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Koenraad Elst
Why I Killed the Mahatma: Understanding Godse's Defence Kindle Edition
by Koenraad Elst (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 391 ratings
It is common knowledge that Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead in 1948 by a Hindu militant, shortly after India had both gained her independence and lost nearly a quarter of her territory to the new state of Pakistan. Lesser known is assassin Nathuram Godse’s motive. Until now, no publication has dealt with this question, except for the naked text of Godse’s own defence speech during his trial. It didn’t save him from the hangman, but still contains substantive arguments against the facile glorification of the Mahatma.
Dr Koenraad Elst compares Godse’s case against Gandhi with criticisms voiced in wider circles, and with historical data known at the time or brought to light since. While the Mahatma was extolled by the Hindu masses, political leaders of divergent persuasions who had had dealings with him were less enthusiastic. Their sobering views would have become the received wisdom about the Mahatma if he hadn’t been martyred. Yet, the author also presents some new considerations in Gandhi’s defence from unexpected quarters.
Length 255 Pages
2017
Popular Highlights in this book
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‘Please, see to it that mercy is not imposed on me. I want to show that through me, Gandhiji’s non-violence is being hanged.’
Highlighted by 380 Kindle readers
His objection was, on the contrary, that Gandhi rarely treated Hindus and Muslims as equals, giving preferential treatment to the Muslims instead.
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In Nehruvian ‘secularism’, superficiality of thought is compensated for by thoroughness in dishonesty.
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Product description
About the Author
Dr Koenraad Elst (°Leuven, Belgium 1959) has a master s in Sinology, Indology and Philosophy, and a doctorate in Oriental Studies with a dissertation on Hindu Nationalism. While intermittently employed in political journalism and as foreign policy adviser in the Belgian Senate, his scholarly research findings earned him both laurels and ostracism. His numerous publications concern Asian philosophies, language policy, democracy, Indo European origins, Vedic history, and the interface of religion and politics including the Ayodhya dispute.
Publisher : Rupa Publications; 2018th edition (20 December 2017)
Print length : 255 page
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 391 ratings
Top reviews from other countries
Arunendra Chakraborty
5.0 out of 5 stars Must readReviewed in India on 20 September 2023
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If you're to seek the views other than the fiction we read in school books, this is one of them
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sauget jolly
5.0 out of 5 stars Should be made a compulsory read in Indian schools.Reviewed in the United States on 5 March 2020
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This is a comprehensive read if people wish to be educated about realism as opposed to the utopian lies we have been made to believe about some of our past leaders.
One person found this helpfulReport
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Author has biases but argues wellReviewed in India on 8 February 2019
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Is the author biased? Yes.. massively? No.
Does the author proceed to do what he says he will? Yes.
The book uses the approach of sifting through the arguments made my Nathuram Godse to the court during his sentencing for assassination of Gandhi. The book is a good alternative read on Indian political struggle for freedom and it's intricacies. Most importantly is it's a good read that articulates the fallibility of the Mahatma.
23 people found this helpfulReport
kumar vimal
5.0 out of 5 stars Ugly truth of GandhiReviewed in India on 23 April 2023
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I liked the courage of the writer in analysing the hypocrite approach adopted by Gandhi. The enormous betrayal with Hindus of the country which Gandhi did need be discussed. If the country has to correct its course, gandhian appeasement has to be denounced publically. Its a must read for an Indian.
9 people found this helpfulReport
Subodh Sharma
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating readReviewed in India on 18 June 2023
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A thought provoking and captivating read. There is enough material in the book which helps clarify the political positions of Indian political parties post independence and it's current state today.
One person found this helpfulReport
===
Why I Killed the Mahatma- Uncovering Godse's Defence
Koenraad Elst
4.09
464 ratings55 reviews
The elucidation of Godse’s political testament becomes the methodology adopted by Dr Elst to engage in a wide-ranging and thoughtful discussion of the politics and ideology of India in the immediate decades before independence and the period after its attainment in 1947.
It is common knowledge that Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead in 1948 by a Hindu militant, shortly after India had both gained her independence and lost nearly a quarter of her territory to the new state of Pakistan. Lesser known is assassin Nathuram Godse’s motive. Until now, no publication has dealt with this question, except for the naked text of Godse’s own defence speech during his trial. It didn’t save him from the hangman, but still contains substantive arguments against the facile glorification of the Mahatma.
Dr Koenraad Elst compares Godse’s case against Gandhi with criticisms voiced in wider circles, and with historical data known at the time or brought to light since. While the Mahatma was extolled by the Hindu masses, political leaders of divergent persuasions who had had dealings with him were less enthusiastic. Their sobering views would have become the received wisdom about the Mahatma if he hadn’t been martyred. Yet, the author also presents some new considerations in Gandhi’s defence from unexpected quarters.
Politics
251 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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About the author
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Koenraad Elst
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Flemish writer and orientalist (without institutional affiliation).
Koenraad Elst was an editor of the New Right Flemish nationalist journal Tekos 1992 to 1995 and also contributed to other Flemish seperatist publications like Nucleus, 't Pallieterke, Secessie and The Brussels Journal.
Koenraad Elst is one of the most well-known western writers to actively defend the Hindutva movement.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 55 reviews
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Ashish Iyer
803 reviews
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December 1, 2018
It’s our history which was not told to us. We deserve to know our history as it was and not the changed version. We were taught in our schools that Godse was a bad man as he killed him. Why we were never told why he killed Gandhi? Let the people decide whether he was right or wrong.
For several years these writings or statements were under ban. People should know about the killing.
“The press carried portions of the statement the next day. Both the intelligent calss and mass which were kept in dark came to know of the stand of Godse. They also came to know that he had not denied the charge of assassinating Gandhi. Jawarharlal Nehru was the prime minister of India at that time. On his directions, state after state banned the publication of his statement, in part or in full. After hearing the statement of Godse. No sooner the judges returned to their chambers, the police pounced on the press reporters, snatched their note books and tore them into pieces. They threatened the persons of true reporting”.
Banning or hiding the portions of history is no solution.
Just remember there are always two sides to every story. And most the time no one is completely innocent. Just don't ever second guess it. Most of us knew only one sided truth but if someone wants to discover another side, this is the book.
I was enlightened by the information provided in this book. I am not against Gandhi but undoubtedly blinded by his ideology of non-violence he made many large mistakes which has been deliberately hidden from public knowledge. Read this book to know the other side of story.
Readers should read this book to know the reality. Don’t listen to others what they say. Read this book to educate yourself. You are the one who decide not others. Form your own opinion after reading this book. Everyone should read it, not just Indians.
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Reethu Ravi
81 reviews
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June 1, 2018
The assassination of Mahatma Gandhi is an event that redefined India's political history like no other. Amidst the obvious protests, hatred and condemnation on the death of the father of the nation throughout the years, followed by the Govt. banning any literature that talked about the assassin and the incident, today, there has also been a section of people that immensely supports Godse's action. From Godse's own justifications for the murder during his trial to the countless reasoning of his supporters, the speculations have run far and wide that often one isn't sure what the truth is and what a blatant lie.
In Why I Killed The Mahatma, Koenraad Elst attempts to uncover the events that led to the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. He dwells deep into the past of Godse, divulging details that shaped his opinions about Gandhi. He carefully analyzes Godse's justifications and supports with facts the points that are true, while at the same time points out the loopholes and exaggerations in his statements. He explains in great lengths the judgemental errors, unforgivable blunders and the stubbornness of Gandhi that changed India for the worst. He time and again quotes prominent figures like Ambedkar, Sita Ram Goel, etc who were against and in support of Gandhi respectively.
What I loved the most about the book is that the author does not try to shove his or any other renowned figure's opinions down the throat of the readers. Rather, he gives the readers the freedom to read all the facts, with an insight into both sides of the story, and to judge for themselves. The author does not care whose side we are on, his intentions are only to bring the truth to light. And for this very reason, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and is looking for an unbiased opinion.
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Rashmi
30 reviews
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February 9, 2018
In the history of United States, four sitting Presidents have been assassinated and media & the pop culture has never shied away from talking about the assassins.
Cut to India, a certain man named Nathuram Godse, a renowned nationalist and social worker, assassinated probably the most famous world leader of that time, Mahatma Gandhi, on January 30th, 1948. Yet through all these years, the government has relentlessly banned or censored any literature related to the infamous man and the incident. So why is there such a thick coat of secrecy over such an important part of history?
