Shabana voices Preamble to Constitution in animated short

Mumbai, Aug 15 (IANS) On India's Independence, filmmaker Kireet Khurana has animated the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, which is voiced by Shabana Azmi, who infuses great emotion in the Preamble that begins with this powerful sentence: "We, The People Of India.." and goes on to affirm values of Justice, Liberty, Equality, Unity and Integrity.

Shabana Azmi: "The Preamble will always remain significant as a promise that we made to ourselves and our country. It is a reminder of India envisaged by the architects of the Constitution after much deliberation and taking into account the diversity of our people."

"But as Javed Akhtar once said, 'Meelon hum aa gaye.. meelon humein jaana hai" (We have come this far but there are still miles to go)'."

Khurana's understanding of India and its people is deep and vast and his acclaimed documentary, 'The Invisible Visible' about the 70 million homeless people in India, recently won the Best Documentary Feature Award at the Swedish Film Festival.

Says Kireet: "The Preamble is perhaps the most poetic document of any Constitution. In 1947, India was deeply mired in poverty, casteism, classism, bigotry, and ignorance."

"For the founding fathers to envision an aspirational document that stood for justice, equality, and fraternity irrespective of caste, creed, religion, or status, shows great foresight and idealism that India has to live up to."

"There are many people who aren't aware of their Constitutional rights and maybe seeing the Preamble in a visual form will help them look beyond media debates and to remember what it means to be Indian."

This is a full circle moment for Kireet whose father, Bhimsen Khurana, best known as the pioneer of Indian animation, made a short called 'Ek Anek Aur Ekta' in 1974. Its message "Hind Desh Ke Niwasi Sabhi Jan Ek Hain," also mirrored the values enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution.

Kireet says: "The Preamble serves as a beacon for all of us and reminds us to stay united, strong, and respect the cultural and linguistic diversity of our country."

"With the recent upsurge of divisiveness in our society, it is imperative that we discuss issues in a civilised manner and solve our differences through democratic and constitutional means."

Kireet says: "In 1947, we had virtually nothing, and we must appreciate the remarkable strides we have made and celebrate the glorious 75 years that have put India among the top 10 nations of the world."

"We have a long way to go, but the foundation laid by our founders is solid and hopefully will keep on reminding us of the power of unity in diversity."