New Delhi, Oct 15: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday shed light on a little-known historical fact that Jawaharlal Nehru, before his iconic ‘Tryst with Destiny’ address on August 14, 1947, delivered an equally powerful speech in Hindustani, which he described as “amongst the greatest Hindustani speeches of the 20th century.”
Revisiting the Constituent Assembly debates, Ramesh revealed that Nehru began speaking in Hindustani shortly after Dr. Rajendra Prasad’s presidential address, a fact that has been overshadowed by the fame of his English address.
“The Constituent Assembly met at 11 PM on August 14, 1947. After Dr. Rajendra Prasad spoke, Jawaharlal Nehru started his speech actually in Hindustani and spoke for about six minutes. It was only after this that the eight-minute ‘Tryst with Destiny’ followed and became history,” Ramesh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
He described the Hindustani speech as “lyrical” and deeply reflective of the same spirit as Nehru’s midnight address, adding that both the text and audio recording are available in the Constituent Assembly archives.
Ramesh also shared an excerpt where Nehru said in Hindustani:
“Kai varsh hue ki humne kismat se ek bazi lagai thi… ab waqt aaya ki hum ise pura karen… ek badi manzil puri hui,”
which mirrors the sentiment of his famous English line: “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge…”
Historians say this discovery adds a new dimension to the understanding of Nehru’s oratory legacy, showcasing how he chose to speak first in the language of the people before addressing the world.