On January 30, 1948 Nathuram Godsey killed Mahatma Gandhi at New Delhi. The reason behind his killing is explained as follows:
Godse is often a misunderstood character. He is referred to as a Hindu fanatic. It is often hard to understand Godse because the Government of India had suppressed information about him. His court statements, letters etc. were all banned from the public until recently. Judging from his writings one thing becomes very clear - He was no fanatic. His court statements are very well read out and indicate a calm and collected mental disposition. He never even once speaks ill about Gandhi as a person, but only attacks Gandhi's policies which caused ruin and untold misery to Hindus. Another interesting point to note is that Godse had been working with the Hindu refugees fleeing from Pakistan. He had seen the horrible atrocities committed on them. Many women had their hands cut off, nose cut off, even little girls had been raped mercilessly. Despite this Godse did not harm even single Muslim in India which he could easily have. So it would be a grave mistake to call him a Hindu fanatic.
Let us start by studying the motive behind Godse's act. By seeing the nature of the assassination in public space and Godse's act of turning himself over to the Police, we can see that Godse did not do this for personal reasons. He very well knew that he would be hanged and his name would be disgraced as Gandhi was considered a saint. And again Godse could have ran away and escaped punishment. But he did the reverse. He called a police officer and courted arrest. Before we proceed it would be wise to understand the backdrop of the assassination.
The central government had taken a decision - Pakistan will not be given Rs 55 crores. On January 13 Gandhi started a fast unto death that Pakistan must be given the money. On January 13, the central government changed its earlier decision and announced that Pakistan would be given the amount. On January 13, Nathuram decided to assassinate Gandhi. Nathuram Godse was a learned man, very sharp and intelligent - editor of "Agrani" (one of the most famous newspaper of that time - with Nana Aapte). In his last editorial of "Agrani" which he changed overnight - he said "Gandhi must be stopped - at any cost" and he justified why Gandhiji's assassination was not only inevitable but also a delayed action, that should've happened LONG AGO.
In Nathuram's words - " I don't refute Gandhi's theory of non-violence. He may be a saint but he is not a politician. His theory of non-violence denies self-defence and self-interest. The non-violence that defines the fight for survival as violence is a theory not of non-violence but of self-destruction. The division of the nation was an unnecessary decision. What was the percentage of the Muslim population as compared to the population of the nation? There was no need for a separate nation. Had it been a just demand, Maulana Azad would not have stayed back in India. But because Jinnah insisted and because Gandhi took his side, India was divided, in spite of opposition from the nation, the Cabinet. An individual is never greater than a nation.
In a democracy you cannot put forward your demands at knife-point. Jinnah did it and Gandhi stabbed the nation with the same knife. He dissected the land and gave a piece to Pakistan. We did picket that time but in vain. The Father of our Nation went to perform his paternal duties for Pakistan! Gandhi blackmailed the cabinet with his fast unto death. His body, his threats to die are causing the destruction - geographical as well as economical - of the nation. Today, Muslims have taken a part of the nation, tomorrow Sikhs may ask for Punjab. The religions are again dividend into castes, they will demand sub-divisions of the divisions. What remains of the concept of one nation, national integration? Why did we fight the British in unison for independence? Why not separately? Bhagat Singh did not ask only for an independent Punjab or Subhash Chandra Bose for an independent Bengal?
I am going to assassinate him in the open, before the public, because I am going to do it as my duty. If I do it surreptitiously, it becomes a crime in my own eyes. I will not try to escape, I will surrender and naturally I will be hanged. “One assassination, one hanging”, I don't want two executions for one assassination and I don't want your involvement, participation or company. (This was for Nana-Apte and Veer Savarkar as they were against ghandhi's policies too, Godse wanted to assassinate gandhi all by himself and took promise from Nana Apte that he will continue helping Veer Savarkar in rebuilding India as a strong free nation.)
On January 30, I reached Birla Bhavan at 12 pm. Gandhi was sitting outside on a cot enjoying the sunshine. Vallabhbhai Patel's granddaughter was sitting at his feet. I had the revolver with me. I could have assassinated him easily then, but I was convinced that his assassination was to be a punishment and a sentence against him, and I would execute him. I wanted witnesses for the execution but there were none. I did not want to escape after the execution, as there was not an iota of guilt in my mind. I wanted to surrender, but surrender to whom? There was a good crowd to collect for the evening prayers. I decided on the evening of January 30 as the date for Gandhi's execution.
