17:17 on 30th January, 1948

30^th January, 19:45

Name of the Prosecutor: Nandlal Mehta s/o Nathalal Mehta
Crime Section: IPC 302
Location: Birla House, Delhi

Front Page of The Time of India after Gandhi's assassination

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi a.k.a. Bapu, was shot dead by Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a Chitpavan Brahmin from Pune. There have been many articles (and books) written and much ink has been spilled on “Who was Godse?”, “Why did he kill Gandhi?”, “Was Godse member of RSS or Hindu Mahasabha?, “Who else were involved in assassination plot?”. But what happened on last day?

The most acclaimed movie – Gandhi!! It begins on the day of Gandhi's assassination on 30 January 1948. After an evening prayer, an elderly Gandhi is helped out for his evening walk to meet a large number of greeters and admirers. One of these visitors, Nathuram Godse, shoots him point blank in the chest. Gandhi exclaims, "Hey Ram!", and then falls dead. The film then cuts to a huge procession at his funeral, which is attended by dignitaries from around the world. Today is 30^th January 2017 – the world is entering 70^th year of Gandhi’s death, here is what happened on the last day in Gandhi’s life.

News in The New York Time after Gandhi's assassination

Friday, 30^th January 1948

03:30 Gandhi woke up from his wooden bed for morning prayer. (It wasn’t a bed as such. It was just a small wooden rectangle lying on the ground.) He asks other companions, Vrijkrushna Chandiwala, Manu and Aabha, to wake up. After the prayer, he comes to his permanent room in Birla House taking Manu and Aabha’s support. In his room, he revises draft of Congress’ Constitution Structure and made some required changes.

04:45 He drank warm lime water.

05:45 He drank Orange juice and asked for the Correspondence file to see the letter which he wrote to Kishorlal Mashroowala

During those days, Gandhi used to take Clove powder with Jaggery to cure cough. That day the powder was not available and Manu started making the powder. Gandhi asked Manu – What are you doing? She said, “I will come with you little later. Let me make this or else you won’t have it when you need tonight.” Gandhi replied, “Who knows what is going to happen till tonight? I may or may not be alive. If I am alive till night, you can make it later in the evening.”

07:00 Gandhi’s first meeting with Rajan Nehru, who came from America.

08:00 Went for Massage. On the way, he dropped the revised draft of Congress’s Constitution Structure to his Personal Secretary Pyarelal’s room and asked to make the required changes.

09.00 Gandhi took bath and Manu weighed Gandhi – he was weighing 109 pounds.

09.30 Gandhi took his morning meal – Goat milk, some vegetables, orange, tomatoes, basil juice, ginger etc. During the meal, he deeply checked the draft which he received from Pyarelal and asked to correct some numbers of Panchayat leaders.

10.00 Gandhi spent time in daily practice for writing and learning Bengali language. He took some rest before meeting the people who came to visit him. While talking to some moulvies he mentioned about a visit to Vardha but he also added – if and only if God wishes his visit. If something unexpected happens, it’s a different story then. He also asked Bishan to give all the letters which have come on his name. He wanted to address all of them the same day.

12.00 He slept for some time in warm sunlight of January and put a soil-based plaster on his stomach. He drank Carrot juice and lime juice and met some blind and refugee people.

14.15 The meetings started again. Two Punjabis came and discussed about situation of Harijans in their state. A representative from Srilanka came to meet him with his daughter. They discussed about Srilanka’s independence on 14^th February and asked for a message for the same occasion. The representative’s daughter took Gandhi’s signature which became his last autograph.

16.00 Gandhi finished all the meetings and Sardar Patel came with his daughter Maniben to meet Bapu. They discussed many different topics.

16.30 Aabha brought the last meal for the Gandhi – goat milk, some cooked and uncooked vegetables, orange, butter, ginger and lime. Gandhi took his last meal while talking to Sardar Patel. During this, two Kathiyawadi men came to meet Gandhi. Manu asked his permission, but Gandhi replied – if I am alive after my evening prayer, I will meet them. Gandhi asked for his Charkha (the spinning wheel) and lovingly worked with it.

17:00 Aabha showed the clock to Gandhi and he stood up, became ready for evening prayer. He wore his chappals.

