After the miracle1on the morning of August 3 16, 947, the fire of religious hatred finally ignited the powder magazine in Kolkata. That night 10, a group of fanatical Hindu youths suddenly broke into the courtyard of Haidali Mansion and demanded a dialogue with Gandhi. Gandhi was lying on a straw mat, surrounded by his granddaughters Manu and Aba. Gandhi was awakened by the noise, stood up and said, "What are you yelling about? I am here, so you can kill me? " While speaking, two Muslims covered in blood broke away from the crowd and hid behind Gandhi, but sticks flew at them. Fortunately, Gandhi was not tall and was not hit until reinforcements arrived. Subsequently, a series of attacks on Muslim slums reached a crazy level. These are all planned by extremists in the national civil service corps.
The Calcutta incident dealt a fatal blow to Gandhi, and the old man who devoted his life to the ideal of non-violence seemed to have a sense of disillusionment. Gandhi had to risk his life in order to bring Kolkata back to his senses and save millions of innocent people from death.
He made a statement to the outside world and decided to start a hunger strike from September 1 day until the unrest ended, otherwise he would die if he failed.
This hunger strike is an adventure for himself and his comrades. At this time, Gandhi was 78 years old. Recently, I have been exhausted by long-term anxiety and running around. After the hunger strike began, his physical strength quickly failed, and arrhythmia appeared a few hours later. By midnight, his voice was blurred.
The news of Gandhi's hunger strike spread all over Calcutta within a few hours. For many years, Gandhi's hunger strike has become a signal to stimulate people's struggle. Although 85% of India's residents can't read and have no radio, people can always know the details of every stage of his hunger strike. Whenever Gandhi is threatened with death, people will instinctively worry about him, and groups of anxious people come to Haidali Mansion to visit him. However, crazy violence is like a runaway wild horse, which is difficult to contain for a while. Arson, murder and robbery continue.
From the next morning, more and more people came to Haidari Mansion to ask about Gandhi's health. Hindus and Muslim celebrities came to Gandhi's bed in succession, demanding that Gandhi stop the hunger strike.
In the early morning of the third day, when the news of Gandhi's health deterioration came out, the whole Kolkata was immersed in anxiety and regret, and a friendly wave suddenly swept through this unruly metropolis. Hindus and Muslims marched together in brutal slums, calling for the restoration of order and calm. At noon, 27 extremists from downtown came to the front of Haidali's apartment and admitted their criminal activities. That night, the whole city was calm again. Celebrities of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims drafted a * * * statement, solemnly promising to prevent the resurgence of religious hatred.
1On the evening of September 4th, 947, Gandhi took a few sips of orange juice, thus ending the 73-hour hunger strike. Gandhi sacrificed his life to defend peace and finally stopped the spread of riots in Calcutta, so he gained a high reputation. Raja gopala Garchari, an old friend of Gandhi, was the first Bangladeshi governor after India's independence. He said, "Gandhi has made many great achievements, but the most amazing thing is that he defeated evil in Kolkata, which even surpassed India's independence."
Convinced that there would be no more problems in Calcutta, Gandhi decided to go to Punjab province, which was swallowed up by blood and fire. However, before we got there, new violence broke out in the capital New Delhi. Due to the extreme insecurity in the surrounding countryside, thousands of Muslims flocked here to take refuge. On the morning of September 3, Hindus started by killing Muslim coolies in Central Station, and then looted Muslim shops and killed shopkeepers on a large scale. The riots in New Delhi will have an immeasurable impact on the whole Indian Peninsula. Because most of the police deserted, the only army was distracted and the public security was seriously paralyzed. Nehru, the new prime minister, even had to wave sticks to disperse the mob himself.
The new government is almost at a loss about the situation of most of the time these people spent in British prisons before they took office. They have been fighting for non-cooperation and have never had the opportunity to deeply understand and govern this country. Now that the British have left a mess for them to clean up, how should they deal with it? On September 6th, Prime Minister Nehru and Interior Minister Paldie telegraphed mountbatten, who was on vacation in Simla at that time, asking him to organize an emergency committee.
