Introduction

Words cannot do justice to the man that was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Fondly called Bapu, he is
the Father of our Nation, and is remembered as one of the greatest leaders of the 20
th
century. He was a
moral and spiritual activist who awakened Indias impoverished millions to fight non-violently for their
freedom more than a century ago and to this day gives heart and hope to billions everywhere. Gandhi still
stands as the power of spirit, no armies, propaganda, institution, pomp, ceremony or outer
impressiveness- just the sheer power of the atma. He led mass movements like the Civil Disobedience
and Quit India against the oppressive British regime and it was due to his sacrifices that India formally
attained Independence on the 15
th
of August, 1947.
But while millions celebrated on the streets, Gandhi did what he was best at, serve people. He fought with
clean weapons, his satya (truth) and ahimsa (non- violence), and emerged victorious. But the dawn in the
east came up blood red. The independence of India came with a huge price that Gandhi never wanted his
beloved Nation to pay. With independence came partition where West Punjab and East Bengal were
severed from the body of India to become West and East Pakistan respectively. Partition led to mass
migrations which were accompanied by mass slaughter. Partition happened because of the communal
politics in Indias freedom struggle. And these communal tensions plagued not only the borders affected
but also created an internal strife in India. Gandhi tried his best to solve most of these problems and
worked meticulously in his last days. Many scholars also agree that his last days were among his finest.
He helped refugees in Bengal, helped calm down communal riots in Bihar and finally came to Delhi.
Delhi in 1948 was in midst of a civil war and many considered it to be the nerve centre of communal
problems which was surrounded with a depression and hate laden atmosphere. Mahatma Gandhi stayed at
the Birla House in central Delhi and gave speeches at his prayer meetings preaching secular teachings and
tried his best to correct the environment, India and the world listened and hung upon every word as upon
an oracle.
It was the curse of communalism which pained Gandhi upto his death. The agony born out of his mission
to propagate secularism became deeper because he died at the hands of a communal Hindu young man for
the mission that he lived for. The assassin, Nathuram Godse, sought to stop the Mahatma and his
legendary ideas but he only succeeded in freeing the ideas and spirit of the Mahatma from his frail body
and making them the possession of the human race. The assassin shot Mahatma Gandhi into immortality
and the Mahatma marched into the soul of humanity.
Almost as many were won to an allegiance to him in his death as they were when he was alive. His death
won millions of unconverted, convinced the half- hearted and set on fire his followers. But his death also
proved that there will always remain some ignorant individuals with a narrow perspective of the world
who will continue to strike down the good. Bernard Shaw summed it all up in a biting comment on his
death, It is dangerous to be good.