Everyday Gandhi used to go through main door, but today he went through small door to reduce the walking time. Thousands of people joined him for prayer. Between the crowd, there was a man who came just in front of Gandhi. He bowed and said – Namaste Gandhiji! Bapu just smiled and did Namaste to him. Manu realized that this man wants to touch Bapu’s feet so she mentioned, “Bapu is already getting late for the evening prayer. Why are you annoying?". Godse just pushed Manu with his left hand. The revolver in his right pocket of the pant was visible now. Manu fell off and all the things in her hand were shattered. Manu just bent to take the beads and…….three shots were heard and rest is history. 

There were only 168 days since India became independent till Gandhi’s death. If we analyze Gandhi’s last few days, speeches, lectures and people addresses, we realize that Gandhi was not very happy. He somehow always knew that his last moment is coming very soon.

I only have sorrow in my heart. There was a time when everyone agreed to all my thoughts and commands. Today no one is listening to me. (2^nd October 1947)

Everyone has to die. Today or tomorrow. Why are we afraid of it? (9^th January 1948)

Even if I am attacked, police doesn’t help me, even if I am shot – I should be stable and take Ramnaam. Let God give me such power. (21^st January 1948)

I want peace, not unrest or else I prefer to die in unrest (29^th January 1948)

We, the People!!

          “I love my country and, I am proud of its rich and varied heritage” – this is the third line of our National Pledge. Yes, we live in a country with Diversity. Every Indian recites the National Pledge during School times but after growing-up somehow it does not gel well.  America's leading dictionary publisher, Merriam Webster, announced its top ten Words of the Year for 2014. Out of 10, two words - ‘Culture’ (which topped the list) and ‘Feminism’ (on 5^th position) are related to Diversity and Inclusion. Paulo Coelho’s quote defines Culture very appropriately - Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers.

          Our ancestors have always tried to include aspects of other philosophies into our culture but Sectarianism and fanaticism have always been repugnant to the spirit of India. The central theme of Vivekananda’s celebrated Chicago address was precisely that. Religion and Gender – are the two most widely spread Taboo in our country. Our Stereotype mentality and prejudice are the two culprits when it comes to Religion. A Hindu reads only Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagvada Gita. Why? Can’t they read Bible and Quran? What is wrong if a Muslim wants to read and understand any Hindu mythological book? If a Christian lady likes Lord Krishna’s childhood photos, what is wrong in that? The Rig Veda proclaims, “Ekam Sat, Vipra Bahuda Vadanti” – One truth, many ways of reaching it. Going back to ancient times, one of the earliest exponents of religious tolerance was Ashoka. Even though he became a Buddhist, he did not altogether discard his Hindu legacy. Akbar loved to interact with followers of other religions and was deeply influenced by them. Today we and our religious sentiments are hurt by just a 2-hrs film. Recently, Aamir Khan's movie PK and Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam created many controversies. The revolutionary significance of the Guru Granth Sahib (or Adi Granth) has not been adequately appreciated. It is that holy book which demolishes all boundaries. Its vision is inclusive and shows compositions of not only Sikh Gurus but also several saint-poets.

(Image Courtesy: www.fastcompany.com)

           Gender inequality is also part of our stereotype mind. Boys like only Blue color – Blue Jeans, Blue bed, Blue bag and girls like only Pink color. If a boy wears pink color, people stare at him as if he is a gay! Blue is for boys and pink is for girls – we need to break this stereotype. If a female thinks that a male cannot cook food, she should go and check the list of best chefs in the world. Most of them are male. Similarly, if a man is driving car and sees a woman driving car behind or ahead, he would try to go away from there. Why? If your sister, mother or wife is driving car, do you follow the same rules? Inclusion starts with “I”. Speaking of Gender, Sexual Orientation is also a prominent subject. Chapter XVI, Section 377 of the IPC dating back to 1860, introduced during the British rule of India, criminalizes sexual activities "against the order of nature", arguably including homosexual acts. The sexual orientation is totally dependent on human nature and should not cause any harm to others. Hindu mythology has many examples - In Mahabharata, the character of Shikhandi is a transsexual. Shikhandi was born as Shikhandini but was raised as a man by her father Drupada, who was ordered to do so by a divine voice. Also, Yellama or Brinhala is the transgender form of Arjuna.