On September 9, Gandhi passed through New Delhi on his way to Punjab. As soon as he got off the train, Padil told him about Delhi with a depressed face, and Gandhi decided to stay. Because the "untouchable" area where Gandhi once lived was crowded with refugees, he had to live in the apartment of Bila, a supporter of the Congress Party and a loyal supporter of Gandhi. Gandhi immediately issued a statement that he must try his best to calm the air in Delhi.
On September 10, Gandhi traveled 40 kilometers on his first day and visited many refugee areas. At the prayer meeting that day, he made a touching speech (the full text was broadcast to the whole country) and recalled his first impression in New Delhi. He felt like a dead city, with no laughter and no hope, only terror, chaos and hatred. He doesn't understand why there is such a phenomenon in independent and free India, why people are driven out of their homes, and why there is a refugee problem in their own country. He believes that "the government should be responsible and the people should be responsible". Gandhi visited the refugee camp every day, trying to impress those who gnashed their teeth and distorted their faces because of hatred, but with little effect. Once, at the exit of a refugee camp, a man threw the body of his child into Gandhi's arms. On another occasion, Gandhi entered a refugee camp without guards, and a group of people angered by hatred surrounded his car and screamed loudly. One night, when Gandhi sang Song of Songs, Koran, New Testament, Old Testament and Bhagavad-gita together at a prayer meeting, someone in the crowd shouted: "In the name of praising God, our wives and sisters were raped and our brothers were slaughtered!" "Kill Gandhi!" Gandhi had to stop praying. Nevertheless, Gandhi did not lose heart. He inspects the chaotic areas as usual every day to appease the people and solve problems. As usual, he holds evening prayers every day to express his views, criticize people's irrationality, condemn the government's incompetence, and suggest how people should abide by the law and not use violence. At the same time, he has to deal with various external problems and visitors, and he has to write articles for Harry Pravda.
19471010.2, Gandhi's 78th birthday. Thousands of telegrams and letters from all over the world and independent India congratulated him. Leaders from all walks of life, refugees, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims came to Bila's residence and offered him fruits, candy and flowers. Prime Minister Nehru and other ministers, journalists, foreign envoys and mountbatten visited Gandhi's bedroom and congratulated him. However, Gandhi's situation shocked visitors. Contrary to his usual vivid expression and sly expression, his face was melancholy and dull. He decided to celebrate his birthday by praying, fasting and spinning. In the evening prayer of this day, his tone was low: "You should pray to the gods to end the current hostile state;" Or pray that I will leave this world soon. I don't want to spend my birthday in India where the sun is controversial. "
165438+1One night at the end of October, another Sikh massacre of Muslims occurred in Panipat, a small town 90 kilometers northeast of New Delhi. Gandhi drove alone to quell the riot. On a small platform temporarily built by the municipal authorities, Gandhi gave a speech to a flood of people and debated with various objections. He took pains to explain the theory of freedom of belief and religious equality in simple terms, put himself wholeheartedly in the shoes of the suffering refugees, and begged them to abandon violence and hatred and carry forward rationality and tolerance. His logic is so irrefutable, his words are so sincere, his will is so tenacious, and people's anger and pain gradually subside. Just a few hours later, the residents of Panipat went out of town to support the departure of their saints.
At the end of 1947, Gandhi was always immersed in great sadness. The division of India caused fatal trauma to his mind. Advocating non-violence all one's life will not change the status quo of civil strife in India. All the backward things in old India have not disappeared in new India, which makes Gandhi infinitely sad. Now he found that those comrades who followed his revolution had no intention of pursuing his ideals after they ascended the throne of political power. The gap between him and them is widening. Gandhi accused the Indian government of becoming increasingly corrupt, accused ministers of holding grand and luxurious banquets despite the hunger of millions of refugees, and accused India's new intellectuals of planning to industrialize the country without considering the interests of farmers. He suggested that these intellectuals should go to the countryside to live and work with farmers and understand their real needs.
