Notes that tug at the heart of the Republic

The practice of writing and performing songs and poems about the Constitution came into prominence during 1950s

- Dhrubo Jyoti

Night comes early here. The yellow haze of a solitary grubby streetlight struggles to dispel the darkness. It is only 10 pm but the alleys are fast emptying as a chill descends on the chawl. The only sign of life next to a clump of hutments is where six men are tuning their instruments, the centrepiece being an old harmonium held together by a patchwork of black tape. A makeshift shamiana above their heads and a lime-green carpet stretched out in front of them, the men huddle together for warmth as they ready their repertoire. A slow trickle of people is gathering in front of the troupe shorn of even basic glamour - all pushing middle age, all impoverished, all raring to go.

Such scenes are not uncommon across India's hinterland, where folk artists often put up all-night shows or jalsa. But Gautam Awad's troupe is different. Their performance will not contain devotional songs or sagas of divine miracle. Instead, over the next few hours, Awad and his musicians will be singing about India's founding document, using Marathi poems and folk songs to underline how the Constitution has transformed the lives of India's marginalised castes. "In India, a wastepicker can become the ruler - that's the miracle of the Constitution. This is our first song," said Awad, whose troupe is hired by grassroots communities to mark occasions as varied as Republic Day, weddings or funerals.

It's not economically rewarding work; when Awad began singing about the Constitution in 1968, a night's performance would fetch ₹60. Today, it can range anywhere between ₹2,000 and ₹4,000. Yet, the expanse of Maharashtra is dotted with lok shahir or folk artists who travel from village to village, singing about the Constitution. The grain of their harmoniums have forged a robust grassroots link between the Constitution and the legions of ordinary people whose lives it governs.