Dissecting the reasons and beyond, is this new release from Rupa Publications, "Why I Killed the Mahatma- Uncovering Godse's Defence" by Koenraad Elst and my review is down below.
https://rareadssite.wordpress.com/201...
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Ajay
241 reviews
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June 21, 2019
Great book.
Suppressed truth should be known and lies should be countered. Read this book to educate yourself. It will changed your perspective. It is such a shame that we live in biased distorted world. This book will change your thinking.
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Sailen Dutta
23 reviews
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August 27, 2015
'Gandhi and Godse' is a critical analysis of Nathuram Godse's speech (of why he assasinated Gandhiji). Koenraad Elst attempts to determine how much of the accusations leveled by Godse are true. In a way this book is also a critique of Gandhi's policies. After Gandhi was assasinated, he was raised to the level of a saint and any criticism of his policies after that was considered blasphemy. It is only in recent times that some authors have tried to analyse Gandhi's policies vis-a-vis the Freedom Movement, Partition, Hindu-Muslim unity etc. This book is one of them, although not a detailed one. As I progressed with the book, I realised that Godse wasn't alone in criticizing Gandhi. And Godse wasn't a total nut-job. Many sane voices of that time shared Godse's views (with the exception that none of them were driven to murder Gandhi). Elst tells us why Godse's anger over Gandhi lending support to the Khilafat Movement was justified. We come to know how Gandhi failed to use his most potent weapon of 'fast unto death' against the Muslim League to prevent Partition or the bloody riots (He used this weapon only to coerce his followers and admirers). Elst strongly agrues that some of Gandhi's gestures amounted to minority appeasement which the Muslim League fully took advantage of. There are many such instances where Gandhi's actions were politically naive, and this lead to Godse's disillusionment. As I mentioned before, this book is not a detailed analysis, rather a concise one. The various sources that Elst uses to make his analysis are a treasure! Anyone interested in more details would do well to peruse those books.
Although concise, this is a great book, and one must acknowledge Elst's endeavour in bringing out this analysis.
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Ashish Iyer
803 reviews
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September 14, 2018
It’s our history which was not told to us. We deserve to know our history as it was and not the changed version. We were taught in our schools that Godse was a bad man as he killed him. Why we were never told why he killed Gandhi? Let the people decide whether he was right or wrong.
For several years these writings or statements were under ban. People should know about the killing.
“The press carried portions of the statement the next day. Both the intelligent calss and mass which were kept in dark came to know of the stand of Godse. They also came to know that he had not denied the charge of assassinating Gandhi. Jawarharlal Nehru was the prime minister of India at that time. On his directions, state after state banned the publication of his statement, in part or in full. After hearing the statement of Godse. No sooner the judges returned to their chambers, the police pounced on the press reporters, snatched their note books and tore them into pieces. They threatened the persons of true reporting”.
Banning or hiding the portions of history is no solution.
Just remember there are always two sides to every story. And most the time no one is completely innocent. Just don't ever second guess it. Most of us knew only one sided truth but if someone wants to discover another side, this is the book.
I was enlightened by the information provided in this book. I am not against Gandhi but undoubtedly blinded by his ideology of non-violence he made many large mistakes which has been deliberately hidden from public knowledge. Read this book to know the other side of story.
Readers should read this book to know the reality. Don’t listen to others what they say. Read this book to educate yourself. You are the one who decide not others. Form your own opinion after reading this book. Everyone should read it, not just Indians.
