Sir, the House is fully aware of the steps that were taken by you with regard to having a Hindi translation of the Constitution. In 1947 a Committee was appointed, with my honourable Friend, Shri Ghanshyam Singh Gupta as Chairman. That Committee produced a Hindi draft. Later, at the request of the Steering Committee, Sir, you were pleased to appoint an Expert Committee on the 15th March 1949 for the purpose of revising that Constitution. The members of that Committee, as is known to the House, were distinguished scholars associated with literary activities in different provinces in India. The members of the Committee were Shri Ghanshyam Singhji (Chairman), Mr. Rahul Sankrityayana, ex-President of the Hindi Sammelan, Mr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, one of the greatest experts on Indo–Aryan languages in India, Sri M. Satyanarayana, a gentleman who more than any other single person has done the utmost to spread the Hindi language in the South, Mr. Jayachandra Vidyalankar and Mr. Date, a well–known authority in Marathi. This Committee has revised the other translation; it is in the press and a considerable section of the House expected that the translation would have been completed in time to be placed before this House. But several difficulties are in the way. The time is not sufficient; it would also involve the Constituent Assembly meeting even after the November Session if that version is to come before this House; and the costs also will be disproportionate. In view of these factors, it is much better that the translation, after it has been revised either by you, Sir, or as it is produced by this Expert Committee, or revised by any other agency that you might think proper, may be published under your authority. It is absolutely necessary that on the 26th of January we should have a translation in Hindi published under your authority, the reason being that no sooner this Constitution is passed on the 26th of January, all the Indian languages will require some basic glossary and some basic translation for the purpose of adopting it in the different languages. At present what happens is, that in every province newspapers are translating the words in the Constitution in any way they like. Some translations are extraordinarily funny and some are accurate, but it is necessary that the whole of our constitutional terminology should be published in some kind on authorized form, so that the translations in our languages may become easy. Once this constitutional phraseology becomes current, once there is one translation published in Hindi, it will be very easy to have a common terminology throughout the country. Not only that, but if there are going to be any further authorized versions, it will provide a basis for that purpose. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that we should have this translation.
