Question

Read again the extracts from Nehru’s speech ‘Tryst with Destiny’ and answer the following:
“The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye”. Who was he referring to?

Answer 1

Hint: On the eve of India’s independence on Aug 14, 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who took office as the first Prime Minister of India delivered his historic speech in front of the Constituent Assembly. This inaugural address of his was titled “Tryst with Destiny”. The speech was significant not only because of the context in which it was delivered but also because of its content and Nehru’s brilliant oratory skills. He was able to aptly capture the essence of India as a country, summarise the struggle for independence and lays out an optimistic future for her.

Complete Step by Step answer: In his statement “The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye”, Nehru is referring to Mahatma Gandhi.
Throughout the speech, Nehru does not directly name Mahatma Gandhi but his words of praise point to Gandhi who is regarded as the Father of the Nation. Although Nehru and Gandhi were polar opposites when it came to their ideologies and beliefs, they had the highest regard for each other. Nehru looked up to him as a mentor and even called him the architect of this freedom in the same speech. After Gandhi’s assassination on Jan 30, 1948, Nehru went on to give another address to the people of India that began with “the light has gone out of our lives”.

Note: The opening words of Nehru’s “Tryst with Destiny” were “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….”.