This postcard features the 15 women who were part of the Constituent Assembly, the body that drafted the Constitution of India between 1946 and 1950.
Their names: Ammu Swaminathan, Dakshayani Velayudhan, Sarojini Naidu, Begum Aizaz Rasul, Kamla Chaudhry, Leela Roy, Sucheta Kriplani, Malati Choudhury, Renuka Ray, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Durgabai Deshmukh, Hansa Jivraj Mehta, Annie Mascarene, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, and Purnima Banerjee.
These women were lawyers, reformists, and freedom fighters. Most of them considered themselves feminists. They are now collectively known as the Founding Mothers of the Indian Constitution.
Dimensions: 17.5 x 12.5 cm
About the Artist:
Malvika Raj is a self-taught artist and visual storyteller working predominantly with Madhubhani art, a form associated with her home state of Bihar. While traditional iterations of Madhubhani artwork are steeped in Hindu cosmology and mythological world-building, Malvika has radically re-interpreted the form by drawing it away from the mythical to the material. Her work stands firmly rooted in the experiential realities of Dalits and their lifeworlds.
Over the past 15 years, Malvika’s practice has engaged with people’s movements for women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, communal harmony, and ending caste oppression.
Her works have been featured in various exhibitions worldwide. You can find more at @malvikarajart on Instagram.
More postcards by Malvika Raj:
"Untitled"
"Educate, Agitate, Organise"
Bookmarks by Malvika Raj:
Set A - Mahatma Phule, Babasaheb, & Kanshi Ram
Set B - Dharti Abha Birsa Munda, Rohith Vemula, & Thanthai Periyar
Set C - Phoolan Devi, Ramai, & Mukta Salve
Set D - Savitribai, Nangeli, & Jhalkaribai
Set E - The Three Buddhas