Because of his sharp remarks, the leaders of the new government were greatly unhappy, and they gradually refused to consult Gandhi again.
In addition to these troubles, there were two major problems that plagued Gandhi at that time. One is the situation in the capital, New Delhi. The government has temporarily kept calm with the help of force instead of the power of people's mind advocated by Gandhi, but there are a lot of hidden dangers, some of whom have hidden dangers in their bones and may have riots again at any time. The second is the government's attitude towards Pakistan. Congress refused to repay the 550 million rupees allocated to Pakistan, trying to strangle it economically; Gandhi thought it was a very shameful thing and it was detrimental to India's spiritual tradition.
In order to better solve these two problems, Gandhi decided to go on an indefinite hunger strike again until New Delhi calmed down and the government promised to repay Pakistan.
1948 65438+1October 13, Gandhi began his last hunger strike in his life. This morning, Gandhi held a short religious ceremony in the garden of Bila apartment. Nehru, Manu, Aba, Secretary Pu Ya Rilal Naeer and 65,438+00 journalists from Indian press and other countries attended the ceremony in the Indian capital. 1 1: 55, the hunger strike begins. Gandhi lay on the straw mat and fell asleep slowly.
Gandhi announced the conditions of hunger strike and stopping hunger strike, which made many people feel shocked, depressed and even disgusted. At that time, the situation in New Delhi was different from that in Calcutta. There are refugees everywhere. Many refugees occupied mosques and Muslim houses to escape the cold and harsh living conditions in the refugee camps. Now Gandhi wants them to return to their homes and refugee camps. They are very reluctant. Moreover, Gandhi's demand to repay huge sums of money to Pakistan also disgusted some people. Many Hindus believe that Gandhi's hunger strike and self-destruction are biased plots. Gandhi's condition of stopping the hunger strike also angered most ministers, who refused to pay the money for granted.
The national civil service corps composed of Hindu extremists learned the reason of Gandhi's hunger strike, which deepened their hatred. They think that Gandhi's move is tantamount to political blackmail and are ready to eradicate Gandhi immediately.
On the night of the hunger strike, Gandhi made a routine evening prayer. He prayed with a faint voice from the heart that the gods would purify everyone's mind, eliminate all human disputes and let Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims live in harmony as brothers. He said: "I think Gemdry has undergone a test. No matter how serious the massacres in India and Pakistan are, I implore the people in the capital not to give up their obligations ... Indians of all sects should replace barbarism with humanitarianism and make themselves real Indians. If you can't do this, I don't need to continue living on the earth. "
This time Gandhi's physical exertion is faster. Since the last hunger strike in Calcutta, Gandhi's kidney function began to weaken; Coupled with a series of unfortunate events, his blood pressure has risen sharply and has been maintained by a special sedative. Because of the hunger strike, the use of sedatives is also strictly restricted.
14 that morning, Gandhi weighed only 49.5 kilograms, which means he lost weight 1 kg after a day of hunger strike. It won't be long before the nutritional reserves in Gandhi's thin body will be exhausted. For hunger strikers, when the body has begun to consume protein contained in muscles, danger comes, and the result will inevitably lead to death.
65438+1October 15, dangerous signs that may endanger Gandhi's life appeared. The urine test results of this day found toxic substances containing acetone and acidic components and other dangerous symptoms, which proved that the process leading to death had begun. The doctor urged Gandhi to stop the hunger strike, but Gandhi turned a deaf ear.
This time, people reacted slowly to Gandhi's hunger strike. It was not until the third day of the hunger strike that small-scale demonstrations began to appear on the streets of New Delhi, calling for sectarian harmony and goodwill to save Gandhi's life. This afternoon, after a long debate and hesitation, the Indian government finally decided to pay 550 million rupees to Pakistan immediately. Nehru delivered a speech to Delhi citizens in Hongbao Square, hoping that people would take practical actions to save Gandhi's life. "Because losing the life of a Mahatma means losing the soul of India."
