India @ 75 - Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
‘Tryst’ is not a commonly used word. It has uncommon meanings that span from the ‘romantic schedule of meeting’ to ‘rendezvous’ to ‘commitment in the future’.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru used that word in his midnight speech to the Indian Constituent Assembly in The Parliament on 14th August 1947. It was the dawn of India’s Independence. The title of the speech was ‘Tryst with Destiny’. Polished PM used the polished word, which may be a hangover from his British education and the lifestyle of his family. The words inside the speech however touched the heart of the masses and pierced the minds of youth.
The speech not only recalls Mahatma Gandhi’s selfless and committed efforts but also fighting the poverty and preventing the diseases. Both still exist today after 75 years but we now are more daring and bolder in addressing those challenges. Nehru’s message was passionate, patriotic, and poetic.
And now we have PM of People. Narendra Modi. He means ‘Tryst with Targets’. Aiming the ‘Bull’s Eye’. Focus on not intentions but performance. He no longer has to say ‘Wake-Up India’. In reality, we are on the path of ‘Rising India’.
If you want to know all about ‘What India is’, read ‘Tryst with Destiny’. If you want to listen to ‘Tryst with the Targets’, Listen to Red Fort speeches of PM Modi.
Dr Rajendra Shende
Chairman Green Terre Foundation| Former Chairman TERRE Policy Centre | Former Director UNEP | Chairman, International Advisory of Operation Earth, China | Chairman, Working Committee, International Solar Alliance | Senior Expert UNEP TEAP | Member Governing Body MIT WPU | Advisor Media India Group | Advisor CBCGDF, China | IIT Bombay Alumnus