The light has gone out of our lives
The light has gone out of our lives is a speech that was delivered
Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
Speech
Nehru addressed the nation later that evening on
In the speech, Nehru compared Gandhi to an eternal beacon and predicted that a thousand years later,
”That light will be seen... the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts. For that light represented something more than the immediate present; it represented the living, the eternal truths, reminding us of the right path, drawing us from error, taking this ancient country to freedom.”[7]
Nehru then turned to the more mundane matter of giving the details of the funeral arrangements.
The speech was noted for its grace and poise, conveyed through Nehru's choice of phrases and images. He warned his listeners about the 'poison of communalism' and referred to the assassin as a 'madman'. The speech was noted as a great example of oration because of its content and language, as seen in the wholeness of its sentences and themes, the almost poetic choice of words, and the narration's use of variation and ordering of themes and repetition of key images. The sense of calmness with which Nehru talks about the funeral arrangements, his warning to the people and his call for peace and combating communalism at a time of such deep loss conveyed a sense of solemnity and dignity of his office.[13]
John Paul II
During
The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light. The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years...
The Pope went on to note that Gandhi
who lived by non-violence appeared to be defeated by violence. For a brief moment the light seemed to have gone out. Yet his teachings and the example of his life live on in the minds and hearts of millions of men and women. Yes, the light is still shining, and the heritage of Mahatma Gandhi speaks to us still. And today as a pilgrim of peace I have come here to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi, hero of humanity.[14]
Cartier-Bresson's photography
Henri Cartier-Bresson, who had been to India shortly after and was one of the last people to meet and photograph Gandhi, famously captured an image of Nehru on the gate of Birla House to announce Gandhi's death. The photographs covering Gandhi's final hours before his assassination, the arrangements for his funeral and the masses attending the funeral have been described as "not the portrait of any man, but the portrait of a nation in the deepest moment of its sorrow" and have been shown all over the world.[15]
In popular culture
Nehru's speech figures in Amitava Kumar's novel Nobody Does the Right Thing.[16]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Words should stand the test of time". The Hindu. 22 July 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ "Oratory Club Of India". Outlook. 13 August 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ "Famous Speeches - Indexed by Date - 1941-1950". Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ISBN 9780674041561.
- ISBN 9781438108735.
- ISBN 9780199544370.
- ^ a b c d "The Light". Ellora One. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ "Swaraj Is My Birthright". Outlook. 18 August 1997. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ISBN 9780141909165.
- ^ Wolpert, Stanley (2001). Gandhi's Passion: The Life and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 257. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015.
- ISBN 9788120333239.
- ISBN 9788171822133.
- ISBN 9780415131193.
- ^ "ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II ON OCCASION OF THE VISIT TO THE FUNERARY MONUMENT OF RAJ GHAT DEDICATED TO MAHATMA GANDHI". Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ India and the Death of Mahatma Gandhi, Magnum Photos
- ISBN 9780822392651.
the light has gone out of our lives speech.