Jawaharlal Nehru took office as India's first prime minister on August 15, 1947, a position he held until his death 17 years later. Although India would remain a British Dominion until January 1950, the era of the viceroys had ended. Moments before midnight on August 14, Nehru celebrated the occasion in one of the most famous speeches in modern Indian history: “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.” Nehru proceeded to make clear his hope that India's “awakening” would have repercussions far beyond its shores. “We have to labor and to work, and work hard, to give reality to our dreams,” he stated. “Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world.”