Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Gopal Godse, the most infamous conspirator in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi & his handwritten letter

From High school days I am writting letters to eminent personalities from various fields like art, literature, politics & others of our country.
In the same process when I was doing my M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry from Ismail Yusuf College (Mumbai)
on 7th July, 1999, I wrote a long letter to one of the most infamous personality of our country Gopal Godse. I got his address from a Marathi book from Keshav Gore Trust Library. In that letter I asked a number of questions related to the Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi, actual reasons for the assassination of Gandhiji & life after prison. I was not sure about any reply from him but I was totally surprised to see his reply which I got on 25th July, 1999. His reply is in the form of handwritten letter.


In his letter Gopalji gave me blessings for long life by writing 'Chiranjeev'. He suggest me to study his written books for the answers of questions which are asked by me in my letter. He informed me that cataract operation for his both eyes were necessary so after 2/4 days he will undergo an operation for one eye & after 2 month he will undergo for second eye. In last paragraph he informed me that he had a problem of Physics. That time he was using ancient Vedic Hindu sage Agatsya's mantras, wanted to make dry cells. From my letter he knew that I was Physical Chemistry student so he wanted my help in that invention. I was totally trilled with this kind of reply.

When I share this letter experienced with college friends & teaching staff they advised as well as warned me to not to make any kind of relation with Gopalji otherwise I have to face many unwanted problems. That time he was still under the observance of Intelligence & state CID. That time I was very serious about career.I was working hard for civil service examination & wanted to become IAS at any cost. I was the only hope of family & every one's expectation was very big from me.So I took elders advice.


Now I can feel that how lonely & isolated life lived by Gopalji. On 27th November, 2005 he died in Pune (Maharashtra).
I believe that my & also my previous generation can not evaluate that 1947-48 situation. We are ordinary common man. God only knows who was right & who was wrong.







Let us all we have to know little bit about Gopal Vinayak Godse.
Who was Gopal Gadse?


Gopal Godse was a Chitpavin brahmin born in 1919 in Khed (now Rajguru Nagar) in Pune,Maharashtra. He worked as a volunteer for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (R.S.S.) & Hindu Mahasabha without enrolling as a member. When world war II broke out, in 1940 he joined defense services as a storekeeper in the Indian Army Ordinance Corps. He opted for service on the front & served in Iran & Iraq till April 1944.

Gopal Godse & his elder brother Nathuram Godse believed that Mahatma Gandhi had turned his back on Indian independence movement at that his actions led to the partition of India which in turn led to inflammation of sectarian strife between Pakistan's Muslim's & India's Hindu's. According to Gopalji what triggered the assassination was a bomb explosion 20th January,1948 at Gandhiji's prayer meeting in Delhi, just 50 meters away from Gandhiji. The failed explosion for which Madan Lal Pahwa was caught heighten the urgency- Godse brothers wanted to finish it before Indian police caught them. Finally on 30th Jan, 1948 Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead by Nathuram Godse. Nathuram along with co-conspirator Narayan Apte was executed by hanging on 15th November,1949. Gopal Godse & two other were sentenced to life imprisoned for their major part in conspiracy. Gopalji remained in jail for 18 years. In Oct,1964 he was released from prison but after a month he was re-arrested under the Defence of India Act & kept in prison for over a year. He was finally released at the end of 1965. After released from prison, he lived with his wife Sindhu in a small apartment in Pune.


Gopal Godse lived largely on the royalties obtain from books he wrote on Mahatma Gandhi & the assassination. He wrote 9 books in Marathi & English language.

  1. Has a life convict to die in prison under Indian law? - 1961

  2. Jaya Mrityunjaya - 1969

  3. Krantikarakancha Adhyatmavad Aani Itara Lekha -1971
  4. Panchavanna Kotinche Bali (The sacrafice of 55 crores) - 1971

  5. Saine Ka Lihila Jai Rashtracha Itihaas? - 1975

  6. Lal Kilyatila Athavani - 1981

  7. Gandhi Hatya Aani Me (Gandhi's assassination & me) - 1989
  8. Qutub Minar Is Vishnu Dhwaja - 1997
  9. Phansi Aani Nathuram - 1999
He claimed that Gandhi never really said "Hey Ram!" as he was dying & this was just a ploy of the government to prove that he was indeed a staunch Hindu who deserved to be elevated to sainthood. In an interview with Time magazine he said - "Someone asked me whether Gandhi said 'Hey Ram!'. I said Kingsley (Ben Kingsley who played the role of Mahatma Gandhi in Oscar winning movie 'Gandhi') did say it but Gandhi did not because that was not a drama."

