The journey that led to India's independence was not an easy one, and in the 75 years that it has been a democracy, it has faced many challenges. From the enduring scars of the partition to its quest for a permanent place on the UN Security Council, India has come a long way.
In order to quickly revisit the journey of these long 75 years, let’s revisit the famous five speeches made by the Prime Ministers of India:
First PM Jawahar Lal Nehru’s Speech ‘Tryst With Destiny’:
“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance…”
Background: Considered one of the best speeches of the 20th century, delivered by the first Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru to the Indian Constituent Assembly in the Parliament, on the eve of India's Independence, towards midnight on 14 August 1947. The speech spoke on the aspects that transcended Indian history.
Lal Bahadur Shastri’s Speech 1965
Delivered in Hindi, “It’s been 18 years of our Independence and this is the first time Pt Nehru is not with us, since India’s independence Pt Nehru has been delivering Independence day speeches. I believe, he would be proud of us, wherever he is. India is battling with several wars but we shall fight with it with unity….”
Background: Lal Bahadur Shashtri took over as India’s second Prime Minister after Pt Nehru’s demise in the year 1964. India was suffering from multiple problems, the aftermath of the Sino-Indian war, food insecurity, etc. The speech delivered by the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri is considered to be one of the most important because he emerged as a motivator to people, and showed the path to overcome all the hurdles.
Indira Gandhi’s Speech 1976
Delivered in Hindi, “People of India, brothers, sisters, and my beloved children, whenever I hoist this tricolour it remembers me of the first time Pt Nehru hoisted this flag, it remembers me of all the struggles, suffering, and pain this country has faced, and how far we have come. In the past few years, we witnessed overcome some challenges and made some mistakes…..”
Background: “The President has proclaimed Emergency. There is nothing to panic about.”In the early hours of June 26, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's speech could be heard on All India Radio. Both Gandhi's Cabinet ministers and the nation as a whole were unaware of this information when it was delivered to them just hours before the PM went to the AIR studio. President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed had signed the declaration of emergency just the night before. Soon after, a power outage prevented anything from being printed for the following two days, leaving newspaper presses in Delhi in the dark. On the other hand, hundreds of political figures, activists, and unionists who opposed the Congress Party were locked up in the early hours of June 26.
Rajiv Gandhi’s Speech 1985
Delivered in Hindi, “People of India, today India is celebrating its 38th Independence Day, I would like to congratulate every citizen of the country. Its been 38 years since Pt Nehru Ji for the first time hoisted the flag for Independent India, today, it should have been Indira Ji who should have hoisted this flag but we lost her, now, you have given this responsibility to me. I may have not seen India’s struggle for independence, and today, 2/3rd of the population has not seen it, a new generation is coming forward…..”
Background: The speech delivered by the then newly elected Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, reminds us of the assassination of Indira Gandhi. On October 31, 1984, two of Indira's personal bodyguards shot and killed her on the grounds of the PM home. Rajiv and other senior Congress officials were touring West Bengal on the day of her murder in an effort to restructure the fractious party structure. In his memoir, The Turbulent Years: 1980–1996, Pranab Mukherjee, the senior-most member of the Congress, who was with Rajiv when she was slain, describes what transpired when they learned of her murder.
Narendra Modi’s Speech 2014
Delivered in Hindi, “My dear countrymen, Today, all Indians in the country and also abroad are celebrating the festival of independence. On this day of the sacred festival of independence, the prime servant of India extends greetings to all dear countrymen. I am present amidst you not as the Prime Minister, but as the Prime Servant…”
Background: After two consecutive terms of the United Progressive Alliance's government under Dr Manmohan Singh, which saw more than a half-dozen corruption scandals emerge from hidden corners, the Lok Sabha election of 2014 began in India. Manmohan Singh is widely considered as being clear of any impropriety, but his reputation for remaining mute in the face of these scandals—and perhaps his helplessness to have stopped them—put Congress, which had been in power for ten years, on the defensive.