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'Gandhiji had forseen his own death'

On that fateful day, January 30, 1948, a few minutes before leaving for the prayer meeting, Gandhiji was talking to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He was informed that two leaders from Kathiawar were waiting to meet him. The Mahatma asked his grand daughter Manu to "tell them that if I am alive, they can talk to me after the prayer on my walk." "Almost all of us know that when Gandhiji died the last words on his lips were 'He Ram' but only few close associates knew that this was his longtime wish fulfilled," Dr Srivastava said.

On January 29, he told Manu, "If I were to die of disease, be it even a pimple, you must shout to the world from house-tops that I was a false Mahatma, even though people may swear at you for saying so. Then my soul wherever it be, will rest in peace. If on the other hand, someone were to put a bullet through me, as someone tried to throw a bomb at me the other day and I met this bullet on my bare chest without a groan and with Ram's name on my lips, then only you should say that I was a true Mahatma. This will bring good to the Indian people."

On January 30, Gandhiji walked towards the lawn for prayers outside where the people were already seated, his hand on the shoulders of his granddaughters Manu and Abha.

Ascending the steps he halted, took his hands off their shoulders and joined his palms to acknowledge the greeting of the people, a well-built young man pushed forward and pushing aside Manu who tried to stop him, knelt before Gandhiji as if to pay his respects and fired point blank three shots at Gandhiji's chest. Two bullets passed right through, the third was found embedded in the right lung.

Gandhiji sank to the ground with the words 'He Ram' and died as he wished with God's name on his lips.

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