On the 75th anniversary, we bring before you some famous quotes of what our freedom fighters said on the eve of Independence Day in 1947.
It's just two days to go when India will be celebrating its 75th Independence Day on August 15. Even as we celebrate this day with a lot of pomp and show and our hearts be filled with pride, we should not forget that this freedom did not come cheap. To free us from the chains of 200 years of British colonial rule, our Freedom Fighters laid their lives selflessly for the independence of this nation.
'When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today' - This evocative epitaph is enshrined on the Kohima war memorial in Nagaland, built to commemorate soldiers of the empire who laid down their lives to repel Japanese assault in 1944 during World War-II.
This inscription so well defines the sacrifices made by our Freedom Fighters who did not live to see the light of the day but chose to give its next generations a better tomorrow. We an indebted nation remember their supreme sacrifices and tell our youth what it is to bring out a nation from slavery to becoming a sovereign, democratic, republic.
Today India is the largest democracy and the oldest, only next to the United State of America. On the 75th anniversary of India's Independence Day, we bring before you some famous quotes of what our freedom fighters said on the eve of Independence Day in 1947. LEST WE FORGET.
1. Indian Declaration of Independence by Jawaharlal Nehru
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"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. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity"
Jawaharlal Nehru
Indian Declaration of Independence, on the eve of Independence, August 15, 1947
(Image Source: NMML/Gandhi Museum/File Photo)
2. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on eve of Indian Independence
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"Today when we are witnessing the fulfillment of our life's ambition and participating in the victory that has crowned the nation's struggle for freedom, it is our first duty to pay homage to the memory of those whose sacrifices have contributed so much to this glorious conclusion of that struggle. Let the nation honour their memory in the rejoicing which freedom has brought in its train" - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Patel
(Image Source: File Photo)
3. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on eve of Indian Independence
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"Complete independence through truth and non-violence means the independence of every unit, be it the humblest of the nation, without distinction of race, colour or creed"
"From tomorrow, we shall be delivered from the bondage of the British rule. But from midnight today, India will be partitioned too. While, therefore, tomorrow will be a day of rejoicing, it will be a day of sorrow as well. It will throw a heavy burden of responsibility upon us. Let us pray to God that He may give us strength to bear it"
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, on the eve of Indian Independence
(Image Source: File Photo)
4. Sarojini Naidu on eve of Indian Independence
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"We want deeper sincerity of motive, a greater courage in speech, and earnestness in action" - Sarojini Naidu
(Image Source: Creative Commons/File Photo)
5. Babasaheb Ambedkar on eve of Indian Independence
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"Independence is no doubt a matter of joy. But let us not forget that this independence has thrown on us greater responsibilities. By independence, we have lost the excuse of blaming the British for anything going wrong. If hereafter things go wrong, we will have nobody to blame except ourselves. There is a greater danger of things going wrong. Times are fast-changing"
"Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person, whose mind is not free though he may not be in chains, is a slave, not a free man. One, whose mind is not free, though he may not be in prison, is a prisoner and not a free man. One whose mind is not free though alive is no better than dead. Freedom of mind is proof of one's existence"
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar
6. Dr Rajendra Prasad on eve of Indian Independence
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"In attaining our ideals, our means should be as pure as the end" - Dr Rajendra Prasad
Dr Rajendra Prasad, President of the Constituent Assembly, addressing the Independence Day Session on 15 August 1947
(Image Source: Twitter@IndiaembFrance)
