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Ahaan Bagwe

Prof. Henderson

RCL 137

October 4, 2017

Rhetoric and the Beginnings of India

An ideology can be a powerful thing. It can spur a revolution, and keep a country

together even on the brink of chaos. Most importantly, an ideology is adaptable. A powerful

idea can be applied to its present situation in order to achieve specific goals. Ideas like liberty,

equality, and patriotism have all been used around the world at different points in history and for

different means. In examining how ideas permeate to adapt to their situation and common goals,

a useful case study would be that of the ideology of unity and how it was used to secure common

goals for Indians both before and after Indian independence. The idea will be analyzed through

The Swaraj Flag, or The Flag of Self Rule, and Jawaharlal Nehru’s “A Tryst With Destiny”

speech, which adapted rhetoric to evoke the idea of unity between Hindus and Muslims in

different situations to engage them in the pursuit of their goals. While the Swaraj flag, through

its symbolism, engaged Indians before Independence in the ideology of unity in order to achieve

their commonly held belief of freedom from the British, Jawaharlal Nehru’s “A Tryst with

Destiny” speech, through explicit requests and use of ethos, compelled Indians consumed by the

chaos of partition to hold steadfast to the idea of unity in order to achieve their common need for

preservation and survival.

Upon its initial conquest of India in the 1700s, the British East India Company decided

that pitting the different groups in India against each other would be the most profitable path to

control. At the time, India was made up of hundreds of princely states, each differentiated by an
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ethnicity, language, or religion. One of the most exploited differences used by the Company was

that between the Hindus and the Muslims. By inciting hate between the two sides, the British

were able to rule both more easily. This was due to the fact that a divided India was much less

likely to put up a united revolt. In the time leading up to the 15th of August, 1947, the Hindus

and Muslims, woke from the cruelty of the British Raj. In that time, all of India realized that it

was in their best interest to attain independence in order to safeguard their own survival and

prosperity. However, there was no unifying factor between them. Although they both wanted

independence, they believed that their own rights were at stake if the other got their wishes.

If the Indian Independence Movement were to prevail, Indian leaders had to emphasize

unity rather than enmity. This was made more difficult by the fact that the two factions followed

different symbols at the time. Flags were either Hindu centric or Muslim centric, with nothing

representing a whole India. To combat this, Indian political leaders created the Swaraj Flag, a

symbol that represented all through its colors. Orange, or saffron, stood for the Hindus, green

stood for the Muslims, and white stood for peace amongst all religions. An Indian, no matter

what their background was, could look to the flag and be able to call it their own. In doing so, the

flag invited Indians to forget their differences and come together. At a time of a fractured India,

in order to engage its peoples in the idea of unity, the Swaraj flag made use of symbolism of

colors to spread its message and compel Indians to fight for their commonplace of independence

from the British.

Although the Swaraj Flag did unite many Indians in order to achieve their common goal

of Independence, their differences remained. In the Summer of 1947, still trying to recuperate

from the heavy losses incurred during World War II, the British reluctantly granted

independence to India. However, seeing as there was no consensus on whether to keep India
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unified, the British Crown decided that it would be best to once again divide the subcontinent on

the basis of religion into India and Pakistan. Cyril Radcliffe, who had never set foot in India

before August 1947 was chosen to draw up the borders. Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of

India, decided the best course of action would be to keep the plans secret from Indian leaders, so

as to not incur blame on the Crown should any issues occur. When asked how the partition could

take place without any violence if no one knew the borders beforehand, Mountbatten assured

leaders:

“I shall see to it that there is no bloodshed and riot. I am a soldier and not a civilian. Once

partition is accepted in principle, I shall issue orders to see that there are no communal

disturbances anywhere in the country. If there should be the slightest agitation, I shall

adopt the sternest measures to nip the trouble in the bud.” (Mountbatten, 3rd June Plan

Press Conference).

One million people were to die.

