Icons of Gandhi - He Ram

Icons of Gandhi


Hey Ram


Introduction

These are the two words uttered by Gandhi which were his last.
These words were an invocation to god Ram, who had been Gandhi’s venerated icon.

Background

It was on 30th January, 1948 that Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. At about 5.00 p.m. in the evening, Gandhi stepped out of Birla House and was walking towards the garden to hold the prayer meeting. Just as he climbed the steps to the platform from where he had to speak, a man dressed in khaki tunic advanced towards him, as if to touch his feet, then stood up and shot three bullets at point blank range. Gandhi fell to the ground muttering the words ‘Hey Ram’. Although Gandhi was carried inside the Birla House, but he could not be revived. He had been killed instantaneously.