This Independence Day, Hindustan ki Nayi Geetmala from Samvidhaani Pitara brings you a celebration of the value that holds our nation together — bandhuta, or fraternity.

Hosted by Vineet Panchhi, this special episode is a journey through songs that reflect the spirit of empathy, dignity, and solidarity — from timeless poetry to contemporary anthems, in voices and languages from across India.

Fraternity is not charity or politeness — it is the bond that keeps liberty and equality alive. These songs remind us that our freedom was won together, and will endure only if we continue to stand together.

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bruce Lee Mani, Gorveck Thokchom, Kishor Mandal, Kruthika Rao, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Ram Seshadri, Sananda Dasgupta, Sanoob Puliyanchali, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar.

In our daily lives, we often encounter situations where our rights as citizens intersect—or sometimes clash—with the law. While it’s one thing to study the Constitution article by article, it’s quite another to understand the nuances of when and how to exercise those rights.

What if you had the chance to call in and consult a constitutional expert? Would that make you more aware of your rights—and more empowered as a citizen?

On the occasion of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s birthday, we bring you a special episode of Samvidhaani Pitaara that promotes civic awareness. Hello Samvidhaan is a dramatised simulation of a call-in radio show where listeners from across India raise questions about how the Indian Constitution applies to everyday life. A cast of characters present a variety of dilemmas, each met with clear, practical guidance from an expert.

One caller is confused about why he can’t use the RTI to find a bride—after all, isn’t the “right to information” supposed to help with everything? A private school teacher is denied paid maternity leave because her contract is ending—can she still claim her rights? A domestic worker from West Bengal, now living in Bengaluru, recounts her ordeal after her husband is falsely accused of theft—how can she access justice without money for legal help? A young schoolboy complains of being beaten and pressured into tuition by his teacher—does he have any say in how he learns?

The Indian Constitution is 75 years old, and it’s time citizens embraced its possibilities fully. In Hello Samvidhaan, host Vineet KKN Panchhi reflects on emphasising the importance of not only knowing our rights, but also upholding our duties as citizens.

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Gorveck Thokchom, Kishor Mandal, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

Acknowledgements

Performers: Gulshan Badgujjar, Johanna Lokhande, Hiya

Experts: Archana Relan, Geetanjali Prasad, Harsh Gupta, Shivangi Anand

Visit our website for a wholesome listening experience

Is there a uniquely Indian idea of freedom?

The music of our beating hearts weaves the multifaceted tapestry that is India. This Independence Day, we remind ourselves yet again what it means to be Indian.

Hosted by Vineet KKN Panchhi of The Jai Hind Project, this special edition of Samvidhaani Pitaara is aptly titled “Hindustan Ki Nayi Geetmala - Azaadi Special” — a playlist of tunes and voices that sing of our yearning for freedom. Featuring voices old and new, familiar and quaint — from Indian Ocean to Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, from Folk Masti to A R Rahman — which resonate with the qualities that remind us of true Indianness: a healthy respect for our differences, and a generous tolerance of views that are at variance with each other. Topped off with special I-Day wishes from some of the artists, this celebratory selection of music will fill your heart with pride and love — for India.

Radio Azim Premji University wishes you a joyous and meaningful Independence Day 2024!

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क्या आज़ादी का कोई भारतीय विचार है?

हमारे धड़कते दिलों का संगीत भारत के बहुआयामी चित्रपट को बुनता है। इस स्वतंत्रता दिवस पर, हम खुद को फिर से याद दिलाते हैं कि भारतीय होने का क्या मतलब है।

जय हिंद प्रोजेक्ट के विनीत केकेएन पंछी द्वारा होस्ट किए गए संविधान पिटारा के इस विशेष संस्करण का शीर्षक "हिंदुस्तान की नई गीतमाला - आज़ादी स्पेशल" है - धुनों और आवाज़ों की एक प्लेलिस्ट जो आज़ादी की हमारी तड़प को गाती है। पुरानी और नई, जानी-पहचानी और अनोखी आवाज़ें - इंडियन ओशन से लेकर उस्ताद नुसरत फ़तेह अली ख़ान तक, लोक मस्ती से लेकर ए आर रहमान तक - जो उन गुणों से गूंजती हैं जो हमें सच्ची भारतीयता की याद दिलाती हैं: हमारे मतभेदों के लिए एक स्वस्थ सम्मान और एक-दूसरे से अलग विचारों के प्रति उदार सहिष्णुता। कुछ कलाकारों की विशेष स्वतंत्रता दिवस शुभकामनाओं के साथ, संगीत का यह उत्सवी चयन आपके दिल को भारत के लिए गर्व और प्यार से भर देगा।

रेडियो अज़ीम प्रेमजी विश्वविद्यालय की ओर से आप सभी को हर्षोल्लास एवं उत्साहपूर्ण स्वतंत्रता दिवस 2024 की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं!

