Rama Rama

On January 18 a peace committee, representing all communities met and signed a pact pledging unity and the protection of life, property and faith to the Muslim minority.

Gandhi was informed of the pledge and he broke his fast.

Gandhi was staying at Birla House. Every evening he held a prayer meeting in the grounds.

During his prayer meeting on January 20, a bomb was thrown at him, but it missed its target. Gandhi constituted his prayer meeting as if nothing had happened.

“Bapuji, a bomb exploded near you, said a voice.

“Really?” Gandhi said.” Perhaps some poor fanatic threw it. Let no one look down on him”.

On January 30, after a midday nap, Gandhi woke up at 3.30 p.m. The whole day he had had a stream of visitors. Sardar Patel went to see him at 4 o’clock. Nehru and Azad were to come after the evening prayers. 

Gandhi left his room at 5 o’ clock and went towards the prayer meeting.

He passed through a cordoned –off path, accompanied by Manu and Abha, his granddaughters. As he was walking along, a youth came forward as if to seek his blessings. But he stood in front of Gandhi and at point-blank range fired three shots in quick succession. All the bullets hit him.

Gandhi fell, uttering the prayer, “Rama! Rama!”

Gandhi was dead.

The assassination gave the words a tremendous shock. Nehru told the country of Gandhi’s death his voice choked with emotion.

“Friends and comrades, the light gone out of our livers and there is darkness everywhere. I do not know what to tell you and now to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the fathers of the nation is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that. Nevertheless, we will not see him again as we have seen him for these many years….

“The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no ordinary light.

The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many years, and a thousand years later light will still be seen in this country, and the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts…”