Rating: 3.5/5
Sub-Genre: History
Narration/Writing Style: 3/5
Reading Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Review:
On the evening of 30 January 1948, Nathuram Vinayak Godse shot Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi dead at point-blank range as India's most venerated leader emerged from a prayer meeting in the capital, Delhi.
The history of Mahatma is not unknown to us. From being a middle-class boy from the princely state of Porbandar to being one of the most inspiring revolutionary leaders the world has ever seen, Gandhi Ji was no ordinary human.
Considering this, it alarmingly raises the question of what must have triggered the assassination of this veteran?
In “Why I assassinated Mahatma Gandhi?” Nathuram Godse unveils the hidden truth and realities of the other side of the story and reveals how and why he assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.
“I am prepared to concede that Gandhiji did undergo suffering for the sake of the nation, and I shall bow in respect to the service and to him. But even this servant of the country had no right to vivisect the country by deceiving the people.”- Nathuram Godse
A short film named “Why I Killed Gandhi?” by @Kalyani Singh, starring @Amol Kolhe shows a biographical drama of Godse’s life and the statements he provided in court. (A must watch)
The book portrays a timeline of series of events that happened after independence and the rise of political tension in the country. This book had it’s first edition released in 1994, in which the events, the accused and the epilogue was given by Gopal Godse. Before that all the statements by Nathuram Godse and the whole book was banned in the country because of the flip side of story it pertains.
However, the edition I read was the latest one and hence, the narration was little absurd. The series of events being chronologically arranged, did not seem to connect me as a reader. Being a reader myself, I found the movie more connecting as the scenes somehow made more impact to me visually rather than with the book.
Overall, the book is definitely a one-time read for someone who is interested in history and politics in general. Also, even if you oppose to the viewpoints shared by Godse, it’s better to know both the sides of the story to frame a strong counter argument.
I personally, was intrigued by the book and would surely go ahead to know more about the India after Gandhi.
Publication: Surya Bharti Prakashan