Ahimsa, the mark of the man

Sixty seven years ago, Gandhiji fell to an assassin’s bullet. The nation was plunged into gloom. Remembering the greatness of a man who lived by his non-violent principles.

January 29, 2015 05:12 pm | Updated 05:12 pm IST

The Pistol with which Nathuram Vinayak Godse assasinated Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, in 1948. Photo: The Hindu Archives

The Pistol with which Nathuram Vinayak Godse assasinated Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, in 1948. Photo: The Hindu Archives

On the evening of January 30, 1948, when three bullets pierced through the fragile body of a 78-year-old man, a nation was ripped apart. The nation fell into darkness deepened and the nation mourned the death of a visionary and great leader.

Martyrs’ Day is observed in remembrance of the countless men and women who laid down their lives for their nation, and varies from country to country.

In India, January 30 — the day Mahatma Gandhi was killed is marked as Martyrs’ Day.

Dark day

On that poignant day in our nation’s history, Gandhiji was on his way to offer evening prayers at the Birla House, now Rajghat, in New Delhi. It was like any other day, but the events that were to unfold would jolt everyone out of their complacency. The tragedy and shock that the horrifying incident would cause was unforeseen.

When a man, Nathuram Godse, made his way through the crowd that surrounded Bapu, he was believed to be one among Gandhiji’s many followers wanting to touch the great leader’s feet. Godse was, in fact, an extremist Hindu nationalist, who believed that Gandhiji favoured the Muslim community and despised his ideals. He retrieved a pistol that was concealed in his khakhis and shot Gandhiji at point blank range, three times. It was 5:17 p.m.

As the crowd looked on in shock, Gandhiji fell to the ground. Chaos and confusion followed. The Mahatma, our beloved Bapu, was no more.

Jawaharlal Nehru, our then Prime Minister, in a radio announcement said, “The light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere... Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of the nation, is no more...”

Darkness had well and truly set in.

People came in lakhs and followed the funeral procession all the way to Rajghat to bid farewell to Gandhiji. And at Rajghat, he was laid to rest.

Mahatma Gandhi was a man who had strived to bring forth a sense of nationalism when lethargy had taken over the Indian conscience, and awakened the nation to fight for its freedom. World leaders have known to follow the footsteps of Gandhi in their struggle for freedom and social welfare. And there was only one thing in his arsenal that he used — ahimsa or non-violence.

Homage

On this day, citizens pay respect to the Mahatma and the people who sacrificed their lives for the country. From the President and Prime Minister, to the general public, everyone pays homage to Bapu and offers prayers at his memorial at Rajghat. The day is commemorated by prayers and singing bhajans in memory of the “Father of the Nation”, and a two-minute silence is observed at 11 a.m.

Officers of the armed forces also gather at the India Gate to salute our soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Did you know?

> The pistol used by Nathuram Godse to assassinate Gandhiji was a Beretta 9 mm semiautomatic.

>“Hey Ram”, which loosely translates to “Oh God”, were Gandhiji’s last words.

>Other dates are also observed as Martyrs’ Day in India. March 23 is the death anniversary of freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Shivram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar, and is observed as Martyrs’ Day by some.

>In Orissa, the death anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai, who died on November 17, 1928, is also marked as Martyrs’ Day.

November 19 is also observed as the birth anniversary of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi.

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