Prem Behari Narain Raizada (1901–1966) was an Indian

calligrapher Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

. He is notable for being the calligrapher who hand-wrote the

Constitution of India The Constitution of India (IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ri ...

Biography

Raizada was born in December 1901 to a family of calligraphers. His mother and father both died when he was young and so Raizada was raised by his grandfather - himself a scholar of English and Persian - who would teach Raizada the art of Indian calligraphy. Raizada would go on to study at St. Stephen's College in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, where he continued to refine his calligraphic skills. When the Indian Constitution was being drafted by the

Constituent Assembly of India The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as ...

in the late 1940s, Raizada was asked by

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

to write out the first copy of the seminal document. Asked what he would charge for hand-writing the constitution, Raizada replied,

“Not a single penny. By the grace of God I have all the things, and am quite happy with my life,” “But I have one reservation—that on every page of Constitution I will write my name and on the last page I will write my name along with my grandfather’s name.”

Prem Behari Narain Raizada was the calligrapher of the Indian Constitution. The original constitution was written by him in a flowing italic style. The Calligraphy of the Hindi version of the Original Constitution was done by Vasant Krishan Vaidya. Working in a room in Constitution Hall (now known as the Constitution Club of India), he rendered the document - consisting of 395 articles, 8 schedules, and a preamble - over the course of six months. He incorporated his flowing style of calligraphy into the document, using hundreds of

pen nibs A nib is the part of a quill, dip pen, fountain pen, ball point or stylus which comes into contact with the writing surface in order to deposit ink. Different types of nibs vary in their purpose, shape and size, as well as the material from whic ...

in the course of his writing. The stipulation that he and his grandfather's names be added to the document was honored, and both names can be seen in the document. When it was completed, the manuscript was 251 pages and weighed 3.75 kg (8.26 lbs). The manuscript was completed on 26 November 1949, and was signed on 26 January 1950.

References

{{Authority control 1901 births Indian calligraphers Year of death missing