COMMENT / Yasmin Khan
“In death Gandhi was able to deliver the peace between religions he had prayed for in life”
Gandhi’s death occurred at a critical moment in Indian history, poised between the empire and the postcolonial state. India had passed through violent turmoil in the months of 1947 and early 1948. Some 15 million refugees had been created across the region’s new borders after the new states of India and Pakistan were carved out of the old Raj. Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs had all been affected by violence and at least a million died. The question of Indian citizenship still hung in the balance.
Prior to independence, south Asia had a population that was 25 per cent Muslim. After partition and the creation of Pakistan, Muslims still made up 10–15 per cent of the population of India, scattered throughout the subcontinent. The prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, spoke up loudly for a secular policy and a place for all religions in the new state. But others all across the political spectrum were not so sure. Gandhi prayed and fasted for peace, encouraging inter-ethnic harmony and for the majority population to offer safety to the minority. This enraged his assassin.
After his death on 30 January 1948, the world was stunned. In India, people were in shock. As the news spread, rioting ceased, politicians rallied behind congress, and there was a crackdown on the extremist groups. Ironically, in death, Gandhi was able to deliver the peace between religions which he had prayed for in life.