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Book Review
Ringside view of history
PARTHO DATTA
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Great speeches that traverse the history of modern Indian politics
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GREAT SPEECHES OF MODERN INDIA: Rudrangshu Mukherjee — Editor; Random House Publishers India Pvt. Ltd., 301, World Trade Tower, Barakhambha Lane, New Delhi-110001. Rs.395.
A book of varied speeches, released strategically around Independence Day is bound to invoke the nation, as this volume does unequivocally. From the founding moment of the Indian National Congress, the editor brings us step by step to the present day. All the famous political figures are here: Gandhiji, Nehru, Tagore, Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The oft-quoted classics reprinted include Vivekananda’s address to the Parliament of Religions in Chicago (1893
), Nehru’s “Tryst with destiny” (1947) and Jinnah’s “Opening Address to the Constituent Assembly” of Pakistan (1947). There are also some idiosyncratic and less well-known addresses which repay re-reading. Particularly striking are speeches by Syed Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Iqbal and V.D.Savarkar who were critics of Congress-style nationalism.
Mukherjee in his introduction makes the point that great speeches were usually meant to be heard, not read. This viewpoint confuses oratory with content and anyway is difficult to substantiate historically. Existing recordings of Gandhiji’s speeches show that he was a tentative and hesitant speaker. Similarly Nehru’s voice lacked body. Yet both delivered some great lines. The AIR purportedly sits on a gold mine of such recordings, but their holdings are a well-kept state secret. The snatches broadcast on national holidays from this archive, are more impressive for their contexts (usually a momentous occasion in Parliament) than for the eloquence of the delivery. The fact remains that speeches before sound recording became the norm, circulated primarily and widely through print. For this very reason they were carefully crafted with an eye to posterity. History making was definitely one of the goals and political narcissism played no mean a part in this process.
Surprises
Among the surprises is the inclusion of Nathuram Godse’s “Why I killed Gandhi”. This speech has clandestinely fed the prurient appetite of Indian populist politics since 1949, but has only now been included in an anthology. It is a tragic example of one kind of extreme right-wing self-conviction. Nearly half a century later L.K.Advani’s “Why Ayodhya is a setback” (1992) showcases another kind of right-wing politics. Advani of course vociferously disclaims any connection to Godse.
If Hindu majoritarianism gained popularity in the 1990s then so did economic liberalisation, the latter move well represented in the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh’s “Present Economic Situation” (1991). The turn in foreign policy at this time is showcased by Narasimha Rao’s “The future of Indo-US relations” (1994). Surprisingly communists or for that matter socialists, have been left out of this anthology. The editor explains lamely that they were poor orators. J.R.D.Tata, on the other hand, has three speeches in this anthology including the charming “Rekindling a spark of enthusiasm” (1982) on the occasion of his third solo flight, at the age of 78, to mark the beginning of commercial air travel in India.
Artists’ arena
If this anthology is top heavy with pronouncements on public politics, then there are also some from the arena of artistic endeavour. The awesome Satyajit Ray is represented by one of his rare public speeches “The education of a film-maker” (1982). In this extraordinary autobiographical account, Ray tried to square his own troublesome relationship with Indian realism as depicted in classic Bengali novels. Vikram Seth’s sensitive Founder’s Day speech at Doon School (1992) is about the trauma of being abandoned by his parents in boarding school and makes haunting reading. This together with Salman Rushdie’s statement on the Fatwa (1993) more or less represents contemporary cultural figures from India. From the pre-Independence generation Tagore figures as the only representative in an earlier section with an extract from his prescient “Crisis of Civilization” (1941).
Other memorable speeches include Gandhiji’s statement at his trial (1922). Even more striking was his frank and radical address at the Banaras Hindu University (1916) which managed to upset his hosts. Annie Besant, who was on the dais, had to publicly express her disapproval.
Contrary views
Three other speeches in this book also stand out for their contrarian views. The notorious Lord Curzon (1899-1905), the villain in Indian history text-books for fomenting the Partition of Bengal turns out from a speech reprinted here to be a closet environmentalist, other than being a pioneer conservationist as well. M. Singaravelu’s “The death of God” (1933) is an early statement of a pioneer rationalist. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s emphatic speech on Tibet (1959) in Parliament reads dramatically when compared to India’s subsequent ambiguous stand on the issue.
For a volume that traverses the history of modern Indian politics, it is surprising that a limited range of sources have been accessed. There are few examples, for instance, from arenas outside formal politics like trade unions, literary societies, cultural organisations and local clubs. Women are a token presence in this volume and gender issues are mystifyingly absent. Dalit politics too has been given a miss. South India only gets two representatives — M. Singaravelu and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. However, despite these limitations the selected speeches make fascinating reading enabling the reader to hear major political personages at first hand.
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