9 Chapter 8 A Light Has Gone Out

Chapter 8 A Light Has Gone Out Gandhi had helped bring about independence. His weapons to free India had been love and truth. But Gandhi’s hopes could not solve all of the country’s problems. Hindus and Muslims clashed violently. After the creation of Pakistan, millions of Muslims and Hindus had to move from their homes and cross the new border between the countries. Muslims in East Punjab had to flee to the west (the new Pakistan). Hindus had to move from west to east. Throughout 1947, violent massacres occurred between the groups. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed. In big cities, such as Calcutta and Delhi, riots continued between the religious groups as well.

On January 13, 1948, Gandhi began a fast to try to get them to stop. He did not even drink water. He was in pain. But even curled up in bed, he led a prayer meeting. Gandhi’s prayers were broadcast by radio and heard over all of India. After five days of negotiations, both Hindu and Muslim political leaders came before Gandhi and agreed to his terms. They did not want to see Gandhi suffer.

Gandhi was still concerned for the leadership of India. Nehru was now prime minister, and Patel was deputy prime minister. But the two did not always get along. Gandhi wrote to Nehru to tell him that they must work together. On January 30, 1948, he met with Patel and urged him to do the same. He left the dinner with Patel to lead a prayer meeting. He was now almost eighty years old.

His body was weak from his fasts and he had trouble walking, so he leaned on two of his followers for support. He walked out to greet the crowd of about five hundred. Most Indians looked up to Gandhi as a spiritual and political leader. But there was an extreme Hindu group that blamed Gandhi for the death of so many Hindus. They were upset that Gandhi had reached out to the Muslims. As Gandhi headed toward the platform, Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist, pushed

through the crowd to get close to him. He bowed before Gandhi. Then he took out a pistol. He fired three shots right into Gandhi’s chest. Gandhi fell to the ground. The evening Gandhi died, Prime Minister Nehru said in a radio address, “The light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere.” The people of India, and people everywhere, mourned the loss of one of the world’s greatest teachers. Gandhi had been a light to the people of India and to the world. His light continued to shine as India grew as an independent nation. He proved that truth and love are the strongest forces for change.