In deep grief Gandhiji reached Delhi on 9th September. He was so low and on seeing this Jawaharlal was very upset. Every effort to stop riots went in vain. So lastly Gandhiji decided to go for hunger strike on 13th February 1948. This news made the whole country mum. The leaders were shocked and then started the period of meeting and meetings. After three days, the health of Gandhiji started deteriorating. After two days, the condition was even worst. Jawaharlal was unable to see his critical condition, so he also decided to go for fast for one or two days. He went to meet Gandhiji along with Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad and others and requested him to give up the fast and lastly on seeing Jawaharlal’s humble request, Gandhiji declared to break his fast. Maulana served him juice with his own hands. On seeing smile on Gandhiji’s face, every body relaxed and went to their respective places. So this was the love Gandhiji had for Jawaharlal. But who knows that the person who had sacrificed his whole life for her motherland will one day be murdered so cruelly.
Nehru left alone
On the evening of 30th January, 1948 Gandhiji was assassinated. A man pumped three bullets into his chest when he was going for evening prayer towards prayer ground from Birla House at 5 P.M. Bapu felled on the ground saying “Hey Ram”. This news reached like a rocket to Jawaharlal. He rushed to the Birla House on learning the news and bent his head down and began to sob like a child. This was the second blow to him after the death of his father Motilal. Now his political father had also died. But within a few hours of the murder, his voice was again contained and he mingled his heavy sense of loss with thanks giving and a fresh call to duty.
“Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere…The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shown in this country was not ordinary light…that light represented something more than the immediate present, it represented the living, the eternal truths, reminding us of the right path, drawing us from error, taking this ancient country to freedom…A great disaster is a symbol to us to remember all the big things of life and forget the small things of which we have thought too much. In his death he has reminded us of the big things of life, the living truth, and if we remember that, then it will be well with India…”.