—

Featured tracks:

Song: Des Mera | Album: Peepli [Live] Movie | Artist - Indian Ocean

Song: Kabir Ki Vani | Album: Single | Artist: Folk Masti (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/folkmasti?igsh=MW0wcnN2cWE5eDNpdQ==)

Song: Pataka Guddi | Singer: Sultana and Jyoti Nooran | Music: A.R Rahman | Movie: Highway

Song: Bol Ke Lab Azaad Hai Tere | Singers: Rashid Khan & Vidya Shah | Music: Sneha Khanwalkar | Movie: Manto

Song: Koi Bole Ram Ram | Singer: Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Song: Tanna Na | Artist: Nyasa | Album: Single (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nyasa_music?igsh=MXJ2aDBsYmtsaWF1Zw==)

Song: Mohabbat Zindabad (Feat. Karsh Kale) | Album: Side A || Side A/ Side B | Artist: Ankur Tewari & The Ghalat Family Feat. Karsh Kale (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghalatfamily?igsh=MWpsaDl0NXdkdWJ6OQ==; https://www.instagram.com/karshkale?igsh=MW8ybWc2Y2tmcHpuaQ==)

Song: Yeh Tara Woh Tara | Movie: Swades | Singer: Udit Narayan, Master Vignesh, Baby Pooja, Kids | Lyricist: Javed Akhtar | Music: A.R. Rahman

For more information and a playlist of songs, please visit our website: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/samvidhaani-pitaara-constitution-india/independence-day-playlist-harmony

The radio crackles to life. We rewind to April 2, 1952. A day that is set to go down in the history of India, and the history of the world, as a triumphant day for democracy. At the counting stations, ballot boxes have been emptied for every last vote to be counted. We wait with bated breath for the results of independent India's first-ever general election to be declared.

This is a significant moment for the world. The newly declared republic is at a crossroads, having just shaken off the yoke of colonialism before it was riven by Partition.

Over the past few months, this elaborate democratic exercise has played out step by step. A total of 175 million citizens, spread over a million square kilometres, have cast their votes to choose their leaders. The entire world has had its eyes on India.

A government of a nation of this size and population is not elected in a day. Voting began six months earlier on October 25, 1951. Voters from the tehsils of Chinni and Pangi in Himachal Pradesh were first to cast their ballots. The first Indian voter was Shri Shyam Saran Negi, a schoolteacher. In Travancore-Cochin, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Hyderabad and Punjab, polling commenced in December 1951. All the remaining states went to the polls during January 1952. Polling in the northern hilly areas of Uttar Pradesh took place in the second fortnight of February 1952. The entire process spanned 68 phases over 4 months.

Imagine the massive effort it took to set up hundreds of thousands of polling booths across the country! Independent India’s first-ever election witnessed a total of 1949 candidates contest the polls for 489 seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s bicameral parliament. The Legislative Assemblies of the states had a combined total of 3,283 seats.

The people of India have exercised their franchise to elect their first government. This is a watershed moment not just for India, but for democracy worldwide.

In Pehla Pehla Chunaav, our special episode of Samvidhaani Pitaara, hosts Seetal and Vineet KKN Panchhi take you on a time machine ride with a dramatised radio broadcast. Join us to recount the exciting events of the day that announces the winner of India’s first parliamentary election, and the party that will form India’s first democratically elected government.

Celebrate the legacy of democracy in India. May we have many, many more free and fair elections!

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harsh Gupta, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sameera Ahmed, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

Discover additional resources for reading and exploration on our website:

https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/radio-azim-premji-university

April 14 marks an important date for the Constitution of India, the document that is foundational to our democracy. It is the birthday of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, and one of the most vocal participants in the Constituent Assembly debates.

The Constituent Assembly of India, comprising indirectly elected representatives, was tasked with drafting the nation's constitution. Initially consisting of 389 members, it was reduced to 299 after the departure of many Muslim League members. Of these, 229 represented British Indian provinces, 70 came from Princely States, with 15 being women representatives, including one Dalit and one Muslim woman, and six representing backward tribes.

