“Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny. Now the time has come 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.”
It wasn’t till earlier that afternoon on August 15th, 1947, that Nehru had time to write a speech to be delivered to the Indian Constituent Assembly. The weeks and days leading up to the day had been traumatic and chaotic with communal riots tearing the country apart from the East in Bengal to the West in Punjab and skirmishes breaking out in several other areas as well. The jockeying for power within the Indian National Congress had been just as brutal with strong personalities, Nehru and Jinnah and Patel, each with even stronger convictions, refusing to budge from their positions. Even the design of the national flag sparked intense vitriol as Gowalkar demanded that the tricolor needed to be replaced with the Bhagwa Dhwaj as the national flag. And the British, hemorrhaging from economic fallout of the war and with their own domestic problems to deal with had all but checked out. The speech was the last thing on Nehru’s mind.
“All of us, to whatever religion we may belong, are equally the children of India with equal rights, privileges and obligations. We cannot encourage communalism or narrow-mindedness, for no nation can be great whose people are narrow in thought or in action,” Nehru continued and then turning sideways to the other dignitaries behind him, he carried on, “and with that let me invite my dear friend, the right, honorable Muhammad Ali Jinnah, to share his thoughts and wisdom.”
Jinnah got up from his seat, shook hands with Nehru, and slowly made his way to the podium. He adjusted the microphone and cleared his throat.
“Ladies and Gentlemen! I cordially thank you, with the utmost sincerity, for the honor you have conferred upon me – the greatest honor that is possible to confer – by electing me as your first President.”