          Racism is one meaningful point to discuss when we talk about Diversity. Couple of years back, KBC team aired an ad showing the racist attacks on the North Eastern people. And that is the cruel reality! Students who migrate from north eastern part of India to other states in the same country often face racist comments. After continuous protest the Ministry of Home Affairs had asked all the states and union territories to book anyone who commits an act of atrocity against people from the region under the SC and ST Act and the person can end up being behind the bars for 5 years. Big question here is, do we stand up for someone who’s being racially abused if it happened right in front of us? The ‘Dotbusters’ was a hate group in Jersey City, New Jersey, that attacked and threatened South Asians, particularly Indians in the fall of 1987. The name originated from the fact that traditional Hindu women and girls wear Bindi on their forehead. The similar comments rose when Nina Davuluri's victory made her the first contestant of Indian heritage to hold the Miss America crown in 2013. A lot of the tweets were attacks on the fact that she is the first woman of Indian descent to win the pageant and wear the crown. She was referred to as “the Arab” by some and other commenters noted “This is America, not India.” Davuluri brushed it all off in her first news conference after winning the crown. “I'm so happy this organization has embraced diversity,” she said. As for the negativity, she said, “I have to rise above that. I always viewed myself as first and foremost American.” This is the way to fight racism. We have to rise above it, that’s it! If country was THE issue, why would the poems from a poor garage mechanic of Afghanistan be translated and published in New York Times? Yes, google it! ‘Matiullah Turab’ works in a garage in Afghanistan and shapes metals as well as hard words. Remember, we are not “Shipping Material” – so COO (Country of Origin) or region of origin should not matter.

          Discriminating on the basis of ability should be banned too. This year Ms. Ira Singhal is All India Topper of UPSC Civil Services examination. She is differently abled, and she has created history by becoming the first differently abled person to top the civil services exam. On the other side, Gujarat’s most prominent community, who is healthy and wealthy, is asking for reservations. We are a country full of emotional people, however at times; we are fueled by fanaticism and anger on topics which we know nothing about! The crux of the matter is that in our hearts, we all are compassionate and love to love people, but external environment forces us to behave in certain unacceptable ways. Jihad is one famous word, which has come from Arabic culture, meaning ‘to strive’. But many people correlate Jihad with aggressive military action. For Prophet Muhammad, Jihad had two types: Greatest Jihad (the struggle to elevate oneself spiritually and morally, which has nothing to do with violence) and Lesser Jihad (the defense of one’s family and community in the face of attack).

          Finally, everyone rise on the basis of skill and talent only. Nobody is totally perfect, but tiny perfections from each individual can help winning a game in a specific way. Cherry Picking is good but not for office culture. It may be good for a lawyer who then wins the case based on the selection only. Job grade is a vital term in corporate culture. Whichever Job Grade you belong to, whenever you receive a calendar invite, it is your responsibility to respect it and reply back by accepting or declining. Diversity simply means Different Individual Valuing Each other Regardless of Skin Intellect Talents or Years.

ईश्वर की लाठी

            परिमल वर्मा और देवकी वर्मा पिछले २६ सालों से उज्जैनके गोवर्धननगरमें रहेते थे। मुलतः वे बलिया के रहनेवाले थे, पर खुदका बिजनेस शुरु करने के चक्करमें सालों से उज्जैनमें ही स्थायी हो गये थे। आज उनका कारोबार काफी अच्छा था, पर २६ साल पहेले जब परिमल अपने माता-पिता और भाईओंको छोड़कर ईस अन्जान शहरमें आये तब उनके पास ज्यादा संपत्ति नहीं थी। देवकी के पिताजी एक रईस ईंडस्ट्रीयालिस्ट थे, लेकिन परिमल के साथ देवकी की शादी करानें के लिए तैयार नहीं थे। उन्होंने देवकीके बचपनमें अपनें एक दोस्तके बेटे से देवकीकी शादी तय कर दी थी। देवकीने अपने पिताजीको खूब मनानेकी कोशिश की लेकिन वे टस से मस नहीं हुए। देवकी भी बचपनसे बड़ी झीद्दी थी। आखिरकर उसने परिमलके साथ कोर्टमेरेज कर ली। यह खबरको सुनते ही उसके पिताजीने ट्रेन से गीर कर आत्महत्या कर ली। ईस वजहसें देवकीके परिवारवालों ने उससे नाता तोड़ दिया और परिमलके साथे देवकी उज्जैन आ गई। ईश्वरकी कृपासें शादी के एक साल बाद उन्हें एक परी जैसी बेटी हुई, नाम उसका अंजली। अंजली बहुत ही होनहार और खुश-मिजाजी लड़की थी। जब स्कूलमें थी तब हर विषयमें अच्छे गुण लाती और अपने माता-पिताका नाम रोशन करती। स्पोर्टसमें भी उसकी बड़ी दिलचस्पी थी।  

