76th Death Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

76th Death Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

GS-I: Indian Modern History

(UPSC/State PSC)

Important for Prelims:

76th death anniversary of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Historical introduction of Mahatma Gandhi, Champaran Movement, Non-Cooperation Movement, Overseas Indian Day, Rowlatt Act, Dandi March and Civil Disobedience Movement, Quit India Movement, Poona Pact, Rajghat, Martyr's Day, Nathuram Godse, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh..

Important for Mains:

Historical introduction of Mahatma Gandhi, major contribution of Gandhiji in the freedom movement, relevance of Gandhi's thoughts, conclusion.

January 30, 2024

Context:

On the occasion of the 76th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, the priest of truth and non-violence, who paved the way for India's independence through Swadeshi and self-reliance, the Government of India paid tribute at Rajghat on 30 January.

  • It is noteworthy that on January 30, 1948, Nathuram Godse, a staunch supporter of Hindu nationalism, shot Mahatma Gandhi while he was going for a prayer meeting at Birla House in Delhi. Mahatma Gandhi was 78 years old at that time.
  • Nathuram had fired three bullets into Gandhiji's chest from very close range, due to which the Father of the Nation died.

About Nathuram Godse:

  • Nathuram Godse was born in a Brahmin family. He dropped out of high school. Then he joined the freedom struggle. It is claimed that Godse was also associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) along with his brothers. Later he formed his own organization by the name of 'Hindu Rashtriya Dal' whose objective was to fight for independence.
  • Godse also published his own newspaper named 'Hindu Rashtra'. He had great interest in writing. His thoughts and articles were published in many newspapers.
  • Initially he was a staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi. When Gandhiji launched the Civil Disobedience Movement, he not only supported the movement but also participated in it enthusiastically. Later he turned against Gandhiji. It stuck in his mind that Gandhiji had repeatedly strangled Hindu interests with his 'fast unto death' policy.

Why did Godse kill Mahatma Gandhi:

  • Many theories are given about Gandhiji's assassination. Many articles have been written on it and murder has been mentioned repeatedly in court proceedings. But what was the real reason behind the murder, nothing has been known exactly till now. A lot of ink has been wasted to find out at the behest of which political party this happened, but no one has been able to reach a concrete conclusion. By the way, it is said that he had tried to assassinate Gandhiji many times before but did not succeed. On January 30, he succeeded in achieving his objective.

Some possible reasons behind the murder:

Division of the country:

  • It is believed that these were some of the reasons due to which Nathuram murdered Gandhiji.
  • He believed that Gandhiji was responsible for the partition of the country. Godse felt that Gandhiji got the country divided in order to create a good image for himself on both sides.
  • Godse also believed that the then government was appeasing Muslims unfairly and all this was happening because of Gandhiji's policies.

Kashmir problem/issue:

  • Godse became very tense when he came to know that despite the Kashmir problem, Jinnah had given consent to Gandhiji's visit to Pakistan. He felt that all this was happening because Gandhiji had too much compassion towards Muslims and did not care about the feelings of Hindus. Godse himself had said about Gandhiji, 'He may be a saint but he is not a politician.'
  • An argument is also made that the Congress members had decided not to give Rs 55 crore to Pakistan despite the promise. Gandhiji wanted Congress to reverse that decision. He had also threatened to fast unto death for this. Godse felt that Gandhiji was doing this for the Muslims.

Godse's punishment:

  • After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Godse was arrested and put on trial. His trial took place in the Punjab High Court on November 8, 1949. On November 15, 1949, he was given death sentence in Ambala jail.

About Mahatma Gandhi:

  • He was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar (Gujarat).
  • He was a renowned lawyer, politician, social activist and writer who led India's nationalist movement against British rule.
  • In South Africa (1893-1915), he established a new method of mass movement i.e. 'Satyagraha' and with this he successfully fought the racist regime.
  • He returned to India from South Africa on January 9, 1915.
  • ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas’ is organized every year on 9 January to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India.

Satyagraha Movement in India:

  • Champaran Movement: In the year 1917, he traveled to Champaran in Bihar to fight against the oppressive system of farmers cultivating indigo.
  • ‘Rowlett Act’ (1919): In the year 1919 he decided to launch a nationwide Satyagraha against the proposed ‘Rowlett Act’ (1919).
  • Non-cooperation Movement (1920-22): In September 1920, in the Calcutta session of the Congress, a non-cooperation movement was started in support of Khilafat and Swaraj.
  • Dandi March and Civil Disobedience Movement: After the end of the Non-Cooperation Movement, in the year 1930, Mahatma Gandhi focused on the Dandi March and Civil Disobedience Movement for his social reforms.
  • Quit India Movement: During the Second World War (1939–45) announced the Quit India Movement to gain freedom from British rule.
  • Harijan Sevak Sangh: For the upliftment of the untouchables, he established the Harijan Sevak Sangh and gave a new name to the untouchables - 'Harijan', which means 'children of God'.
  • Poona Pact: On 24 September 1932, ‘B.R. Ambedkar negotiated the ‘Poona Pact’ with Mahatma Gandhi.
  • Major Books: The major books edited by Gandhiji are Hind Swaraj, Mere Experiments with Truth (autobiography).
  • Martyr's Day: Gandhiji's death anniversary is celebrated as Martyrs' Day on 30 January across the country.

Relevance of Gandhi's ideas in the 21st century:

  • Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts, which presented the excellence of Indian civilization in its entirety, not only inspired people across the world but also played an important role in changing India and the world from the perspective of compassion and peace.
  • By adopting Gandhiji's concept of truth, the country can move forward in the direction of national transformation.
  • According to Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, non-violence means not hurting anyone with mind, speech or body. His opinion was that instead of violence, our demands could be easily fulfilled through non-violence.
  • Gandhi's ideas on cleanliness, published in Young India in 1926, are currently playing the role of inspiration for the cleanliness campaigns of governments.
  • In today's era, the whole world is engaged in the search of an exploitation-free, caste-free, violence-free society, which can be realized only through Gandhi's concept of Sarvodaya.
  • Gandhi's concept of Swaraj has empowered rural areas through Gram Panchayats.
  • Gandhi's trusteeship principle provides a means of economic justice between the rich, the poor and the helpless.
  • Gandhi's Swadeshi model can be taken as self-reliance.

​Conclusion:

Bapu selflessly dedicated his life to the nation. The life story of Mahatma Gandhi was full of courage and righteousness. Gandhiji's messages of peace and harmony are relevant even today and his thoughts will continue to inspire the countrymen to sacrifice and dedicate themselves for the nation.

Source: Indian Express

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Mains Question:

In the light of the 76th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, mention his major contributions to the Indian independence movement and the relevance of Gandhian ideas in the 21st century.