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Sajith Kumar
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March 10, 2021
India's independence from British rule in 1947 was hard won, but was marked with heavy bloodshed in the partitioned provinces. Though Partition was accepted and approved by Indian leaders as a necessary evil, they were perplexed by the rivers of blood that flowed across its eastern and western borders. The atmosphere was highly charged that forced political leaders little leeway other than toeing the official line in their dealings with the other nation. Gandhi, rightly or wrongly, stuck to his principle of truth and demanded that it be extended to the sphere of international negotiations. This led India to compromise on its earlier stand of declining to pay Pakistan's allotted share of foreign exchange reserves as Pakistan had invaded Kashmir in the meanwhile. Such acts drove ultranationalists into a mortal hostility to Gandhi. On Jan 30, 1948, Nathuram Vinayak Godse, the editor of a Pune-based Marathi daily, assassinated him by firing his gun at close range. He was immediately apprehended and sentenced to death after trial. Godse chose not to plea for clemency and commutation of his sentence to life imprisonment. A lengthy justification was given by him to the court as part of the proceedings. India under Nehru always chose to keep Godse’s testimony hidden by banning its publication. With the passage of time, the regime’s ardour weakened and many reproductions started appearing in the public domain. This book is a very good work that examines his defence in court and clearly explains the rationale behind India’s most notorious political assassination. Koenraad Elst is a Dutch author who has a strong affinity to Indian culture and society. A few observers even accuse him of having links with rightist movements in the country.
The first part of the book analyses the superficial changes that took root in India at the behest of western-minded elite that closely associated themselves with India’s first Prime Minister, Nehru. The government-sponsored scholars refused to analyse the political rationale behind Gandhi’s murder. This lent unsustainable credence to the idea that his assassin was motivated by religious fanaticism and little else besides. On the other hand, the author finds Godse to be a secular nationalist opposed to religious obscurantism and caste privileges existing in Hindu society. The book includes an introduction by Gautam Sen that lacerates the false pretensions of the ‘liberal’ intelligentsia that drew its strength and sustenance from government funds. The post-independent Indian historical writing is dominated by a monolithic political project of progressivism that eventually lost sight of verifiable basic truths. Dominated by leftists, this genre soon descended into crass, self-serving political activism and censored dissenting views that challenged their institutional privileges and intellectual exclusivity. They successfully imputed mythical status to an alleged threat of Hindu extremism and its complicity in assassinating Gandhi.
Elst lists out the accusations made against Gandhi in some detail and reconciles Godse’s past with the credibility of his allegations. In the early stages of his career in social work, Godse was attracted by Gandhian ideals. Soon he got disillusioned with Gandhian double standards on the face of Muslim extremism. He pandered to their most outrageous demands without a whimper of protest while chastising the Hindus for even the slightest infraction. Godse then took a leadership role in the initiatives to cure Hindu society of casteism and untouchability by organizing inter-caste meals and other symbolic offences to the untouchability taboo. The proximate cause for the murder was the foreign exchange issue. Pakistan demanded Rs. 550 million as its rightful share after Partition. Nehru declined to disburse this amount as Pakistani soldiers were stationed inside Kashmir at that time in their failed bid to wrest the province from India. Gandhi put pressure on the government to pay this amount, even threatening it with a fast unto death. Nehru relented and paid the money which Pakistan used to procure more arms to fight the Indian army in Kashmir. This was the first time in history that a country deliberately financed its battlefield opponent!
This book provides an incisive view into the irrational theory of Gandhi’s nonviolence. Godse also cites this as political justification for his crime. Justice does not figure in Gandhi’s calculus of nonviolence. People should innocently die by way of moral gesture, rather than inflict a just punishment on the aggressor. He advised the refugees who flew for their lives from Pakistan to go back and face their assailants with open arms. If the miscreants wanted to kill them, Gandhi asked to offer their neck to the sword without resistance! Courage is required even for such a thing as suicide. At the same time, Gandhi chose to ignore his advice when the time came for him to follow it. Gandhi always declared that the country would be partitioned only over his dead body. But when the partition plan was put through, he decided not to embark on any fast unto death against the Muslim League since he very well knew that death surely awaited at the end of the fast. Gandhi’s ideas always contained a misplaced kind of personal asceticism eclipsing any socially responsible concern for public justice. Gandhian nonviolence was at best only a technique of applying moral pressure by a weaker party on the stronger, but Gandhi turned it into an article of masochistic surrender to aggression. The applicability of this doctrine was pathetically limited as evidenced by its incapacity to influence the partition crisis.
