What defines a nation? Is it the flag, the anthem, the emblem, or the Constitution that binds us together? Join us for a special weekend celebrating the Constitution through music, history, archival recordings and the stories behind our national symbols.
Using T.M. Krishna’s book We, The People of India, Vinay Kumar from #ReclaimConstitution will explore how these symbols acquired their meanings, how those meanings have been contested, and what they reveal about our identity and sense of belonging. Join us on a journey to look beyond the familiar and discover why these symbols deserve a closer reading.
This will be followed by an interactive Q&A with the audience.
There will also be a curated book shelf along with a replica of the hand calligraphed first edition of the Constitution on display at the bookstore with an opportunity to go home with a hand printed Preamble as well.
Here are the details:
Date: 28 November 2026, Saturday
Time: 6:00 PM
Venue: Champaca Bookstore, Vasanthnagar
About the book:
India’s independence came at the cost of millions of lives and deep psychological scars. As attempts were made to urgently stitch together the states and princely provinces that would eventually comprise the Republic of India, members of the Constituent Assembly and the newly formed government also debated the symbols—the national flag, anthem, emblem, motto and Preamble—that could represent the free people of the new nation and reinforce in them a sense of their own identity as citizens.
Not all of the processes and communications around this passage from idea to symbol were clearly documented. It is this lack of ready historical material that set musician and cultural commentator T.M. Krishna on a journey of discovery that shaped itself into this extraordinary book. Through meticulous research and persistent questioning, he found ways to explore the historical, cultural and philosophical contexts of each symbol, revealing how they evolved to become powerful metaphors for a nation’s aspirations, struggles and dreams for the future.
In tracing the origin and evolution of the tricolour with the chakra in the centre, the discussions about the significance of the lions on the Ashokan pillar capitals and the proclamations to be included in the Preamble to the Constitution of India, the debates around the adoption of the motto ‘Satyameva Jayate’ and Tagore’s Jana Gana Mana, leading up to the present controversy around Vande Mataram, Krishna invites readers to reconsider the significance of each of these symbols in contemporary India.
Written with a deep sincerity and analytical clarity, We, the People of India is an eloquent meditation on constitutionalism, freedom and the importance of effective representation in a complex, vibrant democracy. It is also, ultimately, a citizenly response to a nation in crisis.
About the moderator:
Vinay Kumar is an aerospace engineer and the founder of #ReclaimConstitution, a national initiative working to build a constitutional culture among young people. Through innovative workshops, public programmes and the #ReclaimConstitution Quiz, he brings the Constitution out of textbooks, into everyday conversations. Vinay combines his background in research with a deep interest in education to enhance public understanding of the Constitution.