The Constitution of India is often understood as a legal text — a framework that defines the State and its institutions. Yet, beyond courts and classrooms, it is also a cultural document that lives in people’s everyday life through their languages, practices, and imaginations. Across India, individuals and communities interpret constitutional ideas through songs, theatre, art, and storytelling thus making the Constitution not just a book of governance, but a living expression of shared values.

Between July and September 2025, Research Fellows at Vidhi travelled across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, and Bihar, documenting how individuals and communities bring constitutional ideas to life. This initiative captures voices from over 300 organisations and storytellers who embody the Constitution through culture, creativity, and action.

Join us for Living the Constitution, an evening that celebrates this journey. The event will feature the launch of six multilingual catalogues, a conversation with writers, artists, and scholars, a performance by the Sahachaari Dance Group, and an exhibition showcasing how the Constitution lives in art, performance, and everyday imagination.

About the Event

The evening will blend conversation, art, and performance to reflect the spirit of the Constitution as a living idea.

• Welcome Address and Launch of the Library Catalogues
  
• Panel Discussion: Panel Discussion with Abdul Rehman Pasha (Kannada writer), Anjchita Nair (Curator of JGU Constitution Museum), Professor Maidul Islam (Centre for Studies in Social Sciences), Alok Prasanna Kumar (Co-founder, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy).
  
  The conversation will be moderated by Mayuri Gupta, Milon K Banerji Senior Resident Fellow, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.
  
• A Performance by Sahachaari Dance Group: The evening transitions from dialogue to expression with a performance by the Sahachaari Dance Group. Through movement, rhythm, and gesture, the performance interprets constitutional ideas such as freedom, fraternity, equality, and dignity, translating abstract principles into lived emotion. The choreography draws from classical and contemporary forms. It becomes a visual metaphor for the multilingual, multi-voiced spirit of the Constitution, a Constitution that moves with its people.

• Exhibition of Constitutional Expression: Throughout the event, an exhibition will run in parallel, showcasing artworks, literature, and visual materials collected through the project. Each piece tells a story of how ordinary people give form and colour to constitutional values. The exhibition is designed as an immersive experience, where visitors can read, listen, and watch how India’s multilingual Constitution lives beyond the written page.