Unit III: Speeches of Famous Personalities
Tryst with Destiny
by Jawaharlal Nehru
Prescribed reading for English III (Unit III: Speeches of Famous Personalities). Read the guide before class; finish with the quiz to check your understanding.
Overview
In this iconic speech, Nehru marks India's independence as the fulfillment of a long-held promise ('tryst with destiny'). He acknowledges the immense challenges ahead, framing freedom not as an end but as a beginning. He calls upon the people and the assembly to dedicate themselves to serving the nation by ending poverty, ignorance, and inequality, thereby building a new, sovereign India.
About the Author
Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) was a central figure in the Indian independence movement and became the first Prime Minister of India, serving from 1947 until his death in 1964.
Writing style: Eloquent, formal, and deeply poetic, using powerful metaphors to capture the historical significance of the moment.
Major works: The Discovery of India · Glimpses of World History
Influence: Nehru's vision of a secular, democratic, and modern India shaped the nation's post-independence trajectory for decades.
Historical Context
This speech was delivered to the Indian Constituent Assembly in New Delhi on the eve of India's Independence from British rule, on August 14, 1947.
Read
Tap the bolded words for definitions and connotations.
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 the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity.
At the dawn of history, India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her successes and failures. Through good and ill fortune alike, she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength.
We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?
Freedom and power bring responsibility. The responsibility rests upon this Assembly, a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of India. Before the birth of freedom, we have endured all the pains of labour and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow. Some of those pains continue even now. Nevertheless, the past is over and it is the future that beckons to us now. That future is not one of ease or resting but of incessant striving...
The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.
And so we have to labour and to work and work hard to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for anyone of them to imagine that it can live apart.
Peace has been said to be indivisible; so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and so also is disaster in this one world that can no longer be split into isolated fragments.
To the people of India, whose representatives we are, we appeal to join us with faith and confidence in this great adventure. This is no time for petty and destructive criticism, no time for ill-will or blaming others. We have to build the noble mansion of free India where all her children may dwell.
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Resolution and Pledge by the Constituent Assembly:
I beg to move, sir, that it be resolved that: After the last stroke of midnight, all members of the Constituent Assembly present on this occasion do take the following pledge:
At this solemn moment, when the people of India, through suffering and sacrifice, have secured freedom, I, a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, do dedicate myself in all humility to the service of India and her people — to the end that this ancient land may attain her rightful place in the world and make her full and willing contribution to the promotion of world peace and the welfare of mankind.
Members who are not present on this occasion do take the pledge (with such verbal changes as the President may prescribe) at the time they next attend a session of the Assembly.
Watch
Themes
- Freedom
- Responsibility
- Nation-Building
- Destiny
- Hope
Literary Devices
- Metaphor
- “The central metaphor is the 'tryst with destiny,' framing independence as a fateful, long-awaited meeting.”
- Personification
- “'India will awake to life and freedom' and 'the soul of a nation...finds utterance' give human qualities to the nation.”
Critical Analysis
Considered one of the great speeches of the 20th century, 'Tryst with Destiny' perfectly balances the celebration of freedom with a solemn recognition of the immense responsibility it entails. It avoids triumphalism, instead adopting a tone of humble dedication to the hard work of building a nation.
Why It Matters
The speech remains a foundational document for modern India, articulating the ideals and aspirations of the nation at its birth. Its call to service and to 'wipe every tear from every eye' continues to inspire.
Vocabulary
- Tryst
- A private, romantic rendezvous between lovers.
- Connotation: Used metaphorically to mean a profound, long-awaited appointment with fate.
- Redeem
- To fulfill or carry out a pledge or promise.
- Connotation: Suggests honorably meeting a long-held obligation.
- Utterance
- A spoken word, statement, or vocal sound.
- Connotation: Here it means the ability to speak and express oneself freely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Check Your Understanding
According to Nehru, what does the 'service of India' mean?