The Fifteen: The Lives and Times of the Women in India’s Constituent Assembly

Angellica Aribam

Akash Satyawali

'We are here laying down principles [of democracy] for days to come, for generations, for the nation'

In 1946, the Indian Constituent Assembly was tasked with formulating the document that would soon govern the largest democracy in the world. Among its 299 members, were 15 women.

These women were vastly different from each other – from members of royal families and the political elite to those from marginalized Dalit and Latin Christian communities; staunch Gandhians to revolutionaries; grassroots social workers to leaders of the global social order.

In this keenly researched book, Angellica Aribam and Akash Satyawali chronicle the lives of these trailblazing women – recounting the influences that shaped them, the norms they defied, and the convictions they stood for. Guided by their own life experiences, these women contributed to debates on the idea of India that resonate even today – from drafting progressive personal laws to the need for a uniform civil code, from the rights of detainees to their varied and evolving opinions on reservations.

Bringing alive the history of the Indian Constitution in rich detail, The Fifteen pays tribute to the undeniable contribution of women to the Indian republic, while reminding us we must understand the past to better shape the future.