Made in few days or took forever:

Only Ambedkar made it:

Only Congress party made it:

All borrowed:

Cannot be changed at all or can be changed fully:

Constitution contains all laws:

Constitution is a big, fat book located in Parliament in Delhi:

In the last decade, We, The People Abhiyan has focused on spreading understanding about the Constitution of India among diverse citizens, many from schools and colleges. We have come across few popular myths that citizens hold about making of this landmark document. As we celebrate 70 years of the Constitution, let’s look at these myths and clear them!Some citizens insist Constitution was made in a month. Some feel it took many years. The reality is that it took precisely 2 years, 11 months and 18 days. The members of Constituent Assembly (CA) met first on 9th December 1946 and last on 24th January 1950 and in between for 11 plenary sessions totaling to 165 days. Besides this, smaller groups of members met as Committees for shorter periods. The minutes of all days of sessions are available online.Ambedkar had a critical role as the all-important Chairman of the Drafting Committee. But he worked with other members of the Drafting Committee and members of the CA itself. The CA was divided into smaller Committees e.g. Fundamental Rights Sub-committee, Finance and Staff Committee etc. and they prepared drafts on the subjects given to them. The reports of these drafts were put together by Constitutional Advisor, B N Rau, into a Draft Constitution. This was then reworked by the Drafting Committee, presented to the CA and made final through consensus. So, in reality, the making of the Constitution was joint effort of 299 members, with Ambedkar in a significant leadership position.In reality, Congress party members comprised 82% of the Assembly members. The rest were representatives from other parties – most notably Ambedkar himself, a self-proclaimed “life-long opponent of the Congress party”. Examples; All India Women’s Conference, Hindu Mahasabha, Communist Party of India, Unionist Party, Scheduled Castes Federation among others.Yes, the Constitution makers incorporated many elements from different Constitutions of the world. For example, Fundamental Rights were picked from the American Constitution, Parliamentary form of democracy from UK etc. But, each of these elements were put in Indian context through intense debates by widely different members. The diversity of members – ranging from all sections of Indian society – Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Parsis, Anglo-Indians, Indian Christians, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes – brought in unique and original contributions.Some citizens believe that CA made Constitution like a sacred book – can’t be changed at all. Some citizens think it can be changed fully. The reality is that it can be amended through Article 368 in Constitution itself. However, various Supreme Court judgements have limited the powers of amendment such that basic structure of the Constitution (including the sovereign, democratic and secular character of the polity, rule of law, independence of the judiciary, fundamental rights) cannot be changed.Perhaps the vision of the Constitution being the ‘mother of all laws” gives the impression that Constitution is a book with all laws collected in it. The fact is that the Constitution is made as book of basic values, principles and rules. It gives the structures and mechanisms for making laws. It does not by itself contain laws.Another related myth related is that all laws are made by Parliament. The fact is that some laws are made by Centre, some by states and some by both. The 7th Schedule in Constitution gives list of who can make what.The handwritten originals are indeed in Delhi, in the Parliament Library. But you can buy copies of the original – like we did – from the Parliament book-shop. These are big and fat. However, pocket size versions are available online and in stores. These are a must for any home or institution.