            
वर्मा परिवारकी सभी चीजें सही थी, सिवाय एक के देवकीका स्वभाव द्वेषी था, वह किसी और का  भला नहीं देख पाती थी। जब भी किसीका भला हो रहा होता तब वह कुछ ना कुछ करके उस भले को बुरा करनेमें जुट जाती थी। परिमलने उसे कई बार समजाया लेकिन देवकीने उनकी एक ना सुनी। वह रोज दोपहरमें अपने घरके आंगनमें बैठती और आते-जाते लोगो पर नजर रखती। लोगों की चुगली करना और लोगोंके घरोंमें झगड़े लगाना उसके जैसे आदत सी बन गई थी।

            उनके पडोसमें गजेन्द्र नामका एक आदमी रहेता था जो हररोज दारु पिकर घर आता और अपनी पत्नी को मारता। देवकी को यह सब सुनकर बहुत अच्छा लगता। एक बार उनकें पडोसी गजेन्द्रकी बीवी घर पर अकेली थी। तब गजेन्द्रका एक दोस्त उससे मिलने उसके घर आया। घर पर गजेन्द्र नहीं है यह देवकीको पता था, और ईसीलिए उसने घर के बाहरसें गजेन्द्र को फोन लगाकर बताया, "अरे गजेन्द्रभाई, आप जब भी घर से बाहर जातें हो, तब तुम्हारा एक दोस्त तुम्हारे घर पर आता है। एकाद बार तो मुझे लगा की वह कुछ काम से आय होगा पर अब तो वह रोज आने लगा है। मैं तो बस आपको बता रही हुँ।" गजेन्द्र जब घर पर आया तब उसका दोस्त चला गया था पर गजेन्द्रको लगा की उसकी पत्नीने दोस्त को घरसें बाहर भेज दिया और नशेमें धूत गजेन्द्रने उसें खूब पीटा। दुसरे दिन उसकी पत्नी घर छोड़ कर अपने मायके चली गई। परिमलने देवकीको फिर समझाया की यह सब तुम्हारी वजहसें हुआ है। देवकीने उनकी बात को टाल दिया।

कुछ दिन देवकी शांत रही पर फिर से उसे किसीकी खिल्ली उडानें की ईच्छा हुई। ईस बार उसने अपने सामनेवाले घरमें रहेनेवाली सुभद्राचाचीको लपेटमें लिया। सुभद्राकी बेटी सुमन भी अंजलीके साथ ही पढ़ाई करती थी पर दोनों की स्कूल अलग थी। महोल्लेमें सुमन हंमेशा अव्वल आती और अंजली दुसरे क्रम पर। एक बार सुमन रात को देर तक घर नहीं आयी। उसे कोलेज से नीकलने में देर हो चूकी थी, तब कोलेजका कोई चपरासी उसे घर छोड़ने आया। खिडकीमें से देवकीने यह देख लिया। उसे तो तरना था और पानी का बहाव मिल गया। दूसरे दिन सुबहमें उसने रास्ते पर आते-जाते सभी लोगों को बताया की सुमनका कोलेज के चपरासी के साथ कोई चक्कर चल रहा है! यह बात महोल्लेमें आग की तरह फैल गई और सुमनके लिए रिश्ते आने ही बंद हो गये। सुभद्राचाची करे तो भी क्या? उन्होनें अपनी बेटी को लेकर यह महोल्ला छोड़ दिया और कहीं दूर महोल्लेंमें रहने चली गई। ईस तरह, सारा महोल्ला देवकीके ईस स्वभावसे वाकिफ था और सभी लोग उससें कोसों दूर रहते थे। लोग मन ही मन उसे बहुत कोसते और बददुआ देते पर देवकीका कोई बाल भी बांका नहीं कर सका। 

