"Let's Kill Gandhi!"

Unmoved by friends' enticements on Gandhi Jayanthi day (a general holiday), I chose to sit at home till evening and read Tarun Gandhi's book "Let's Kill Gandhi!". Having read the book, I thought of expressing my views with you all and here is my opinion about the book.
The history of humans reveal that no human was spared from controversy, especially the great personalities who appear to be interlaced with a few controversies either in their life time or after the death. Unfortunately, not many biographies or autobiographies would venture to comment on those issues and opt to be reticent. In that context, even the life of our father of nation is no exception. Even though a lot has been written and discussed about the life and works of Baapu, the last days of Mahatma, which culminated in his assassination, are still shrouded in controversy. In fact a couple of attempts were made earlier to depict his last days such as Kamal Hassan's 'Hey Ram' and few plays and books in a few vernacular languages. But none of them convinced readers and in fact took the raging debate over the assassination episode of Baapu to an all time high.
I think, the publication 'Let's kill Gandhi!' by Tushar A Gandhi, Baapu's great grandson, addresses the issue in detail which was hitherto unsung or less discussed in earlier biographies. The 900 plus pages book centered around Baapu's last days, the conspiracy, assassination, investigation and trial, is a compilation of vivid records shedding light on the assassination episode. Judging by the content of the work, 'Let's kill Gandhi' is quite well-timed as all of us are debating over the issue with no adequate documents to support any of our assumptions. Since independence, Gandhiji's role in the making of Modern India has always been questioned and issues like his assassination and the conspiracy by the members of Sangh Pariwar have indeed become a fuel to the debate over him. Despite a few works, much of the witnesses were either in the print form of some archived files or the things that have remained with his associates' family. With the absence of an official record which had both of these details, debates were often led to many controversies of various intensity.
Despite the intriguing controversies, many fundamental questions were undermined either with no answer or with biased answers. Was Gandhi responsible for the partition? Gandhi sheltered Muslims and abandoned Hindus, Was the assassination only way to save India? — are some of the questions diffused by many who are critical about Gandhi. The young generation, having brought up under the shadow of these issues may take different turn and none of the official biographies affirmed these facts with greater credibility. But Tushar's work intends to put the facts straight as they were recorded in the government files. It is almost certain that, a subject as narrow as this, one may run short of resources and end up with an abrupt stand. But Tushar's meticulous preparation spread over around four-and-a-half years has gathered much astute facts and witnesses gleaned from a number of verbal sources. Besides these, the usual archival materials and records penned by the trial commissions and excerpts from different newspapers have coloured the work with great punctuality.
With an intentionally chosen subject, Tushar tries to deconstruct some of the established myths and theories by the rightwing groups around Baapu's assassination. It is indeed shocking to know that the plan was hatched with great care and nurtured and executed with utmost veneration to their ideologies. The fabrication of the topic through three different books (Parts) juxtapose the incidents as and when they occurred without taking any stand either from the victims' or accused side.
It is common to all of us to boast off very well about Baapu without knowing enough details. But one goes clue less about the aftermath of the killing-the communal violence, trial of the assassins and the arguments put forward by defence lawyers at the court and much before the Kapur Commission which was set up by the union government to look into the conspiracy part of Baapu's assassination. But the book supplants reader with exhaustive details and side references in the forms of quote jotted by Baapu's associates like Pyarelal Nayyar, Aba ben and many others. Backed with agreeable records, Tarun questions the role of Police and the way they bungled the entire issue, callousness of Baapu's political associates in resolving tensed moments.
It could well be recorded that nowhere in the history of political assassinations either in India or abroad has such a sequence of human errors and apathy conspired to let a bunch of perpetrators to succeed so easily. As it has been said, the book is a splendid chronicle of conspiracy that goes beyond Nathuram Godse, Baapu's assassin.

"HEY RAM"