Rare first edition of Indian Constitution sold for Rs 48 lakh in auction

The rare edition of Indian Constitution, which contains printed signatures of its makers, including Dr BR Ambedkar, is one of only 1,000 copies made by the Survey of India Offices in Dehradun

The first edition of the Indian Constitution was sold for Rs 48 lakh at a recent auction held by the New Delhi-based Saffronart art gallery. Minal Vazirani, co-founder of Saffronart, confirmed to The Times of India that the book was sold during the three-day online auction from July 24 to 26. However, the name of the buyer has not been revealed.

The rare book, which contains printed signatures of its makers, including BR Ambedkar, is one of only 1,000 copies made by the Survey of India Offices in Dehradun and published by the government of India in 1950. This edition of the Indian Constitution also bears the handprints of 284 members of the 1946 Constituent Assembly, including the Hindi signature of author Kamla Chaudhary and the English signature of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Additionally, this photolithographic copy features calligraphy by noted calligrapher Prem Behari Narain Raizada and illumination by eminent modern artist Nandalal Bose.

Interestingly, a blueprint of this edition is kept in a special helium-filled case in the library of the Parliament of India.

Indian Constitution First Edition: What makes it special?

Rampur-based calligrapher Raizada took six months (from November 1949 to April 1950) to write the Indian Constitution on sheets of handmade Millbourne Loan paper. These papers were supplied by the controller of printing and stationery. Later, Raizada was awarded Rs 4,000 for the job.

Once Raizada finished his job, the sheets were decorated and illuminated by Nandalal Bose and other artists from Santiniketan's Kala Bhavan. The decoration was done as per Nehru's suggestion to have real gold spray on the margins and illumination on the borders of every page. Bose also drew 22 illustrations, one at the beginning of each part of the Constitution, rendered largely in the miniature style, representing episodes from different periods of India. It took Bose four years to complete the 221-page document. He was paid a sum of Rs 21,000 for the job.