Contested Nation
Contested Nation
On the occasion of the 75th year of Independence, Suno India and The Equals Project are proud to release Contested Nation, a podcast on the raging Constituent Assembly debates and the Constitution. Contested Nation explores both, the questions of identity that were being discussed in the Assembly, and the Union that was being forged outside its hallowed halls. Each episode will explore one issue …Social links:
Manipur
On 26 July 1947, the kingdom of Manipur passed the Manipur Constitution Act. The Constitution was drafted over a 2 month period by a 15 member Constitution Making Committee. However, about two years later this Constitution was abrogated, and Manipur joined the Indian Union. On this episode, we …
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The Aundh Experiment
In the princely state of Aundh in Maharashtra, 1938 was a rather extraordinary year. The ruler of Aundh, Raja Bhawanrao, stepped down and turned to Mahatma Gandhi to help implement a Swaraj Constitution in the state. Self-governance and community service were guiding principles of this experiment.…
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Citizenship 2: Assam and the Electoral Roll
In our first episode on citizenship, we focused on the definition of citizenship being discussed within the Assembly. While the Constituent Assembly was still drafting the clauses on citizenship, it tasked BN Rau, the constitutional advisor and the Constituent Assembly Secretariat, a non-political,…
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Citizenship 1: Partition and Belonging
In April, 1947, the Constituent Assembly of India was discussing the provisions for citizenship and the debates were largely on administrative points. This was all set to change post the partition. In the wake of the mass migration that followed and the unique situations it created, the bitterness …
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The Other Assembly
The Partition of the sub-continent saw the birth of two different countries, two Constituent Assemblies and two populations with their own set of aspirations. In episode 3 of Contested Nation, we talk about the ‘other’ Assembly, Pakistan’s Constituent Assembly. Pakistan, unlike India, had three dif…
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Love and Desire
In 2017, when Hadiya married Shafin Jahan, after having converted from Hinduism to Islam, the Kerala High Court vehemently challenged the legitimacy of the marriage. They retorted that it had occurred without her parent’s permission and ran against prevailing social norms. How does the state conti…
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Revolution
In the winter of 2019, across India there were shouts of revolution and freedom, of the Constitution and secularism, of the freedom of speech and the right to protest non-violently. Not too long after, there were severe restrictions imposed by the government - preventing gatherings and protests, ja…
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Contested Nation Trailer
Did you know that some members of the Assembly wanted to include a Fundamental Right to choose your partner? That the city-state of Aundh was the first Constitutional republic in India? Why was a report on the accession of Hyderabad not released until 2013? What really went into creating the Consti…
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