Nathuram Godse: The Hidden Untold Truth

by Anup SarDesai

One day, while the trial was going on at the Punjab High Court, Nathuram received a letter dated 17th May 1949. It was sent by Ramdas Gandhi, the son of Mahatma Gandhi. In the letter, Ramdas Gandhi wrote “I, as a descendant of Gandhi, have pardoned you, based on the ideals passed on to me by my father. I request you to repent for your sins. It is never too late to ask for forgiveness from God” Nathuram respectfully replied to Ramdas Gandhi on 3rd June 1949 expressing his regrets as a human being for the sufferings Ramdas Gandhi had to undergo due to the death of his father. In his reply, Nathuram wrote “You have asked me to repent for the assassination of Gandhi. How did you ever think that I would question my entire belief system at this late stage in my life? A belief I had held for 20 years” Nathuram thanked Ramdas Gandhi for his mercy, but wrote that I had done this act because of his extreme national sentiment and he never regretted it. Nathuram explained to Ramdas Gandhi that he saw no reason for repentance, and that Gandhian gestures such as sparing him the death penalty would have no effect on his self-judgement. Nathuram ended his letter with “… Anyways I must request you to see me and if possible with some prominent disciples of your father, particularly those who are not interested in power politics, and to bring to my notice my most fatal mistake” “Otherwise I shall always feel that this show of mercy is nothing but eyewash. If you actually see me and have a ta...