In another interview to an international media, when following question asked to him, he replied as,

Q :- Do you ever regret Mahatma Gandhi's killing?

A :- No, never.Gandhi used to claimed the partition would be over his dead body. So after partition he didn't die, we killed him. Usually an assassination of a leader is either for personal benefits or to acquire power. We killed Gandhi because he was harmful to India & it was selfless act. No one paid a single penny for it. Our love for motherland made us to do it. We are not ashamed of it.Gandhi should have been honest to admit that his life was a failure.

Gopal Godse admitted that at one point Gandhiji was his idol. He credited Gandhiji for his mass awekening that he created & that he removed the fear of prison from the mind of Indians.

7 comments:

  1. It is great misfortune of India that first India was attached by ruthless muslim invaders who destroyed temples, killed, raped and converted millions of Hindus. Like if this was not enough then they decided to stay here and completely ruined our divine culture with their animalistic religion. Then came the time of britishers who took next step by convincing our stupid and illiterate people that our culture is stupid and is invention of stupids. Later came our own person i.e. stupid(or Clever??) Gandhi who became Dev for our Indians and ruined whatever was left. Now finally the mission of muslims and christians have finally been fulfilled. Who can save stupids. No one. But our Rishi were intelligent and that is evident from the fact that they knew everything beforehand so they left India long before. for short example just see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikandar_Butshikan. Finally blind always follow blind and the person who can see, sees indeed. So who can teach blinds that what is white and what is black???

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mixed feelings.

    I always thought I lived in a free and democratic country. If that is so why was there no details in our history books about Godse other than the fact that he killed Gandhi.

    Its like I am 23 and now I get to learn the other side of the story.

    Need to carry on more research.

    Regards

    Keshav Agarwal

    ReplyDelete
  3. hi
    im a documentary maker & workin on godse & gandhi ideology. I want to meet you to know more about your conversation with gopal godse.
    aman arora

    ReplyDelete
  4. if you have book .Gandhi Hatya Aani Me (Gandhi's assassination and me) - 1989 plese
    email me on ramanandsoni933@gmail.com and or send me at on adders-parlika,teh-nohar ,distt-hanumangrah(raj)

    ReplyDelete
  5. i hv mixed feelings for gandhi and neheru . i loved what gandhi told that use own product and disobey english rules with peace fully . but also against in some part that he told bhagatsingh misguided thats was not true . i agree non violence has own capability but when some one thought ur kindness is ur weakness and always took advantage of ur goodness then u should give same treat them what they understood. protect ur self is not non violence . so in this way i am never agree with gandhi. but from childhood we hv god feelings for gandhi bcz his simple life style.........

    but i hv against to neheru for parition of India , and the polictics he played for chair of prime minister when sardar patel was elected .............but also like his love towards child............

    from childhood we learn that nathuram godes killed mahatma and we thought may be he was a muslim and thats why he killed gandhi . beacuse we read about violence after partition and how all hindu of pakisthan side lost everything and muslim killed so many hindu with out any reason.........

    when i became youger and by growing age i learned nathuram is a hindu but he killed mahatma bcz he was hurt for partition and he did not believe in gandhi that time i could not understand the pain of nathuram

    but when i saw movie which was based on violence after partition , i could not control myself . then how could nathuram able this when he was seen everything in his own eye.

    i heard story of pritiviraj and struggle of hindu who lived in pakisthan and bangladesh and crying , my heart burning due to sadness of people then how i would be imagine the emotion of those people who r at that time period ...........

    i can understand nathuram and his feelings. may be he took such a huge step by killing gandhi when india needed him but he was a real son of india and hindusim.

    ReplyDelete
  6. These Godse brothers and the like minded people who were with him never knew that Gandhi was totally helpless. He had never wished to divide India.It was not he who was the final authority to keep the India united or divided. He had to choose between a united India turning into a civil war killing thousands of innocent people or divide India. Muslim league was adamant for Pakistan formation and other leaders of Indian National congress were prevailing and persuading Gandhi to accept partition proposal in the prevailing situation. It a different matter that partition also culminated in the loss of thousands of innocent people trying to cross border or otherwise. Gandhi could not have prevented the movement for independent Pakistan for long like Britishers could not prevent movement for independent India. This was the destiny which was to happen and has happened to be remembered as history. So Godse and others were under misconception and wrong impression about Gandhi's intention and unnecessarily punished and assassinated a great soul of the earth whose ultimate motto in life was to serve the people of India and the mankind.

    ReplyDelete