Convening on December 9, 1946, the Assembly dedicated two years and 11 months to its task, conducting 11 sessions over 166 days and generating approximately 36 lakh words of debate. Women collectively contributed 2% to the discussions. On November 26, 1949, the constitution was adopted and signed by 284 members. The final session on January 24, 1950, witnessed each member signing two meticulously hand-written copies of the Constitution, one in Hindi and the other in English, each page adorned by artists from Shantiniketan.

How much do you know about the people behind the Constitution of India?

Samvidhaan Ke Naam, this special episode of Samvidhaani Pitaara, is presented as a game show to test your knowledge, and have some fun, while you learn about the minds that influenced the letter and spirit of the Constitution.

Samvidhaan Ke Naam is presented by Vineet KKN Panchhi for Radio Azim Premji University.

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harshit Hillol Gogoi, Harsh Gupta, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sameera Ahmed, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

Audience voices:

Aashi Chheda, Anand Athialy, Gulsingh Badgujer, Hitika Gilhotra, Kinshuk Ghosh

For a full list of acknowledgements and resources, please visit our website: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/radio-azim-premji-university

Do you know why India celebrates Republic Day on January 26? It was on this day in 1950 that the Constitution of India came into effect, replacing the Government of India Act 1935. The Constituent Assembly chose January 26 as it was on this day in 1930 that the Indian National Congress raised a demand for Purna Swaraj — complete self-rule — through the Declaration of Indian Independence. This assertion by India’s freedom fighters emphatically rejected Britain’s offer of Dominion status to India.

The Constituent Assembly’s decisive enactment of the Constitution of India transformed the nature of the people of India — with this, we were no longer subjects of a British dominion; we were citizens of a sovereign, democratic, Republic of India.

Not only does the Constitution guarantee us many rights, it empowers us to demand these rights. In addition, it gives the citizens of India an important responsibility to shoulder — the duty of making India, that is Bharat, a better and stronger nation, and to enable fellow-citizens, irrespective of differences in religion, caste, class, or gender, to aspire to live in happiness, harmony, dignity, and contentment.

These noble ideas were born in noble thoughts, which were expressed in carefully considered and articulated words spoken by the members of the Constituent Assembly. They were debated, argued, pondered over, reconsidered, and finally accepted and inked in the draft of the Constitution.

From December 1946 to January 1950, the Constituent Assembly of India met over 114 days. The initial strength of the assembly had been 389, which was reduced to 299 after the departure of some members.

The second episode of this series, Dastaan-e-Samvidhaan — the story of the Constitution — remembers the landmark speeches made by prominent members of the Constituent Assembly, including Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, among others. In some instances, where original voice recordings were unavailable, we have taken the creative liberty to reimagine these speeches with the help of artificial intelligence tools while remaining scrupulously faithful to the documented content of the original speeches. These voice enactments are for the purposes of dramatisation only, and should not in any way be considered as replacements or substitutes for the original speeches.

Dastaan-e-Samvidhaan is presented by Vineet KKN Panchchi for Radio Azim Premji University.

Credits:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harsh Gupta, Harshit Hillol Gogoi, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sameera Ahmed, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

For a full list of acknowledgements and resources, please visit our website: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/radio-azim-premji-university

Back in the day when travel was a luxury unaffordable to many Indians, a boxy contraption that occupied pride of place in the drawing room offered a unique and enjoyable way to travel the length and breadth of India. When you tuned into the airwaves, you were taken for a joyride.

The rise of radio listening in India was coincident with seminal moments in our nation’s history. The sounds of India represent its diversity and pluralism. The music of Indianness finds resonance in the Constitution of India, a document foundational to our democracy, a tapestry tailored from disparate elements that make us Indian — our shared values, our history, and our diversity.

The sounds of India represent its diversity and pluralism. The music of Indianness finds resonance in the Constitution of India, a document foundational to our democracy, a tapestry tailored from disparate elements that make us Indian — our shared values, our history, and our diversity.

November 26 is Samvidhaan Diwas or Constitution Day. On this day in 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India, which came into effect on January 26, 1950. On this momentous occasion, Radio Azim Premji University hosts you on a musical journey with a difference. Carouse to handpicked tunes in Hindi, Urdu, Bangla, Kannada, Tamil, Khasi, Marathi, and more.

This is Hindustan Ki Nayi Geetmala presented by Vineet KKN Panchhi. This podcast episode is part of the series "Samvidhaani Pitaara."

Credits:

Akshat Krishna, Akshay Ramuhalli, Avishek Bose, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harsh Gupta, Maitreyi Shankar, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sameera Ahmed, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

View the full playlist on our website: