Tryst with Destiny: Analysis

Tryst with Destiny was a speech made by Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), the first Prime Minister of independent India. The speech was made to the Indian Constituent Assembly, on the eve of India's Independence, towards midnight on 14 August 1947.

It focuses on the aspects that transcend India's history. It is considered to be one of the greatest speeches of all time and to be a landmark oration that captures the essence of the triumphant culmination of the hundred-year non-violent Indian freedom struggle against the British Empire in India. The phrase "rendezvous with destiny" was used by Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1936 Democratic National Convention speech, inspiring the similar phrase "tryst with destiny" by Jawaharlal Nehru.

Satyagraha was a major root for success of the seemingly never-ending struggle for freedom in India and this is deeply acknowledged in Nehru’s speech. The reference made to the concept and its pioneer, coupled with particularly effective pathetic appeal would only cause fierce patriotism and love in the heart of any Indian who listened to it because of the fervour with which they respected and idolised the Father of the Nation and his ideas. 

Nehru’s speech is very devotional to his country and its people; every sentence and every remark might have caused the audience to feel pride and all the tyrannical British leaders to feel ashamed at their deeds. Pandit Nehru in his speech, at one point, expresses, “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.” The Indian man, who had been facing the same immense wretchedness and woe that his ancestors had been facing for almost 300 years, would find himself very proud that he was one of those many people who brought about peace and sovereignty to his nation.

Nehru was very sensible in his approach towards the matter of independence in his speech and at no point did he make any reference to the freedom movement as being an intense struggle due to the injustice meted out by the British; the words he used had positive connotations and did not accuse anyone. In his speech, he pointed out, “This is no time for petty and destructive criticism, no time for ill-will or blaming others” and also proudly declared, “[...] India stands forth again, after long slumber and struggle, awake, vital, free and independent”. These lines would make the Indians, despite having faced the wrath of the British Empire and paramount injustice, feel like they should learn to forgive as this was nobler thing to do, and because it supported the idea of satyagraha; this feeling would cause them to lift their heads in pride and know that they are on the correct path. Meanwhile, the same lines would make a person who along with his people was the perpetrator of vindictiveness to an innocent nation to bow his head in guilt for causing such wrong. All in all, Nehru’s speech, despite being supremely neutral, caused fierce emotions to arise in the hearts of people. 

In other words, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s speech was not only extremely stately, but also full of humility and paid homage to all people and their efforts (satyagraha) in bringing about the position of self-governance to India.


Source: hl-english.wikispaces.com

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