Where revolutionary speechmaking today is concomitant with any formidable politician, in Poona of the 1870s, it seemed unusual. The Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, which at the time nurtured many leaders, used speeches—if anything—to make "demands in polite terms". This perhaps explains why when Vasudeo Balwant Phadke (1845-83), a military finance officer, would run "through the streets of Poona with a thala (plate) and ladle in his hands" announcing his forthcoming speech: "All should come to Shaniwarwada grounds this evening. Our country must be free," the young man made a lot of people uncomfortable. His speeches always excited the audience. "They were no academic discourses... They appealed to people's common sense with straightforward logic. Full of patriotism, as much as denunciation of the British, they touched a raw nerve in the people."

In a new book, The Microphone Men (Indus Source Books), writer Priyadarshi Dutta traces the trajectory of radical leaders like Phadke, who laboured to reshape the political destiny of India, through oratory or public speaking. "When we speak of the history of oratory, what comes to mind is the great orators of ancient Greece and Rome," says Delhi-based Dutta, who has previously worked at the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, and as consultant in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. "Even in the West, oratory was eclipsed in the Medieval period, only to begin after the French and American revolution. As someone who has always been passionate about history, I was curious to find out whether the history of oratory in India had ever been documented or analysed. Unfortunately, while researching I realised that no study had been done," said Dutta in a telephonic interview.