Great Speeches

Greatest Speeches

that India has ever heard

1. Quit India Speech

This was the longest address made by Gandhi on the 8th August of 1942. In his speech, the father of our nation, insisted the mass to start a civil disobedience movement in order to oust the British imperialist government from our land, without sacrificing the principle of Ahimsa. He highlighted that the struggle was not for power, but for independence, and it was not against the people of Britain, but against British imperialism.

"Ours is not a drive for power. In the democracy which I have envisaged, a democracy established by non violence, there will be equal freedom for all.""I know the British government will not be able to withhold freedom from us, when we have made enough self sacrifice. We must, therefore, purge ourselves of hated."

2. A Tryst with destiny

Jawarharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, made this historic speech, to the Indian Constituent Assembly, on the eve of India's Independence. He was one of the greatest orators of all time. It was a well framed speech that captured all the emotion and greatness of the occasion. His every word, every sentence inspired pride in the car audience listening to him.

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge not wholly or in a 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...."

You can read the full speech and listen to the original audio clippings here

3. The Light has gone out

On the 30th of January 1948, Gandhiji was shot dead by Nathuram Godse while he was attending a prayer gathering. That evening Nehru made this emotional speech on the All India Radio informing the nation about the darkness that has engulfed the nation. The speech was not a prepared one and was spontaneous. Yet it was an emotionally laden speech, that reflected not only Nehru's own anguish, but also of the entire nation which mourned the death of one of its greatest sons.

"The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere. I do not know what to tell you and how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of our nation is no more. The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shown in this country was no ordinary light. The light that has illuminated this country for these many years will illuminate this country for many more years and a thousand years later, that light will be seen in this country and the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts."

4. Tyranny of Pakistan

The speech was delivered by V.K Krishna Menon in the United Nation's security council regarding Kashmir issue. After independence he served as the spokesperson for India's foreign policy. He is generally considered as the architect of the non aligned movement andrepresented India very brilliantly in the United Nations on Kashmir issue. He argued for almost 8 hours on India's rights in Kashmir. The speech played a key role in defending India's position and solving Kashmir issue by the UN. It convinced the Soviet Union to veto the UN resolution. If not the UN would have given away Kashmir to Pakistan.

"Why is that we have not heard here that in 10 years these people have not seen a ballot paper? With what voice can either the security council or anyone coming before it demand a plebiscite for a people on our side who exercise franchise."

5. My blood will invigorate India

Indira Gandhi has been called The Iron Lady of India for her iron fisted approach dealing with situations. Her critical decisions regarding the  conflicts with the neighbouring countries and strong foreign policies made her one of the most admired figure among the world leaders. She was the first women prime minister of India who tested India's first nuclear weapon amidst of all the adversities she faced from other nations.

"I do not care whether I live or die.... I am proud that I spent the world of my life in the service of my people. I shall continue to serve until my last breath and when I die I can say that every drop of my blood will invigorate India and strengthen it."