Gandhi's Voice

Although most of us believe we know what Mahatma Gandhi's voice sounded like, most likely we do not. Gandhi usually preferred to give speeches in the native Indian languages of his audiences and thus only rarely gave speeches in English. It is believed that only two of his rare speeches in English were ever recorded. A copy of the second speech, given approximately ten months before Gandhi's death, has just been discovered.

On April 2, 1947, Gandhi gave a speech in English in New Delhi, which was recorded by journalist Alfred Wagg. Wagg then created only four copies of the speech, plus his own commentary, on 78-rpm LPs (records). One of these copies was later given to John Cosgrove, who had been president of the National Press Club.

The recording of Gandhi's voice can now be heard online at the Washington Post site. The first voice offers an introduction to the recording while the second voice is the person who introduced Gandhi to the crowd. Gandhi's voice is difficult to hear so you have to listen carefully. A couple of time, Wagg interrupts with his own thoughts.