Irrespective of the political viewpoint, there is near unanimous consensus among observers that Gandhi encouraged Muslim separatism and never took a line opposing them in public. Elst gives a long discussion on this aspect. In India, the Muslim leadership had a historic memory of empire and felt entitled to its restoration after the British left. The only dispute within the Muslim elite was whether they should aim for a gradual re-conquest of the whole of India or to settle for a partition and be secure in the control of a large part of the country. The Muslim League wanted immediate separation while the conservative ulema believed in eventual takeover of the entire country on a future date and remained in the Congress as ‘nationalist Muslims’! Gandhi supported the fanatic Khilafat movement, but suddenly withdrew citing violence at Chauri Chaura. The withdrawal was received as betrayal and led to the biggest wave of communal violence since the establishment of British paramountcy. Khilafat sought to reestablish the fallen Turkish sultan as the leader of all Muslims in the world and as such, was intrinsically anti-nationalist, which united Indian Muslims with their counterparts in other nations against all infidels. Even after the debacle, Gandhi refused to do any serious introspection about its intellectual failure and simply continued peddling cheap observations about Islam as the religion of brotherhood. In this process, he built up medieval obscurantists like Ali Brothers and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who later became the nation’s education minister in Nehru’s cabinet. The most shocking incident is Gandhi’s support for inviting Amir Amanulla of Afghanistan to invade India to relieve Muslims of infidel rule. When the Amir showed his reluctance, Maulana Azad convinced the Muslims to migrate to Afghanistan and flee India which had turned into a dar ul-harb (abode of enmity). Thousands heeded his call, sold everything and migrated. But they found the Afghan society hostile and inhospitable, so they returned back to India under great hardship.
The author makes a careful study of the aftermath of Gandhi assassination and its impact on the fortunes of the Hindutva forces. Even at a distance of several decades, people invoking Gandhi’s name still evade the hard questions raised by Godse in his courtroom speech. However, Elst concludes that the killing was a strategic mistake. Godse hurt his own movement far more than any enemy forces ever did. Just before his death Gandhi was a discarded leader, a proven failure hated by many millions of Hindus. The Hindu movement was riding a wave of popular support after Congress had failed in its electoral promises of 1945. Overnight, the tide completely turned against the Hindutva forces and Gandhi was resurrected as a saint and martyr whose failures were strictly a taboo as a topic of discussion. Whatever be the merit of his actions, the concluding paragraph in Godse’s speech exhibit his fervent hope that his actions would be recognized by the nation in the end. He says, “My confidence about the moral side of my action has not been shaken even by the criticism leveled against it on all sides. I have no doubt honest writers of history will weigh my act and find the true value thereof on some day in future” (p.133).
A notable feature of this book is that no holy cow of post-independent India escapes its severe criticism. For Elst, Gandhi is just a political leader as any other. It leaves no stone unturned in nailing Nehruvian secularism for superficiality, flimsiness and conceit. He remarks that the superficiality of thought in Nehruvian secularism is compensated for by thoroughness in dishonesty (p.26). Godse’s comments in his testimony are also critically evaluated and inconsistencies pointed out. By making the speech public in his own way, Elst contributes to the citizens’ right to freedom of speech and expression, as the publication of the speech is still banned in India. The book is pleasantly readable and provides a much-needed alternative perspective of the tumultuous events unleashed by Partition.
The book is highly recommended.
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mahesh
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August 22, 2022
Gandhi made a blunder by appeasing Muslims
Godse made a blunder by killing a Gandhi
Godse killed the chance of regeneration of the Hindu way of life by killing Gandhi, Gandhi killed Akanda Bharata by being ignorant of radical Islam and believing they will change by his peaceful approach.
Godse and Gandhi represent the entire Hindu population mentality.
We are just morons who can't think critically about the predators walking around us with our pacifist lens.
After reading this book, I realized there is no justification for Gandhi and Godse's blunders. Both became the butchers of Sanatan dharma while trying to serve it with good intentions.
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Hunger Artist
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September 28, 2021
Fascinating truth behind Gandhi's killing. so many ugly truths suppressed and hidden by Marxist and Nehruvian historians. Hindus will be forever in debt to Nathuram Godse.
Gandhi and only Gandhi is responsible for the soaring state of India today. From supporting Khilafat movement to agreeing to partition, his every action/agitation cost India and especially Hindus too much loss of land and lives.
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Anuradha Goyal
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May 1, 2018
Detailed Review https://www.anureviews.com/why-i-kill...
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