Gandhi climbed the steps and came forward. He had kept his hands on the shoulders of the two girls. I wanted just three seconds more. I moved two steps forward and faced Gandhi. Now I wanted to take out the revolver and salute him for whatever sacrifice and service he had made for the nation. One of the two girls was dangerously close to Gandhi and I was afraid that she might be injured in the course of firing. As a precautionary measure I went one more step ahead, bowed before him and gently pushed the girl away from the firing line. The next moment I fired at Gandhi. Gandhi was very weak, there was a feeble sound like 'aah' (There are proof that Gandhi did NOT say "Hey Ram" at that time - it's just made up stuff ) from him and he fell down.
After the firing I raised my hand holding the revolver and shouted, 'Police, police'. For 30 seconds nobody came forward and I scanned the crowd. I saw a police officer. I signaled to him to come forward and arrest me. He came and caught my wrist, then a second man came and touched the revolver… I let it go…"
Thus, sixty years after the assassination of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, by Hindu revivalist Nathuram Godse, the Godse phenomenon emerges from the recesses of the past to haunt a nation that is still unsure how to cope with its history.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The unsung heroes of freedom struggle
On the occasion of India's 61st anniversary of Independence, nation pays homage to the tallest leaders of the freedon struggle like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. But there were many patrotic citizens who laid down their lives for the cause of free India even before the Independence movement gained momentum under Mahatma's leadership. We salute the memory of some of the little known warriors of freedom struggle.
1) Hari Shivaram Rajguru: Martyrdom at 23
Hari Shivaram Rajguru was an Indian revolutionary from Maharashtra. He is best known as an accomplice of Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev in the killing of a British police officer J.P. Saunders at Lahore in 1928. Saunders was murdered to take revenge for the death of veteran leader Lala Lajpat Rai due to excessive police beating. After the murder, Rajguru went into hiding in the house of an RSS worker in Nagpur.But after some days he went to Pune and later was arrested there. All the three were convicted of the crime and hanged in Lahore Central Jail on March 23, 1931. At the time of his martyrdom, Rajguru was hardly 23 years of age. The execution of the young revolutionaries was regarded as a national disaster and national mourning was observed throughout the country.
2) Sukhdev: Brutality even after hanging
Sukhdev Thapar was hanged along with Bhagat Singh and Shivram Rajguru, for killing a British police officer J.P. Saunders in 1928. They were done to death against all norms of hanging. The dead bodies were secretly taken away by breaking the back walls of the jail and were seceretly burnt on the banks of River Satluj at Hussainiwala, about 50 miles away from Lahore. The bodies were cut into pieces to make the burial quick.Sukhdev also participated in the 1929 Prison hunger strike to protest against the inhuman treatment of inmates. His letter to Mahatma Gandhi written just prior to his hanging, protesting against the latter's disapproval of revolutionary tactics, reveals the disparities between the two major schools of thought among Indian freedom fighers.
3) Khudiram Bose: Smiling at the gallows
Khudiram Bose was a Bengali Indian freedom fighter, one of the youngest revolutionaries in the early Indian independence movement. He was disillusioned with the British following the partition of Bengal conflagration in 1905. At the nascent age of sixteen, Bose defied police by planting bombs near police stations and targeting government officials. He was arrested three years later on charges of conducting a series of bomb attacks. After a pretense of a trial lasting two months, Khudiram was sentenced to death and hanged on August 11, 1908. But the one thing that surprised everyone was that as he was hanged he was still smiling. And to this, the Bengali poet Kaji Najrul Islam wrote a poem to honor him.
4) Jatindranath Mukherjee: A proclaimed `terrorist'
Jatindranath Mukherjee was a Bengali Indian revolutionary philosopher who fought against the British rule. He was the principal leader of the Yugantar party that was the central association of revolutionaries in Bengal. Having personally met the German Crown-Prince in Calcutta shortly before the World War I, he obtained the promise of arms and ammunition from Germany. As such, he was responsible for the planned German Plot during World War I. Another of his contributions was the indoctrination of the Indian soldiers in various regiments in favour of an insurrection. Jatin, together with fellow revolutionaries, set up a terrorist bomb factory near Deoghar, with the aim of eliminating certain Indian and British officers serving the Crown. The British police launched an extensive manhunt to quell the Yugantar uprising and Jatin fell to their bullets on September 10, 1915.
5)Captain Lakshmi: Netaji's Rani of Jhansi
Dr Lakshmi Sahgal, better known as Captain Lakshmi, was an activist of the Indian independence movement and a close associate of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. A doctor by profession, Captain Lakshmi came into the limelight in India towards the end of World War II for her role as the commander of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the INA and her role as a minister in Subhas Bose's Azad Hind government. She later became involved in politics in independent India, serving as a member of parliament in the Upper House and later unsuccessfully running for President as a left wing candidate.
6)Rash Behari Bose: INA's backbone
Rash Behari Bose was a revolutionary leader against the British Raj in India and was one of the key organisers of the Ghadar conspiracy and later, the Indian National Army. It was on the organisational spadework of Rashbehari Bose that Subhash Chandra Bose built the Indian National Army. He was hunted by the colonial police due to his active participation in the failed bomb throwing attempt directed at the Governor General and Viceroy Lord Charles Hardinge in Delhi. During World War I, he became extensively involved as one of the leading figures of the Ghadar Conspiracy that attempted to trigger a mutiny in Inda in February 1915. Trusted and tried Ghadrites were sent to several cantonments to infiltrate into the army. The revolution failed and most of the revolutionaries were arrested. But Rash Behari managed to escape British intelligence and reached Japan in 1915. Bose was instrumental in persuading the Japanese authorities to stand by the Indian nationalists and ultimately to support actively the Indian freedom struggle abroad.
7)Lala Lajpat Rai: The Lion of Punjab
Lala Lajpat Rai, popularly known as Punjab Kesari(The Lion of Punjab), was one of the most prominent Hindu Nationalist members of the Indian National Congress, who fought for, and gave their lives during the Indian independence movement in the first half of the twentieth century. Rai led the Punjab protests against the Amritsar Massacre and the Non-Cooperation Movement. He was repeatedly arrested. Rai however disagreed with Mahatma Gandhi's suspension of the movement due to the Chauri Chaura incident, and formed the Congress Independence Party, which was particularly pro-Hindu in voice and policy. He was one of the victims of a brutal lathi charge unleased while leading a demonstration against the Simon commission. He succumbed to the fatal injuries on November 17, 1928. His death led to great disturbances in the country and it inspired national struggle for freedom.
8)Maulana Azad: Champion of Hindu-Muslim amity
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a Muslim scholar and a senior political leader of the Indian independence movement. He was one of the most prominent Muslim leaders to support Hindu-Muslim unity, opposing the partition of India on communal lines. Azad was one of the main organisers of the Dharasana Satyagraha in 1931. He served as Congress President from 1940 to 1945, during which the Quit India rebellion was launched and Azad was imprisoned with the entire Congress leadership for three years. Amidst communal turmoil following the partition of India, he worked for religious harmony. Azad took up responsibility for the safety of Muslims in India, touring affected areas in Bengal, Bihar, Assam and the Punjab, guiding the organisation of refugee camps, supplies and security. Azad gave speeches to large crowds encouraging peace and calm in the border areas and encouraging Muslims across the country to remain in India and not fear for their safety and security.
1) Hari Shivaram Rajguru: Martyrdom at 23
Hari Shivaram Rajguru was an Indian revolutionary from Maharashtra. He is best known as an accomplice of Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev in the killing of a British police officer J.P. Saunders at Lahore in 1928. Saunders was murdered to take revenge for the death of veteran leader Lala Lajpat Rai due to excessive police beating. After the murder, Rajguru went into hiding in the house of an RSS worker in Nagpur.But after some days he went to Pune and later was arrested there. All the three were convicted of the crime and hanged in Lahore Central Jail on March 23, 1931. At the time of his martyrdom, Rajguru was hardly 23 years of age. The execution of the young revolutionaries was regarded as a national disaster and national mourning was observed throughout the country.
2) Sukhdev: Brutality even after hanging
Sukhdev Thapar was hanged along with Bhagat Singh and Shivram Rajguru, for killing a British police officer J.P. Saunders in 1928. They were done to death against all norms of hanging. The dead bodies were secretly taken away by breaking the back walls of the jail and were seceretly burnt on the banks of River Satluj at Hussainiwala, about 50 miles away from Lahore. The bodies were cut into pieces to make the burial quick.Sukhdev also participated in the 1929 Prison hunger strike to protest against the inhuman treatment of inmates. His letter to Mahatma Gandhi written just prior to his hanging, protesting against the latter's disapproval of revolutionary tactics, reveals the disparities between the two major schools of thought among Indian freedom fighers.
3) Khudiram Bose: Smiling at the gallows
Khudiram Bose was a Bengali Indian freedom fighter, one of the youngest revolutionaries in the early Indian independence movement. He was disillusioned with the British following the partition of Bengal conflagration in 1905. At the nascent age of sixteen, Bose defied police by planting bombs near police stations and targeting government officials. He was arrested three years later on charges of conducting a series of bomb attacks. After a pretense of a trial lasting two months, Khudiram was sentenced to death and hanged on August 11, 1908. But the one thing that surprised everyone was that as he was hanged he was still smiling. And to this, the Bengali poet Kaji Najrul Islam wrote a poem to honor him.
4) Jatindranath Mukherjee: A proclaimed `terrorist'
Jatindranath Mukherjee was a Bengali Indian revolutionary philosopher who fought against the British rule. He was the principal leader of the Yugantar party that was the central association of revolutionaries in Bengal. Having personally met the German Crown-Prince in Calcutta shortly before the World War I, he obtained the promise of arms and ammunition from Germany. As such, he was responsible for the planned German Plot during World War I. Another of his contributions was the indoctrination of the Indian soldiers in various regiments in favour of an insurrection. Jatin, together with fellow revolutionaries, set up a terrorist bomb factory near Deoghar, with the aim of eliminating certain Indian and British officers serving the Crown. The British police launched an extensive manhunt to quell the Yugantar uprising and Jatin fell to their bullets on September 10, 1915.
5)Captain Lakshmi: Netaji's Rani of Jhansi
Dr Lakshmi Sahgal, better known as Captain Lakshmi, was an activist of the Indian independence movement and a close associate of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. A doctor by profession, Captain Lakshmi came into the limelight in India towards the end of World War II for her role as the commander of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the INA and her role as a minister in Subhas Bose's Azad Hind government. She later became involved in politics in independent India, serving as a member of parliament in the Upper House and later unsuccessfully running for President as a left wing candidate.
6)Rash Behari Bose: INA's backbone
Rash Behari Bose was a revolutionary leader against the British Raj in India and was one of the key organisers of the Ghadar conspiracy and later, the Indian National Army. It was on the organisational spadework of Rashbehari Bose that Subhash Chandra Bose built the Indian National Army. He was hunted by the colonial police due to his active participation in the failed bomb throwing attempt directed at the Governor General and Viceroy Lord Charles Hardinge in Delhi. During World War I, he became extensively involved as one of the leading figures of the Ghadar Conspiracy that attempted to trigger a mutiny in Inda in February 1915. Trusted and tried Ghadrites were sent to several cantonments to infiltrate into the army. The revolution failed and most of the revolutionaries were arrested. But Rash Behari managed to escape British intelligence and reached Japan in 1915. Bose was instrumental in persuading the Japanese authorities to stand by the Indian nationalists and ultimately to support actively the Indian freedom struggle abroad.
7)Lala Lajpat Rai: The Lion of Punjab
Lala Lajpat Rai, popularly known as Punjab Kesari(The Lion of Punjab), was one of the most prominent Hindu Nationalist members of the Indian National Congress, who fought for, and gave their lives during the Indian independence movement in the first half of the twentieth century. Rai led the Punjab protests against the Amritsar Massacre and the Non-Cooperation Movement. He was repeatedly arrested. Rai however disagreed with Mahatma Gandhi's suspension of the movement due to the Chauri Chaura incident, and formed the Congress Independence Party, which was particularly pro-Hindu in voice and policy. He was one of the victims of a brutal lathi charge unleased while leading a demonstration against the Simon commission. He succumbed to the fatal injuries on November 17, 1928. His death led to great disturbances in the country and it inspired national struggle for freedom.
8)Maulana Azad: Champion of Hindu-Muslim amity
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a Muslim scholar and a senior political leader of the Indian independence movement. He was one of the most prominent Muslim leaders to support Hindu-Muslim unity, opposing the partition of India on communal lines. Azad was one of the main organisers of the Dharasana Satyagraha in 1931. He served as Congress President from 1940 to 1945, during which the Quit India rebellion was launched and Azad was imprisoned with the entire Congress leadership for three years. Amidst communal turmoil following the partition of India, he worked for religious harmony. Azad took up responsibility for the safety of Muslims in India, touring affected areas in Bengal, Bihar, Assam and the Punjab, guiding the organisation of refugee camps, supplies and security. Azad gave speeches to large crowds encouraging peace and calm in the border areas and encouraging Muslims across the country to remain in India and not fear for their safety and security.
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