Name: Where have all the great political speeches gone?
Uploaded: 2007-08-13T13:26:05+05:30
Description: Momentous political speeches are now simply confined to history.

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New Delhi: 60 years ago, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru marked India's tryst with destiny, with an incredibly powerful speech -- one that resonates even till today. 
 
"That is a historic speech. You look back 60 years and nothing could have been more appropriate or captured that setting," says Minister for Tourism and Culture, Ambika Soni. 
 
The journey since then has been a remarkable one. It's a journey that can in part be mapped through speeches that have captured moments along the way. But are momentous political speeches now just confined to history? 
 
Says Historian, Ramachandra Guha, "Today, Parliament is a theatre for either abuse or silence. The budget is passed today in Parliament without a debate and that's shocking. But in the '50s and '60s there were some interesting and insightful speeches, by people like Jawaharlal Nehru and B R Ambedkar as well as by Opposition leaders like J B Kripalani." 
 
The decades right after Independence saw more than a few figures become almost larger than life. It was also a time of possibly the most invigorating public debate the country has ever seen. 
 
Says editor Great Speeches of Modern India, Rudrangshu Mukherji, "People are less interested in great speeches now and more in governance. Very few causes are left to rally people. Nationalism was such a powerful cause, so there were great speeches." 
 
Of course, a cause is never too far away, for a politician of any calibre. And controversial speeches can have a ripple effect through society. 
 
But how do you measure the power of a speech, if not by its impact? The words are here for you to judge. 
 
Ahead of Independence Day, Random House and Penguin Books have each just released a collection of speeches and between the two, there are more than 200 of the biggest speeches made in modern India. 
 
Many of these speeches still pack a punch, even on paper -- a reminder of our nation-builders who could inspire and hold forth in equal measure, a reminder, 60 years on, to our political leaders of the towering legacy they have to live up to. 
 
(With inputs from CNN-IBN Bureau)

Where have all the great political speeches gone?

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Where have all the great political speeches gone?

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