/kloc-0 At the evening prayer meeting on June 5, 2000, Gandhi was too weak to walk or even support himself, so he didn't appear on the lawn outside Bila's apartment. He tried to say a few words to hundreds of people gathered outside the lawn with a microphone. His voice was so weak that people had a premonition that Mahatma's life was in danger. This ominous sign awakened people's sleeping conscience and numb nerves. The crowd lined up in a long line, and everyone folded their hands and passed Gandhi's balcony in turn in a solemn atmosphere.
65438+ 10 16 in the early morning, the first health bulletin about Gandhi was released, telling the Indian people that Gandhi's health condition had seriously deteriorated. This unfortunate news has greatly changed the atmosphere in India. In various cities, people flocked to the square and shouted slogans of "goodwill", "unity" and "saving Gandhi". Representatives of various sects and leaders from all walks of life set up committees to save Gandhi's life all over the country, and 65,438+10,000 people gathered to pray for Gandhi.
Nehru led a delegation of political and religious leaders to Gandhi's straw mat to comfort him and hope that he would stop the hunger strike.
Now Gandhi is indifferent. No matter how excited the people were and how Nehru persuaded them, he still refused to stop the hunger strike. What he expects is "a response from the deep heart of the people, sincere repentance and concrete actions."
On the morning of 17 10/7, the new health bulletin showed that acute uremia was about to take Gandhi's life. At this point, Gandhi has entered the third and final stage of the hunger strike. His spirit suddenly improved, and he was completely immersed in silence, with no other discomfort except joint pain. He dictated to his secretary seven conditions to stop the hunger strike, which covered almost all aspects of life in New Delhi, including: Hindu and Sikh refugees must return the houses rebuilt in the 1 17 mosque to Muslims, cancel the boycott of Muslim businessmen in Delhi, and ensure the personal safety of Muslims traveling by Indian trains. Gandhi asked leaders of political organizations in New Delhi, including extremists of his rival Indian National Congress, to sign his statement.
That night, the whole capital was concerned about how to stop Gandhi's hunger strike as soon as possible. Business activities stopped, and institutions, shops, workshops, factories and cafes closed. In the square of the Grand Mosque, 654.38+ten thousand people from all ethnic groups and sects held a grand rally and strongly appealed to their leaders to accept the terms of Gandhi's statement.
In Bila's apartment, Gandhi's health deteriorated sharply. After a short period of waking up, I collapsed for a long time, accompanied by delirium. The doctors and staff around him are extremely anxious, but they are helpless.
Nehru came to Gandhi's bedside again and saw his beloved Babu (father) dying. He couldn't help but have mixed feelings and tears filled his eyes. Mountbatten also came to Gandhi's side, and this scene also made the foreign soldier who had been a soldier for a long time feel sad.
On the night of June+10/October 65438+July, Gandhi was in a state of fainting and delirium for most of the time, and his pulse was weak and irregular, and the functions of various important organs of his body began to fail. The secretary brought the signatures of the leaders of various factions on his oral statement. In addition to the local representatives of the Hindu Congress and the representatives of the National Civil Service Corps, the leaders of almost all factions in New Delhi signed a pledge to restore calm and harmony. The doctor advised Gandhi to drink something. Gandhi sighed lightly, then shook his head and said, "No, nothing can be urgent. Before I break the hunger strike, anyone with a hard heart will be tempted. "
On the morning of 65438+ 10 18, Gandhi was in critical condition and was about to enter a long period of unconsciousness. The president of the Congress Party mobilized urgently. He sent a group of people to find Gandhi's autograph, and he took a group of people to Birla's apartment himself. Soon, representatives of various factions finally gathered together, including Hindu extremists and mysterious representatives of the national civil service corps. They all solemnly signed seven statements and went to Gandhi's bedside in turn to personally confirm their solemn assurances.
