Read the following very different statements made in August 1947 –

“Today you have worn on your heads a crown of thorns. The seat of power is a nasty thing. You have to remain ever wakeful on that seat…. you have to be more humble and forbearing…now there will be no end to your being tested.” — M.K Gandhi

“…India will awake to a life of freedom….we step out from the old to the new…we end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity…” — Jawaharlal Nehru

Spell out the agenda of nation building that flows from these two statements. Which one appeals more to you and why?

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Solution

The agenda that was set out for nation building by both Gandhi and Nehru through their statements are as follows:
a. Political revolution: The statements of both Gandhi and Nehru explain the achievement of independence that could be regarded as a political revolution where power was transferred from the colonial yoke to the people of the country. This political revolution was to be carried out further by establishing democratic system, by granting civil and political rights to all and by ensuring participation of the people in the governance of the country.

b. Accommodating diversity: Another agenda set forth by our leadership, which proved to be the first test for our democracy, was to accommodate diversity in our country by granting rights to minorities, by accommodating religious, lingual and ethnic diversity so as to retain the unity of the country.

c. Economic growth and development: The country had to ensure economic growth and development. It had to tread a path of inclusive growth and counter challenges like poverty, unemployment and inequalities that hampered the progress.

d. Social revolution: Another agenda for nation building was to deal with caste-based inequalities, deeply entrenched in the Indian society, that were inimical to the progress. It was also required to extend the principles of liberty, equality and justice in real sense to all.
It is the statement made by Pt. Nehru which is more appealing as it captures the essence of the triumphant culmination of the hundred-year old Indian freedom struggle, a milestone victory in India’s long and chequered history.

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