            ऐसेमें एक दिन अंजली के लिए टांझानियासे एक रिश्ता आया। लड़का बड़ा ही सुशील और पैसेवाला था। उसके माता-पिता भी वहीं टांझानियामें सालों से रहेते थे। उनकी वहा कॉफी बनाने की फेक्ट्री थी। अंजली को लड़का पसंद आ गया और परिमल-देवकीने भी अंजली के हाथ पीले करनेका सोच लिया। बड़े धूम-धामसें दोनों की शादी हुई और शादी के बाद अंजली अपने पति के साथ टांझानिया शिफ्ट हो गई। वहाँ उसे भारतमें हो उससे भी बढ़िया बंगला और गाड़ीवाला घर मिला। बेटी को अच्छा घर और पति मिल गये, ईसलिए परिमल और देवकी भी अब बेफिक्र हो गए थे। देवकी को अब पहेलें से ज्यादा पावर आ गई थी। वह अब लोगों को चिल्ला चिल्ला कर बताती - देखा कैसा वर ढूंढा है हमने अपनी लाड़ो के लिए? यहाँ पर थी उससे १५ गुनी संपत्ति है उनके पास। और ईकलौता लड़का। अब क्या चाहिए? उसके महोल्लें के लोग भी सोचने लगे के जब देवकीने अच्छे कर्म कभी किये ही नहीं तो ईतना अच्छा फल कैसे मिल सकता है? लगता है भगवानसे देवकीके हिसाबमें कोई भूल हो गई है, वरना दुनियाभरकी चुगली करनेवाली देवकी को ईतना अच्छा दामाद कैसे मिला होगा?

            अब देवकी लोगों के घर तोड़नेमें माहिर हो गई थी। वह हंमेशा किसी ना किसी को अपनी करतूतों से परेशान करती थी। ऐसेमें देढ़ साल बीत गया। हरदिन शामकों उसकी अंजली के साथ बात होती थी, पर आजका दिन बड़ा शुभ था। अंजली माँ बनने वाली थी। यह सुनकर देवकीने दामादको फुसलाकर अंजलीको बच्चेकी डिलीवरी के लिए भारत बुला लिया। अंजली भारत आयी और उसकी खुब अच्छे से देखभाल हुई। ९ महिने बाद अंजलीने एक बेटे को जन्म दिया। लेकिन बेटेको देखकर ही देवकी चौंक गई। बच्चा एकदम काला, घुंघरालें बाल और चहेरा एक नीग्रो जैसा था। तुरंत ही परिमलजीने बच्चे का फोटो उसके पापाको ईमेल पर भेज दिया। उस ईमेल को देख टांझानियामें अंजलीके ससुरालवालें भी चौंक गए। उन्होंने परिमलजी को या अंजलीको वापस फोन तक नहीं किया। लगभग ४ दिन बाद, उनके घर एक वकील कोर्ट की नोटीस लेकर आया। नोटीसमें साफ साफ शब्दोमें तलाक के बारे में लिखा था। हुआ कुछ युँ था की जब अंजली टांझानियामें थी तब उसे अपने घरके एक नीग्रो नौकरसें प्यार हो गया था। जब उसके पतिको पता चला तो उसने उस नौकरको नौकरीसे निकाल दिया और अंजलीको चेतावनी देकर मामला सुलझा दिया। फिर जब यह बच्चा पैदा हुआ तब अंजलीके पति को सबकुछ समझ गया। जी हां, वह बच्चा उसी नीग्रो नौकरका था। नौकरीसे नीकालने के बावजूद वह नीग्रो और अंजली एकदुसरे से अकेलेमें मिलते थे। एक दिन उनका मिलन ऐसे मुकाम पर पहोंच गया की अंजली गर्भवती हो गई। तब तक उसके पतिको यह मालूम नहीं था, वह तो उसी धूनमें था की वह बच्चा उसका है। पर आज बच्चे के जन्म पर सब को सब कुछ समझ आ गया। नोटीस मिलते ही देवकी और परिमलजी के पाँवो तले से जमीन नीकल गई। पूरे महोल्लेमें बदनामी हो गई और उस नीग्रो बच्चे को अब कोई अपनाना भी नहीं चाहता था। देवकी, परिमल और अंजली खूब रोएँ पर भगवानने या महोल्लेवालोंनें उनकी एक न सुनी। देवकीके कर्मो की सजा उसकी बेटी और नातू को मिली। किसीने सच ही कहा है की भगवानकी लाठीमें कभी आवाज नहीं होती।