Why did Gandhi Die?

Hey Ram !!!!!.....[which may be translated as "Oh God"]

These are widely believed to be Gandhi's last words after he was shot. I choose to write something about a man who lived his life in a way that made millions follow him and who left a legacy that was worth following even after his death.

On this very day some years back (January 30, 1948), Gandhi was shot and killed while having his nightly public walk on the grounds of the Birla Bhavan (Birla House) in New Delhi. The assassin, Nathuram Godse, was a Hindu radical with links to the extremist Hindu Mahasabha, who held Gandhi responsible for weakening India by insisting upon a creation of Pakistan. Godse and his co-conspirator Narayan Apte were later tried and convicted; they were executed on 15 November 1949.

Jawaharlal Nehru addressed the nation through radio:

“Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives, and there is darkness everywhere, and I do not quite know what to tell you or how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father 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, we will not run to him for advice or seek solace from him, and that is a terrible blow, not only for me, but for millions and millions in this country.”

But why did Gandhi die? Not the obvious question here to be asking. What I mean is, why as mankind we are unable to follow the legacy left back by him? Why do we kill each other? Why are we still fighting with each other in the name of religion, caste, race or land?

Gandhi lived a life where he preached non-violence and truth as the weapon against oppression at a time when it was called fancy to be oppressing people. Not anymore, but I feel his preaching is still relevant in the present generation too.

Something for this generation to ponder about. Hope they do that soon!!!

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi