Apt Words, Aptly Spoken.
By Vengrai Parthasarathy
“Mr.Gorbachev, tear down that wall” roared President Reagan. The twentieth anniversary of these prophetic words was observed by the media. Eventually, though not as a direct result, events led to the break up of the Soviet Union. What Churchill called the Iron Curtain came down.
It is said that History is unstoppable, but it does seem to pause, if only,to recall a word or phrase that defined a moment or an era or an event of significance….
As if in response to Reagan’s exhortation, Gorbachev, opened the gates of reform with two words: Glasnost which means ‘openness’ and perestroika (reform). They marked the end of the cold war and the start of a new era for the world..
There are some words which prove to be ominous too, to wit, Adolph Hitler’s Lebensraum which means ‘living space’. It was on this palpably lame excuse that he started a process of annexation of Germany’s weak neighbors. That proved to be the fateful signal for World War II,
The reply to Germany’s marauding hordes came from Winston Churchill, the indefatigable Prime Minister of England , who was the right man at the right time…This symbol of England’s bull-dog spirit , galvanized the island nation with words which had fervor and literary flavor. He roared: “We shall not flag or fail., we shall fight in France, we shall fight on all the seas and oceans….we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,, we shall fight in the hills: we shall not surrender”.
These are but fragments of a fighting speech which inspired the British to steel themselves and defeat the enemy.. .Hitler was vanquished and, reportedly committed suicide.
At the end of the battle of Britain, it was Churchill again , who decked out his speeches with fine metaphors, eulogized the RAF with these famous words: ”Never in the field of human history was so much owed by so many to so few.”. What a sentiment! What euphony.! Such choice words and calibrated phrases can never die.
India too has had its golden moments. Gandhiji coined two powerful words which had breath and purpose and gave a strong notice to the colonial British.. Quit India. These words which hardly need amplifying , resonated throughout .India in August 1942, at the height of the Civil Disobedience movement. Eventually, Time came to fullness and India became free; the British left, bag and baggage.
On the historic day of national redemption , Pandit Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India, gave a memorable speech in the Parliament to augur the independence of India . He gave his Tryst with Destiny, speech, a masterpiece of eloquence which revved up the minds and hearts of people to face the responsibilities of a free people. ..It was as though Panditji was writing the preface to modern India’s history.
Subhas Chandra Bose, the intrepid leader from Bengal , who was pegged as a rising star, chose to fight the British from outside, taking help from the Axis Powers. He exhorted the Indian National Army jawans, whom he had cobbled together , with two ringing words which inspired and uplifted them. Those words of incantatory power were DELHI CHALO!. Bose it was who gave the soldiers the other salutary slogan JAI HIND ! which has now been adopted by the entire country .as a greeting and salutation.
Lal Bahadur Sastri , the diminutive leader who succeeded Nehru came up with his own exhortation and greeting to the people with four simple words remarkable
for their succinctness and content: His JAI JAWAN, JAI KISAN was aimed at two of the country’s two important wings, the Armed forces and the Farm labour.
Indira Gandhi too, was not one to lag behind. She minted the slogan GARIBI HATAO to highlight the plight of the poor and the Governments determination to wipe out poverty. Though poverty has not been banished, this catchy slogan has caught on and has come in handy for political parties of all stripes as an item in their agenda of election promises.
Such is the power of words. Words breathe life. Words resonate.
Words can move mountains…Even unstoppable Time and History will pause and remember words which define a moment or an era or event.