Tryst with destiny: The crafting of Nehru’s historic speech on the first eve of independence

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s inspirational historic speech on the eve of Independence is widely known as one of the great speeches of the 20^th century. It consisted of soaring rhetoric, a shrewd understanding of the power of language, and a sweeping sense that this was a message for all the ages.

The speech had both the honors of sacrifices of the freedom fight that led to this moment and lay out a vision for the future, a future that still had to be written as a country, a civilization that took re-birth. It had to belong to the present and the future.

• Jawaharlal Nehru Ji delivered his 'Tryst with destiny speech to the Constituent Assembly close to the midnight hour on 14 August 1947.
• Nehru’s private secretary MO Mathai would complain that the PM spent too much time “in dictating letters and drafting or dictating statements and speeches”
• Unlike the prime ministers who came after him, Nehru was generally disinclined towards the idea of his speeches being written by someone else.
• He was India's first prime minister who delivered the speech to the Constituent Assembly close to the midnight hour on 14 August 1947.

“Long years ago,” Nehru Ji said, “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 the new -- when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. At this solemn moment, we should take the pledge of dedication to the service of India, and her people, and to the still larger cause of humanity.”  

“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.”

In the spirit of Independence Day might still lie a gem that is of great value for the country’s future. While the struggles of freedom fighters are commemorated, the fruit of their work may be taken for granted by a generation that never knew imperialism. Perhaps after 75 years of independence, the individual consciousness of the majority of people is yet not liberated. It's really very important that we continue to cherish and practice the same ideals and values that our great martyrs held during their struggle to build an independent India. We are blessed enough to be born in an independent country and we must thank this to our ancestors who made so many sacrifices for having it. But, some Indians still see such glimpses of self-determination in children as being spoilt or neglected. But they can also be seen as the precious first seeds of true freedom in later life. But the question is that free-spiritedness lies there in Indian youths too?

We meet fabulous young guns in our daily work. But many 20-somethings that we encounter in the workplace wait for directions and operate on orders from others instead of taking individual responsibility and ownership. Some are even truly fatalists.

Who could forget the spirited march for freedom led by great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Rani Lakshmi Bai, Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose? Most importantly, it was not just an independence march won through wars, but through the hard work and determination put by millions of Indians, no matter how small or big their individual contribution was.

We all belong to different places, religions, customs, and beliefs, but one thing that unites us is our independence. We should honor it and never forget how hard it was to get it.

Despite all the well-known problems, we believe India is the New Land of Opportunity. Especially for youths like us, who have the major responsibility to shape their lives as well as the country’s wisdom amid almost unprecedented political freedom. Despite so many years of independence, we still have many issues to look into and get solved. So, Let’s promise ourselves to make this Independence Day more meaningful by working towards the issues and shortcomings that we have been facing in our lives or career."This Independence Day let's take a pledge to protect the peace and unity of our great nation and Never forget the sacrifice of our freedom fighters who formed this country. Jai Hind! Happy Independence Day!