A podcast explores why Constituent Assembly debates remain relevant

It's common these days to drop behind-the-scenes footage of how a project – a film, a song – came to be, showing people the process of making it, the effort involved, the struggles and the issues. This unique podcast explores the debates that the Constituent Assembly engaged in, the differing opinions, and the values they passionately discussed. The six episodes have dived into diverse topics, from how the freedom of speech and expression baked into the fundamental rights connects with the restrictions imposed by the government that prevent gatherings and protests, to discussing how the Constituent Assembly dealt with the question of citizenship and belonging against the backdrop of citizenship debates that have taken a bitter turn today. At a time when TV news debates evoke a feeling of chaos and constant attention-seeking, the Assembly debates come as a refresher on how to disagree fiercely but respectfully and “how to work with people with conflicting views to find a common cause and build a common mission.” As Vishwanthan says, “The assembly members strongly disagreed but also left us a strong model of how to negotiate when we have conflicting opinions.” With audio clips from the Assembly debates and Samvidhaan—a series commissioned by Rajya Sabha TV— the podcast, for a second, makes you feel like you have a front-row seat to the many discussions the makers of the Constitution engaged in. “It was interesting to explore what the political and social forces were that made these two countries have very different constitutional journeys, and how these journeys are still evolving.” The six episodes focus on the Constituent Assembly debates to bring in varied discussions such as women's choice and marital desire, individual choice, how different communities dealt with the question of belonging after the partition, and the implementation of a Swaraj Constitution in Aundh.