Republic Day 2026 Special: Six Must-Read Books to Better Understand India’s Constitution

As India gets ready to celebrate Republic Day on January 26, 2026, the occasion offers a timely moment to reflect on the Constitution—the document that shapes the country’s democracy, rights, and responsibilities. Drafted between 1946 and 1949 by the Constituent Assembly, adopted on November 26, 1949, and enforced from January 26, 1950, the Constitution remains the backbone of India’s political and social life.

To encourage deeper engagement with constitutional values beyond its legal text, senior IAS officer Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta has recommended six books that explore the Constitution through history, politics, economics, culture, and lived experience. Currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner of Karnataka, Dasgupta shared these recommendations in an article for The Hindu’s Books section, highlighting works that question power, justice, participation, and equality.

One of the standout recommendations is Partha Chatterjee’s For a Just Republic: The People of India and the State (Permanent Black/Orient Blackswan, 2025). The book examines how the Indian state interacts with its people, arguing that institutions often end up managing populations rather than empowering citizens. Chatterjee highlights the gap between constitutional ideals and everyday realities, echoing B.R. Ambedkar’s caution that power and knowledge do not always go hand in hand.

Economic inequality and social justice are at the heart of Prabhat Patnaik’s Socialism and the Indian Constitution (Speaking Tiger, 2025). Patnaik connects constitutional principles with real-world economic conditions, drawing on Supreme Court interpretations that see “socialist” in the Preamble as a promise of welfare and equal opportunity. His work broadens the constitutional debate to include redistribution and social policy.

The question of caste and constitutional morality is explored in Anand Teltumbde’s Dalits and the Indian Constitution (Speaking Tiger, 2025). Teltumbde critically assesses whether the Constitution has fulfilled its promise of emancipation for Dalits. Drawing on Ambedkar’s idea of constitutional morality, he argues that true constitutionalism requires more than laws—it demands collective moral commitment.

In T.M. Krishna’s We, the People of India: Decoding a Nation’s Symbols (Westland Books, 2026), the Constitution is viewed as a cultural and ethical guide. Krishna urges citizens to live constitutional values in everyday life, stressing that democracy survives only when people actively uphold the spirit of “We, the people.”

Power, authority, and interpretation take centre stage in Gautam Bhatia’s The Indian Constitution: A Conversation with Power (HarperCollins, 2025). The book traces how power is distributed and challenged within India’s constitutional framework, acknowledging moments of centralisation while also highlighting resistance, dissent, and public participation.

Finally, Rohit De and Ornit Shani’s Assembling India’s Constitution (Penguin, 2025) revisits the making of the Constitution as a deeply participatory exercise. Through letters written by ordinary citizens and marginalised groups to the Constituent Assembly, the book shows how public voices shaped debates on issues such as untouchability and democratic accountability even before Independence.

Together, these books offer more than historical insight—they invite readers to reflect on the values, struggles, and responsibilities that continue to define India’s constitutional journey. As Republic Day 2026 approaches, they provide a meaningful way to reconnect with the ideals that underpin the world’s largest democracy.

News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.