Read the following very different statements made in August 1947 –
“Today you have worn on your heads a crown of thorns. The seat of power is a nasty thing. You have to remain ever wakeful on that seat. you have to be more humble and forbearing now there will be no end to your being tested.” — M.K Gandhi
“…India will awake to a life of freedom. We step out from the old to the new…we end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity…” — Jawaharlal Nehru
Spell out the agenda of nation building that flows from these two statements. Which one appeals more to you and why?
According to M.K Gandhi there are several challenges to nation building like keeping the nation united, Maintaining the democracy and ensuring development and well being of the society. And the problem in nation building arises more if the leaders of that respective nation are not humble and forbearing in solving the problems. Though India was independent but there were several challenges in its path like handeling the uncertain partition and tragic transfer of the people and providing rehabilitation to them.
According to Jawaharlal Nehru freedom of India was just a step, there were problems like poverty, unemployment and establishing democracy. And freedom has given them opportunity to solve the above problems.
Both the statements more or less spell the same meaning but the statement of M.K Gandhi appeal more to me in the following ways:
1. Because he advises leader to be wakeful on the seat of crown.
2. He advises them to humble and forbearing, and to get carried away by the powers they have got as the seat of power is a nasty thing.