Known the world over the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, Nathuram Godse was a nationalist born into a brahmin family in Pune in the year 1910. He was a member of RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangha) and then, The Hindu Mahasabha. Godse is also known for starting a Marathi newspaper called Agrani which was later renamed as Hindu Rashtra. Proud of his culture and heritage, Nathuram Godse actively worked to abolish untouchability and the caste system. During his college days, Nathuram joined RSS and its wing of anti-caste movements and maintained that all Hindus were of equal status irrespective of the caste that were born into. He actively attended gatherings with people belonging to different religions. Nathuram Godse was well-read and familiar with the ideologies of Marxism and Socialism. Having studied closely the writings and the speeches of Veer Savarkar and Gandhi, Nathuram realized that the purpose of his life was to serve Hinduism and secure freedom for the Hindus. He believed that safeguarding the interest of Hindus would eventually lead to freedom and the well-being of the country. This conviction caused him to devote himself to the cause of the nation.
Since the very beginning, Nathuram was resentful towards Gandhi's approach to the National movement. What confounded Godse was the hypocrisy that he thought lay at the roots of the movement. How could one man or even a group of people ever diligently adhere to the principles of the truth and non-violence in the mass struggle when adhering to these principles in daily life was close to impossible. Godse said, " These childish insanities and obstinacies, coupled with the most severe austerity of life, ceaseless work, and lofty character made Gandhi formidable and irresistible." Godse also condemned Gandhi for initiating a new national language called Hindustan instead of Hindi. Godse resented this experiment as he felt it was being initiated at the expense of the Hindus.
The national struggle reached its climax by the partition of the country. This event escalated matters and angered Godse was convinced that Gandhi had failed in his duty by consenting to the partition of the country. He knew that without Gandhi, the country would be more practical in its approaches and would be powerful with its armed forces. He was impeding the growth of the country. Thus, On the 30th of January 1948, Godse shot Gandhi and killed him disregarding the fact that his future would be ruined and that he would be hated for the generation to come. To him, his moral duty was more important than his life. before being sentenced to death, Nathuram Godse took full responsibility for his action and asked for no mercy. he was sentenced to death on the 8th of November 1949 and was hanged on 15th of November 1949 along with co-conspirator Narayan Apte.
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