.[1][3] He made sure that both his name and his grandfather's name were included in the document, and you can find them there. When he finished, the manuscript was 251 pages long and weighed 3.75 kg.[1]
The manuscript was completed on 26 November 1949, and was signed on 26 January 1950.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Prem Behari Narain Raizada: The Man Who (literally) Wrote India's Constitution". The Better India. 2018-01-22. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The original Constitution writer". I See India. 2011-08-13. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
- ↑ Service, Tribune News. "Reviving the forgotten art of calligraphy". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2020-03-07.