Decoding Gandhi Part 1: The Assassination

Part 1: The Assassination

‘I did not hate Gandhi, I revered him because we both venerated much in Hindu religion, Hindu history and Hindu culture, we both were against superstitious aspects and the wrongs in Hinduism. Therefore I bowed before Gandhi when I met him, then performed my moral duty and killed Gandhi.’ - Godse

The riots and violence had took its toll on Gandhi. It was not the freedom he wanted. After a long discussion with Sardar Patel about the situation he walked towards the raised lawn behind Birla House for the regular multi-faith prayer. The discussion carried on longer than usual and Gandhi was ten minutes late. The frail man walked supporting himself on the shoulders of his grandniece Manuben and Abhaben. Hundreds of people were waiting to catch a glimpse of Gandhi. As the two ladies helped Gandhi manoeuvre through the crown, someone yelled ‘Gandhiji, you are late’. Gandhi slowed down his pace, gave an annoyed look, and then walked ahead. At that moment another stout man in khaki dress pushed his way through the crowd and came right infront of Gandhi and bowed down. Manuben tried to shove him aside and shouted, ‘Bapu is already ten minutes late, why do you embarrass him?’. The man pushed her hard and then fired three (or four?) shots at Gandhi. The sound of the pistol deafened Manuben. She saw smoke all around. It took her some time to realise what just happened. Through the smoke she saw Gandhi fallen down in Abhaben’s lap. There was blood all around. Gandhi’s hands were folded as he uttered, ‘Hey Ra…ma! Hey Ra…!’

Mahatma Gandhi, standing, with his arms around two female relatives, in New Delhi, India, ca. 1947. REF: https://www.upi.com/Archives/1948/01/30/The-assassination-of-Mohandas-Gandhi/2538113714024/

'See me please in the nakedness of my working, and in my limitation, you will then know me.' - Gandhi

Godse was a young man born in a Brahmin family. He became an activist in RSS and Hindu Mahasabha. He considered Gandhi as anti-Hindu. Gandhi’s fast to release the final payment to Pakistan that was frozen after the Kashmir war was a proof that Gandhi was still very influential in Indian politics. Godse killed Gandhi to stop the laters influence that he considered was detrimental to India and Hindus. Godse said, ‘I did not hate Gandhi, I revered him because we both venerated much in Hindu religion, Hindu history and Hindu culture, we both were against superstitious aspects and the wrongs in Hinduism. Therefore I bowed before Gandhi when I met him, then performed my moral duty and killed Gandhi.’ Hundreds of people stood frozen unable to believe what they saw. An American diplomat, Herbert Reiner Jr., rushed forward and grasped Godse while the gardener Raghu Nayak pinned him down. Soon other started to pounce upon Godse and started to beat him up. The Royal Indian Armed Force men managed to arrest him and take him away before the crowd lynched him.

The trial of persons accused of participation and complicity in the assassination at the Special Court in Red Fort Delhi on 27 May 1948. Front row, left to right: Nathuram Godse, Narayan Apte, and Vishnu Ramkrishna Karkare. Seated behind, left to right: Digambar Badge, Shankar Kistaiya, Vinayak Savarkar, Gopal Godse, and Dattatraya Sadashiv Parachure. REF: Wiki

Gandhi was carried into the house by men. Due to the chaos after the attack, it took ten minutes to take Gandhi inside. By that time he had already lost a lot of blood. No doctor was available to treat him immediately. Manuben and others recited Gita beside Gandhi. Half an hour after the attack, on 30th January 1948, Gandhi breathed his last. The Statesman editorial wrote on 1 February 1948, 

“Numb with sudden tragedy, the people of India mourns their dead leader whom they lately hailed as Father of the Nation. They seem conscious as yet mainly of their loss and the love they bore him. Hearts overflow. But on many lips are questions. What does this calamity portend? He who in many past crises has been there to interpret, to counsel, to lead, is gone.” 

Godse went to court with his head held high without any sign of remorse. He proudly gave his last speech, “If devotion to one’s country amounts to a sin, I admit I have committed that sin. If it is meritorious, I humbly claim the merit thereof. I fully and confidently believe that if there be any other court of justice beyond the one founded by the mortals, my act will not be taken as unjust. If after the death there be no such place to reach or to go, there is nothing to be said. I have resorted to the action I did purely for the benefit of the humanity. I do say that my shots were fired at the person whose policy and action had brought rack and ruin and destruction to lakhs of Hindus.” He was the first person to be hanged in Independent India.

Tagore wrote a poem named 'the Child' in 1903, as if he knew. 

THE PILGRIMS are afraid.

The woman begins to cry, the men in an agony of wretchedness shout at them to stop.

Dogs break out barking and are cruelly whipped into silence broken by moans.

The night seems endless and men and women begin to wrangle as to who among them was to blame.

They shriek and shout and as they are ready to unsheathe their knives the darkness pales, the morning light overflows the mountain tops.

Suddenly they become still and gasp for breath as they gaze at the figure lying dead.

The women sob out loud and men hide their faces in their hands.

A few try to slink away unnoticed,

but their crime keeps them chained to their victim.

They ask each other in bewilderment,

'Who will show us the path?'

The old man from the East bends his head and says:

'The Victim.'

They sit still and silent.

Again speaks the old man,

'We refused him in doubt, we killed him in anger, now we shall accept him in love,

for in his death he lives in the life of us all, the great Victim.'

And they all stand up and mingle their voices and sing,

'Victory to the Victim.'

Both Gandhi and Godse died to achieve what they thought was right. For both them their mission was above their life. Gandhi cared more about individuals than a group like nation or religion. For Godse, the community was above individuals. Was Gandhi right, or was Godse right? The name Gandhi attracts a wide spectrum of emotions. Some regard Gandhi as a saint, a mahatma, who showed the whole world that battles can be won without violence. Einstein said, “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood.” Yet Gandhi had his fair share of critics. He has been labeled as a 'bastard bania', ‘sexual weirdo’ who slept with his young grandniece, and there have been protests against building his statue in London. He has been called a racist and has been accused of being in a homosexual relationship with a German bodybuilder. Gandhi has been accused by many as too religious Hindu, and others as anti-Hindu. While Gandhi fought for the outcastes (dalits), Ambedkar, a dalit, was his most fierce critic. The Father of Nation was not a great father to his own son. Subash and Gandhi parted ways, and yet Subash had immense respect for him and called him ‘Father of Nation’. Tagore and Gandhi had their own differences, but it was Tagore who named him Mahatma. Gandhi’s image is varied and contradictory, and intricately linked to the image of India. He once said, 'See me please in the nakedness of my working, and in my limitation, you will then know me.' To understand India one needs to decode the enigma of Gandhi. That is what the next few posts are going to attempt.

Ref: https://scroll.in/article/696615/farewell-mahatma-an-alternative-history-of-gandhis-assassination


Part 2: The Beginning

Part 3: The Cult of Chakra

Part 4: The Practical Man

Part 5: The Sex Maniac

Part 6: The Miracle

Part 7: Decoding Gandhi

Also Check Out:  5 Questions of the Inquisitive Apes 

Written by Subhrashis Adhikari

"Engaging and entertaining, this page-turner is remarkable in its narration and will give you a new perspective on various aspects of life. Wellresearched and heartfelt, the encouraging tone throughout the book tries to motivate towards a happier life." - Times of India

Link:

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