Jawaharlal Nehru Speech 1947

8/14/2019 Jawaharlal Nehru Speech 1947

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Long years ago

we made a trystwith destiny, andnow the timecomes when weshall redeem our

pledge, notwholly or in fullmeasure, but

verysubstantially. At


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the stroke of the

midnight hour,when the worldsleeps, India willawake to life andfreedom. A

moment comes,which comes butrarely in history,

when we step outfrom the old to


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the new, when an

age ends, andwhen the soul ofa nation, longsuppressed, findsutterance. It is

fitting that at thissolemn momentwe take the

pledge ofdedication to the


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service of India

and her peopleand to the stilllarger cause ofhumanity.

At the dawn of

history Indiastarted on herunending quest,

and tracklesscenturies are


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filled with her

striving and thegrandeur of hersuccess and herfailures. Throughgood and ill

fortune alike shehas never lostsight of that

quest orforgotten the


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ideals which gave

her strength. Weend today aperiod of illfortune and Indiadiscovers herself

again. Theachievement wecelebrate today

is but a step, anopening of


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opportunity, to

the greatertriumphs andachievementsthat await us. Arewe brave enough

and wise enoughto grasp thisopportunity and

accept thechallenge of the


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future?

Freedom andpower bring

responsibility.The responsibilityrests upon this

Assembly, asovereign bodyrepresenting the

sovereign peopleof India. Before


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the birth of

freedom we haveendured all thepains of labourand our heartsare heavy with

the memory ofthis sorrow. Someof those pains

continue evennow.


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Nevertheless, the

past is over andit is the futurethat beckons tous now.

That future is not

one of ease orresting but ofincessant striving

so that we mayfulfil the pledges


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we have so often

taken and theone we shall taketoday. Theservice of Indiameans the

service of themillions whosuffer. It means

the ending ofpoverty and


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us, but as long as

there are tearsand suffering, solong our work willnot be over.

And so we have

to labour and towork, and workhard, to give

reality to ourdreams. Those


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dreams are for

India, but theyare also for theworld, for all thenations andpeoples are too

closely knittogether todayfor any one of

them to imaginethat it can live


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apart Peace has

been said to beindivisible; so isfreedom, so isprosperity now,and so also is

disaster in thisOne World thatcan no longer be

split into isolatedfragments.


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To the people of

India, whoserepresentativeswe are, we makean appeal to joinus with faith and

confidence in thisgreat adventure.This is no time for

petty anddestructive


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criticism, no time

for ill-will orblaming others.We have to buildthe noblemansion of free

India where allher children maydwell.

The appointedday has come-the


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day appointed by

destiny-and Indiastands forthagain, after longslumber andstruggle, awake,

vital, free andindependent. Thepast clings on to

us still in somemeasure and we


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have to do much

before weredeem thepledges we haveso often taken.

Yet the turning-

point is past, andhistory beginsanew for us, the

history which weshall live and act


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and others will

write about.It is a fateful

moment for us inIndia, for all Asiaand for the world.

A new star rises,the star offreedom in the

East, a new hopecomes into being,


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a vision long

cherishedmaterializes. Maythe star never setand that hopenever be

betrayed!We rejoice in thatfreedom, even

though cloudssurround us, and


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many of our

people aresorrowstrickenand difficultproblemsencompass us.

But freedombringsresponsibilities

and burdens andwe have to face


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them in the spirit

of a free anddisciplinedpeople.

On this day ourfirst thoughts go

to the architect ofthis freedom, theFather of our

Nation [Gandhi],who, embodying


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the old spirit of

India, held aloftthe torch offreedom andlighted up thedarkness that

surrounded us.We have oftenbeen unworthy

followers of hisand have strayed


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from his

message, but notonly we butsucceedinggenerations willremember this

message andbear the imprintin their hearts of

this great son ofIndia,


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magnificent in his

faith and strengthand courage andhumility. We shallnever allow thattorch of freedom

to be blown out,however high thewind or stormy

the tempest.


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Our next

thoughts must beof the unknownvolunteers andsoldiers offreedom who,

without praise orreward, haveserved India even

unto death.


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We think also of

our brothers andsisters who havebeen cut off fromus by politicalboundaries and

who unhappilycannot share atpresent in the

freedom that hascome. They are


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of us and will

remain of uswhatever mayhappen, and weshall be sharersin their good and

ill fortune alike.The futurebeckons to us.

Whither do we goand what shall be


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our endeavour?

To bring freedomand opportunityto the commonman, to thepeasants and

workers of India;to fight and endpoverty and

ignorance anddisease; to build


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up a prosperous,

democratic andprogressivenation, and tocreate social,economic and

politicalinstitutions whichwill ensure justice

and fullness oflife to every man


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and woman.

We have hardwork ahead.

There is noresting for anyone of us till we

redeem ourpledge in full, tillwe make all the

people of Indiawhat destiny


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intended them to

be. We arecitizens of a greatcountry on theverge of boldadvance, and we

have to live up tothat highstandard. All of

us, to whateverreligion we may


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belong, are

equally thechildren of Indiawith equal rights,privileges andobligations. We

cannotencouragecommunalism or

narrow-mindedness, for


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no nation can be

great whosepeople arenarrow in thoughtor in action.

To the nations

and peoples ofthe world wesend greetings

and pledgeourselves to


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our reverent

homage and webind ourselvesafresh to herservice.

Jawaharlal Nehru Speech 1947

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