In a significant development for Telugu-speaking citizens, the Constitution of India — previously accessible mainly in Hindi and English — has now been made available in Telugu. Marking National Constitution Day on November 26, President Droupadi Murmu digitally released the Constitution in nine Indian languages. Along with Telugu, translations have been introduced in Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Bodo, Kashmiri, Odia, Assamese and Malayalam. The President stated that the day honours the architects of the Indian Constitution.
India holds the distinction of having the largest written Constitution in the world, comprising 26 parts, 12 schedules and 448 articles. The English manuscript contains around 1,17,369 words. The original Hindi and English copies were handwritten and are preserved in special helium-filled cases at the Parliament Library. Calligrapher Prem Behari Narain, who spent six months and used 254 nibs to write the document in an italic style, refused monetary compensation, only requesting that his name appear on each page.
The Constitution formally came into effect on January 26, 1950, when India became a Republic, a moment witnessed by the signatures of 283 members of the Constituent Assembly. Rainfall during the signing ceremony was considered a good omen at the time. On the same day, Dr. Babu Rajendra Prasad was sworn in as the first President of India and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar became the first Law Minister. Indonesia’s President Sukarno attended the inaugural Republic Day as chief guest, while the first Republic Day parade was held on January 26, 1955.
President #DroupadiMurmu releases translated versions of the #Constitution of India in 9 languages, including Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Bodo, Kashmiri, Telugu, Odia and Assamese.#SamvidhanDivas #ConstitutionDay #NationalConstitutionDay #SamvidhanSeSamriddhi… pic.twitter.com/BJbO1nWeTN
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) November 26, 2025