Sensing the oncoming holocaust, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, on

the eve of Indian independence, spoke to the Indian Peoples through radio broadcast in order to

deliver a message of unity that would protect his citizens and prevent the bloodshed from

spreading to the whole of India. Most people understood that it was a time of celebrating

independence, but it was imperative that Nehru address the ongoing violence on the borders to

prevent it from spreading to the rest of India, which would have crushed all chances of a

prosperous, fair nation for all. Noting the efforts of the Indian Revolution, Nehru acknowledged

a time “Before the birth of freedom [when] we had endured all the pains of labour and our hearts

are heavy with the memory of this sorrow. Some of those pains continue even now” (Nehru, A

Tryst with Destiny). In doing so Nehru is able adapt the idea of unity, which was once used to
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relieve the pain of a fractured India fighting for independence, to the situation of the pains the

new nation faced now. The new pains are those of the partition, and the death and suffering that

would come with it could once again divide India. “Nevertheless…” Nehru beseeched the people

of India, imploring them to not give in at the prospect of their oncoming struggles, for “ ...the

past [was] over and it [was] the future that beckoned to [them] now.” The nation that the Indians

had fought so hard for was burning and it was only the perseverance of Indians that would once

again safeguard their freedom. Because Nehru understood that the policy of Divide and Rule ran

deep in India, he explicitly requested the people of his nation “...not to indulge in petty and

destructive criticism, no time for ill-will or blaming others.” It was clear to Nehru that amidst the

brutal violence of the partition, Hindus and Muslims within the nation itself may have come to

blows. In order to protect democracy and the rights of all Indian citizens, they “had to build the

noble mansion of free India where all her children may dwell.” Through these words, Nehru

urged a dissimilar audience of different religions, that all of India’s children, whether they be

Hindu or Muslim, were to be given the security and rights that were promised to them by their

nation.

To further his point of maintaining unity to keep India safe for all its citizens, Nehru

invoked the ethos of Gandhi, “the Father of our Nation, who, embodying the old spirit of India,

held aloft the torch of freedom and lighted up the darkness that surrounded us. We have often

been unworthy followers of his and have strayed from his message but succeeding generations

will remember this message and shall never allow that torch of freedom to be blown out.” The

message Nehru speaks of is that which Gandhi had wished all Indians would heed. To the people

of India, Gandhi was more than just a freedom fighter, he was the “Mahatma,” the Great Soul

who to many was the embodiment of Indian unity. Hindus and Muslims alike referred to Gandhi
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affectionately as “Bapu” or dad, believing him to be the greatest advocate for rights of Indians as

Bapu never seemed to takes sides amongst his fellow citizens and took care of all his children.

Gandhi’s words had a massive impact on the citizens of India, and due to the immense weight

they carried, were often heeded. By referencing Gandhi, Nehru was able to utilize the Father of

India’s words to appeal to the of Indian people, who looked to these words as a mandate from

Gandhi himself, and therefore did not turn on each other. In order to preserve the stability and

existence of India, Nehru, through the direct requests and appeal to ethos in his speech, implored

his fellow citizens to adhere to the ideas of unity to safeguard the rights of every Indian citizen.

An India striving to be born, and an India trying to stay alive. Vastly different situations,

but concerning the same peoples. One required people of different backgrounds to come

together, because it was only together that they could defeat their common enemy. The other

required the same people to remain together, to not give into the hate that had engulfed India in

violent flames. These different goals were both achieved by one ideology: Unity. Both the

Swaraj flag and Nehru’s “A Tryst with Destiny” speech were able to adapt the idea to their

respective goals. The Swaraj Flag invoked unity to give birth to India, and Nehru invoked it to

ensure India’s survival.

Words: 1585

Works Cited

Nehru, Jawaharlal. "A Tryst with Destiny." Indian Constituent Assembly. Indian Parliament,
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Delhi. 15 Aug. 1947. Speech.

Mountbatten, Louis. "3rd June Plan" 3rd June Plan Press Conference.
3rd June, 1947. Press Conference.