Contested Nation

Suno India

On the occasion of the 75th year of Independence, Suno India and The Equals Project are proud to release Contested Nation, a podcast on the raging Constituent Assembly debates and the Constitution. Contested Nation explores both, the questions of identity that were being discussed in the Assembly, and the Union that was being forged outside its hallowed halls. Each episode will explore one issue that was crucial to the Constitution and the creation of India, and discuss its continued importance today.

Join us as we explore India’s founding moment!

Jan 26, 2023

Manipur

On 26 July 1947, the kingdom of Manipur passed the Manipur Constitution Act. The Constitution was drafted over a 2 month period by a 15 member Constitution Making Committee. However, about two years later this...

63 mins

Jan 17, 2023

The Aundh Experiment

In the princely state of Aundh in Maharashtra, 1938 was a rather extraordinary year. The ruler of Aundh, Raja Bhawanrao, stepped down and turned to Mahatma Gandhi to help implement a Swaraj Constitution in the...

69 mins

Nov 30, 2022

Citizenship 2: Assam and the Electoral Roll

In our first episode on citizenship, we focused on the definition of citizenship being discussed within the Assembly. While the Constituent Assembly was still drafting the clauses on citizenship, it tasked BN R...

61 mins

Oct 28, 2022

Citizenship 1: Partition and Belonging

In April, 1947, the Constituent Assembly of India was discussing the provisions for citizenship and the debates were largely on administrative points. This was all set to change post the partition. In the wake...

58 mins

Sep 29, 2022

The Other Assembly

The Partition of the sub-continent saw the birth of two different countries, two Constituent Assemblies and two populations with their own set of aspirations. In episode 3 of Contested Nation, we talk about the...

63 mins

Sep 07, 2022

Love and Desire

In 2017, when Hadiya married Shafin Jahan, after having converted from Hinduism to Islam, the Kerala High Court vehemently challenged the legitimacy of the marriage. They retorted that it had occurred without h...

37 mins

Aug 24, 2022

Revolution

In the winter of 2019, across India there were shouts of revolution and freedom, of the Constitution and secularism, of the freedom of speech and the right to protest non-violently. Not too long after, there we...

46 mins

Aug 14, 2022

Contested Nation Trailer

Did you know that some members of the Assembly wanted to include a Fundamental Right to choose your partner? That the city-state of Aundh was the first Constitutional republic in India? Why was a report on the...

2 mins