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The Constitution of India – The Unknown Heroes.
Granville Austin in the book,
‘The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation’ identifies the 21 most important figures in the Constituent Assembly who helped drafting the Constitution of the new Republic of India.
Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, Acharya Kriplani, Pandit Nehru, Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant, Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel and Dr Rajendra Prasad are the most prominent among them.
However 14 other distinguished personalities should also be remembered for their exemplary work behind the scenes.
M A Ayyangar: Represented Madras. Was a prominent member of the steering committee. Went on to become the speaker of the Lok Sabha.
N Gopalswami Ayyangar:
Represented Madras. Was a member of the rules, business, drafting and several other committees. Went on to become a Minister in the Union Government.
Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar:
Represented Madras, was a member of the rules, drafting, union powers and several other committees.
Jairamdas Daulatram: Represented East Punjab. Was a member of the advisory, union subjects, and provincial constitution committees. Went on to become the Governor of Assam.
Shankarrao Dattatraya Deo:
Represented Bombay. Was a member of the minorities, and the fundamental rights sub-committees; besides, he actively participated in several other advisory committees.
Shrimati G Durgabai: Represented Madras. Was a member of the steering and rules committees.
T T Krishnamachari: Represented Madras. Was a member of the drafting committee. A businessman who went on to become a Minister in the Central Government.
H C Mookerjee: Represented Bengal. Was vice-president of the Constituent Assembly and member of the minority rights sub-committee and provincial constitution committee. Went on to become Governor of Bengal.
K M Munshi: Represented Bombay. Was one of the most prominent members of the Assembly. He was a member of several committees including the rules, steering and advisory committees. Went on to become a Minister in the Central Government overnment and later the Governor of UP.
Benegal Narsing Rau:
Dr Rajendra Prasad, before signing the Constitution on November 26, 1949, thanked B N Rau for having ‘worked honorarily all the time that he was here, assisting the assembly not only with his knowledge and erudition but also enabled the other members to perform their duties with thoroughness and intelligence by supplying them with the material on which they could work.’ B N Rau was not a member of the assembly but was perhaps as important in the framing of the Constitution as Dr Ambedkar himself. He later represented India at the United Nations.
N Madhava Rau: Represented Orissa. Was a member of the drafting committee.
Saiyad Mohammed Saadulla:
Represented Assam. Was a member of the steering and drafting committees.
Satyanarayan Sinha: Represented Bihar. Was a member of the steering committee and the provincial constitution committee. Went on to become the Union Minister of Parliamentary affairs.
B Pattabhi Sitaramayya: Represented Madras. Was a member of the Rules, States, Union subjects and provincial Constitution committees. Later became the Governor of Madhya Pradesh.
The imprint of these 14 luminaries can be seen in the Indian Constitution, especially in sections that deal with Minority rights, Federalism, the Judiciary and the Fundamental Rights.
– Joy Kallivayalil.
