constituent assembly of india debates (proceedings)- volume vii

language." I think those of my South Indian friends who do not know Hindi to such an extent may rely
on the better sense of their colleagues. Here, in this House, there are friends who do not know English
and yet they rely upon your good sense and they do not raise the objection that they do not know the
English language and therefore this Constitution is not good. Similarly, they may try to accommodate us
in this matter.
Mr. President : I think it will cut short discussion on this point if I explain what I propose to do in
regard to this matter. There is a motion of which notice has been given that a Committee should be
appointed for the purpose of preparing a translation and that translation should be passed Article by
Article by this House, and that should be treated as the original. There is something to that effect of
which notice has been given. What I propose to do is this. Members are aware that we have got
translations prepared: there is a translation in Hindi; there is a translation in Urdu; there is a translation
in Hindustani; all these three translations of the Draft Constitution are ready and I believe members
have received copies of these translations. As soon as the question is decided as to what will be our
language, we shall set up a Committee which will take up that particular translation which is ready and
see to it that it conforms literally to the original in English. Whatever our sentiments may dictate, we
have to recognise the fact that most of those who have been concerned with the drafting of the
constitution can express themselves better in English than they can in Hindi; it is not only a question of
expressing in English or Hindi, but the ideas have also been taken from Constitutions of the West. So the
expressions which have been used have, many of them, histories of their own and we have taken them
bodily from the phraseology of Constitutions of the West in many places. Therefore it could not be helped
because of the limitation of those who were charged with drafting that the draft had to be prepared in
English. I do not think we have lost anything by that but when once a particular article is finally adopted
in this House in the English language, we shall see to it that as correct and perfect a translation is
produced as possible and in the language which will be accepted by the Constituent Assembly as the
language for our national purposes. So I would ask the Members not to anticipate the discussion which
we shall have on the question of language. That will come a little later but I promise this that as soon as
that question is settled, we shall have the translation revised or prepared in that particular language
which is accepted and we shall put the translated Constitution also before the House for acceptance.
Seth Govind Das : *[Mr. President, you had made a specific commitment that when the constitution
would be placed before us, its original would be in our national language. I had also put a question to
you at that time and in your reply also you did say that the original draft of the constitution to be placed
before us would be in our language. But the draft Constitution placed before us by Dr. Ambedkar is in
English. As the constitution now placed before us is in English I would like to know when the constitution
originally drafted in our national language and about which you have given us an assurance will be
brought before us]*.
The Honourable Shri Ghanshyam Singh Gupta (C. P. & Berar: General): *[Mr. President, I would
like to inquire whether after the adoption of the article relating to the national language, each clause
would be taken up in the National Language for adoption just in the same manner as the clauses in the
English Draft are taken up for final adoption after these have been duly amended.]*
Mr. President: *[Every article will be taken up.]*
Pandit Balkrishna Sharma : Sir, I only want to make this suggestion that before taking up the
Constitution clause by clause will it not be better if you very graciously permit us to take up the question
of national language and have a decision about it. Because if we first take up the question of the national
language and decide it, then once for all the hatchet is buried (Cheers). You can have the discussions of
10 or 15 clauses in English. The Committee will begetting the translations ready the next day and the
whole translation of that part will be before the House which will be called upon to take it into
consideration and then it shall be deemed to have been passed by the House. There fore I suggest you