Opinion 2-minute silence on January 30: How the tradition began

In his letter dated May 14, 1954, Cariappa wrote that a minute’s silence should be observed on January 26, Republic Day, in the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom. Cariappa also suggested that the minute’s silence should be observed simultaneously all across India.

The idea appealed to Pandit Nehru, but he doubted if it was practical for all of India to simultaneously observe a minute’s silence. Instead, he suggested, that it be observed wherever a parade was being held. Pandit Nehru then referred the matter to the Coordination Committee that was in charge of the arrangements for the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.

While some of the committee members were in favour of the proposal, others felt that Republic Day would not be an appropriate day for such an event. Some members also felt that it would be difficult to organise a minute’s silence given the celebrations and the parade that day.

The letters show that some of the members of the Coordination Committee went on to suggest that January 30 was a more appropriate day to observe the one-minute silence. Nehru, too, was also in favour of observing it on January 30, the day Gandhi was assassinated.

In keeping with his practice of consultation, Nehru wrote to all the Chief Ministers, saying, “We might perhaps fix some time on the morning of that day, say at 10 am, for one minute’s silence. It might be possible to have a simple ceremonial in Delhi itself at Rajghat at that time, such as the placing of some flowers. In other places in India, we should try to have this one minute’s silence and stoppage of movement as far as possible. I am communicating this idea to you for your consideration and for your comments.”

Then, on January 26, 1955, Nehru wrote to the Chief CMs again — this time conveying his decision. By then, Cariappa’s suggestion of a one-minute silence had been revised to two minutes. “I would remind you that January 30 will be a Day of Remembrance for those who sacrificed their lives in the cause of India’s freedom. At 11 o’clock that day there should be a two-minute silence everywhere.”

Some years later, on January 21, 1958, Nehru wrote to them again, “It seems to me that it would be desirable for people working in offices to gather in some room in the office concerned for this two-minute silence. There may be more than one gathering in an office if there are many workers. This would be more effective and impressive than to expect each person sitting in his own room to observe this silence…”

Meanwhile, Cariappa wasn’t happy with the shape his suggestion had taken. On June 23, 1958, he wrote to Nehru, expressing his disagreement with the “military guard firing a ‘feu-de-joie’, sounding of the Last Post on bugles and so on, as is done at Military funerals” at Rajghat on January 30. Cariappa found it “out of place” in that atmosphere of “sanctity, purity and solemnity”.

Nehru replied the next day, on June 24, 1958, disagreeing. “There was a great deal of discussion amongst us whether we should have a military guard firing a ‘feu de-joie.’ We ultimately decided that we should have it.”

The matter didn’t end there. Nehru kept reminding the CMs and other dignitaries about the two-minute silence. His note dated January 18, 1959, reads, “…I am told that this two minutes’ silence, gathering together of all people in the office, has not been very successfully managed. Perhaps, it would be better for office people to gather in a number of places inside the office, in small groups, at 11, and at the strike of 11, stand up and observe the two minutes’ silence.”

The writer is Senior Associate Editor, The Indian Express