 2017 postage stamp of India commemorating the Quit India Movement | |
| Date | 8 August 1942 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Gowalia Tank Maidan |
| Type | Speech |
| Target | British colonial government, Indian public |
| Organized by | Mahatma Gandhi |
The Quit India speech was given by Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of the Quit India Movement, 8 August 1942. His address was issued shortly before midnight, at the Gowalia Tank Maidan park in Bombay (present-day Mumbai),[1] which has since been renamed August Kranti Maidan (August Revolution Ground).
The speech was given in support of the Indian independence movement, which worked towards the end of British colonial rule. He called for determined, but passive resistance and civil disobedience based on the principles of satyagraha ("truthful request"),[1] that signified the certitude that Gandhi foresaw for the movement, best described by his call to "Do or Die".
However, the movement did not end on a high note, since in less than twenty-four hours after giving his speech, Gandhi and almost the entire Indian National Congress leadership were imprisoned by the British colonial government under the grounds of the Defense of India Act.[2] A greater number of Congress leaders would spend the rest of the war in jail. The Quit India speech is commonly referred to as the unifying call to action, in pursuit of Indian independence during WWII-wartime India.