Gandhi won all the victories in the hunger strike, but the persistent old man still refused to stop the hunger strike. On his deathbed, he dictated a statement with all his strength. He hoped that the representatives of various factions would not only ensure the calm situation in New Delhi, but also fundamentally eliminate the unstable factors in India. He said: The biggest misunderstanding is that India belongs only to Hindus, or Pakistan belongs only to Muslims. Although it is difficult to change the consciousness of all Indians and Pakistanis, anything can be done as long as we work together in Qi Xin. After Gandhi's speech, all the people present bent over to express their solemn commitment. When the last man took the oath, Gandhi announced that he would stop the hunger strike. A hunger strike that shocked people all over the world finally came to a successful conclusion.
The victory of hunger strike seems to inject new vitality into Gandhi in his later years. Praise from public opinion all over the world is an important reason. London's "News Chronicle" reported: "A 78-year-old thin old man shocked the whole world with magical power and gave the world new hope; It can show more power than the atomic bomb. " The Times, which has always been hostile to Gandhi, has to admit that "the brave idealism admired by Mr. Gandhi has been fully affirmed this time than ever before." France's Le Monde commented that "the kind Gandhi once again confirmed that he himself is the greatest rebel of our time". Washington post wrote, "After learning that Gandhi escaped safely, the wave of sympathy swept the world. This is enough to show that Gandhi's sacred heart is widely praised by people. " Egyptian newspapers praised Gandhi as "the noble son of the Eastern world who devoted his life to the cause of peace, benevolence and fraternity". Indonesian newspapers believe that Gandhi's achievements "brought the dawn of saving Asians from suffering." Jinnah, the "father of Pakistan", also announced that on the day when Gandhi's hunger strike stopped, his former political opponents were welcome to visit his new country. In the face of these overwhelming reputations, Gandhi felt sincerely gratified. He thinks this means that the ideal he has worked hard for all his life has finally been noticed and accepted by the world. At this time, he came up with a grand plan to cross Punjab, which had just been scarred by the conflict, and step by step along the road of refugees fleeing to Pakistan. In this way, he can not only observe people's feelings and appease people's grievances, but also widely spread the idea of non-violence and fraternity. For this plan, he must conserve his strength.
1948 65438+1On the afternoon of October 20th, Gandhi held evening prayers on time. In the process, suddenly someone threw a bomb at the platform, and the bomb sounded around Gandhi, causing people to panic, but Gandhi was safe and sound. The murderer who threw the bomb was caught by the police on the spot, and another group of murderers who had no time to do it escaped.
After the assassination, the police department in New Delhi learned about the behind-the-scenes manipulators and activity plans of some bomb cases from the assassins, but later, due to the real reasons and various quirks that are still unknown, all the conspirators were not caught in the net, so that Gandhi finally paid the price of his life.
After Bila's apartment was bombed, the police came to Bila's apartment to strengthen the security of Gandhi, asked Gandhi to allow him to strengthen the police force in Bila's apartment, and suggested searching all suspicious elements who came to attend the prayer meeting. But Gandhi firmly rejected this. His reason is that the police can't interfere with believers who are praying. He also said: "God is my only protector. If it wants to end my life, no one can save it. " He also threatened: "If you insist on doing this, I will leave Delhi immediately. I will announce that you are fully responsible for my departure. " The police have no choice but to send some plainclothes policemen and security guards to Gandhi's daily prayer meeting, and assign special attendants beside Gandhi to prevent accidents.
65438+1October 26th is the National Day of India. Gandhi, at the request of Nehru, began to draft a new party constitution for the Congress Party to determine its new goals and functions after Indian independence. Now Gandhi has returned to normal.
Gandhi is preparing to start his long March to Pakistan. He instructed the doctor and secretary, Ms. Susila, to go to Pakistan immediately to prepare for this trip, and asked her to return on June+10/October 30, 5438. He will leave Bila's apartment on February 3rd and start his trip to Pakistan.
