The Working of the Indian Constitution

The first and last sentences of the Preamble—‘We, the people of India…. [...] If one date must be chosen to mark the end of the colonial era and the beginning of the post-colonial era, it will necessarily be 15 August 1947. [...] Early in 1992, the Board of Trustees of the India International Centre decided that the Centre should, as a public service, take up a project to study in-depth the working of the Indian Constitution over the previous four decades and the changes that may be deemed necessary in light of the experience gained. [...] In view of the changing circumstances, we needed the intellectual honesty to question some of the cherished beliefs and pet theses with which we were brought up, and face boldly the challenges ahead. [...] We are sure that this issue will be of real significance, not only for Members of the IIC, but also for the general public interested in our democracy and the working of our unique Constitution, the Drafting Committee of which, let us recall, was headed by Dr.