65438 1 29 October, Gandhi, as always, spun the wheel by hand, practiced writing Bengali, wrote letters to some friends, talked with guests, and then received water enema and1hour mud paste treatment. He met an American female reporter and told her that the United States must give up the atomic bomb. Non-violence is an indestructible weapon of the atomic bomb. This afternoon, 40 Sikh and Hindu refugees who escaped from Pakistan came to Bila's apartment and asked to meet Gandhi. Someone shouted, "You made us suffer a lot. Get out of here You should immediately retreat to the caves in the Himalayas. " Gandhi patiently explained to them: "The only instruction I follow comes from God, and God is in my heart. I regard you as brothers and sisters or children, and your pain is also my pain. Why do you think I don't know what you are suffering from? " "I am not sent by anyone to serve the society, nor do I accept orders from anyone to stop serving." "I really want to live in the Himalayas, where I can eat, wear and live. This will be a quiet place to live. But I don't want that kind of peace. I want peace away from pain. My Himalayas are here. " That night, Gandhi continued the drafting of the new party constitution with great depression, and completed his last work in 2 1 on 15.
1948 65438+1October 30th is Friday, which is Good Friday and the last day of Gandhi's life. Gandhi received many guests on this day. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Gandhi dealt with the last and most difficult problem of the day. The defiant and practical interior minister Padil could not cooperate with Nehru, who was strong-willed, persistent and full of ideals. Padil has submitted his resignation and sent a copy to Gandhi. Gandhi tried to persuade Padil to change his mind, so Gandhi, who was always punctual, delayed 10 minutes to arrive at the evening prayer meeting.
At 5: 00 (10), with the support of Manu and Aba, Gandhi walked to the lawn leading to the evening prayer venue, but two key figures around him were not present: Dr. Susila had not returned from Pakistan, and the police officer in charge of protecting him was urgently recalled to the police station because the staff of the municipal department planned to strike.
When Gandhi walks on weekdays, he often puts his hand on the shoulders of Manu and Aba. When he was close to the crowd, he habitually retracted his arms, then walked up the steps alone and folded his hands to greet the crowd. At this time, just as Gandhi took back his hands and prepared to take to the podium, Natram Godsey, the leader of the national civil service corps, who had been lurking here, ran to Gandhi. He bowed to Gandhi first and whispered, "Holy Father, hello!" " Manu tried to touch Gandhi's foot for this man and reached out to politely fend him off. Nachum suddenly pushed Manu away, took out a pistol from his pocket, pressed Gandhi's naked chest and fired several shots. Deep red blood immediately stained the white cloth floor, and Gandhi folded his hands as if to take the last step, muttering, "God!" " Then slowly fell to the ground. When I fell to the ground, this gesture of putting my hands together never changed. The old man who advocated non-violence all his life died at the gunpoint of fanatics, ending his great and extraordinary life. At this time, it is 1948, afternoon 1.30, 17.
The murderer did not take the opportunity to escape after killing Gandhi, but shouted to the police and easily gave in. The murderer, nathuram godse, was a fanatical Hindu and was born in Brahman. He pursued vegetarianism and abstinence, worshipped Gandhi in his early years, joined the uncooperative movement, and was imprisoned for it. 1937, influenced by Shawagar, he attended a Hindu congress aimed at reviving the dominance of Hinduism and founded the "National Public Servant Corps". 1944, he bought a newspaper, The Indian Nation, and became its president, propagating anti-Gandhi, anti-Islam and other non-Hindu political opinions, and spared no effort to publicize violence and racial supremacy, thus killing Gandhi.
Gandhi was carried into the room, people put him on the couch, and Aba covered the bloody "mopping the floor" with a quilt. People began to collect his belongings: a wooden spinning wheel, a pair of slippers, three little monkey statues, a Bhagavad-gita, a pocket watch, a spittoon and a metal footbath brought back from Yelafuda prison.
Gandhi's assassination is likely to lead to the chaos of religious vendetta in India, and the Indian government has decided to put the whole country on alert. 18, 43 minutes after Gandhi's assassination, the government issued a carefully scrutinized communique to inform the people of the whole country that Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi on 17+07.