Not by the Textbook

The new school textbooks in India have turned into walls that stand between students and the world of reality and truth

- Apoorvanand IS A TEACHER AND A WRITER

"WHY was Gandhiji shot?” Any schoolchild might ask this question.

Textbooks or classrooms are expected to give the answer or the resources to the students to find the answer for herself.

But the new Indian textbooks read like a visit to Delhi’s Gandhi Smriti. The reader or the visitor is informed: “Bapu was shot on the evening of January 30 as he was going to prayers.”

You'll find a permanent exhibition dedicated to the life of Gandhi at Delhi’s Gandhi Smriti, which was once Birla House. From September 1947 until his assassination on January 30, 1948, Gandhi had made it his camp. It was from this place that he tried to stem the wave of anti-Muslim violence sweeping Delhi.

It was precisely this Gandhian peacemaking attempt that was detested by the Hindutvavadis.

They, in a conspiracy hatched in Pune, deputed Nathuram Godse with others to assassinate him. There were other Hindutvavadi organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which had warned Gandhi against continuing on this path of peace. “If he did not stop, we would be forced to silence him”, was the threat issued by the top functionary of the RSS. He was killed after that.

At the site of his assassination, the guide instinctively shows you the exact spot and informs: “Here, bullets hit Gandhi.” I couldn’t help asking: “Did the bullet just find him? Was Bapu in its path and it hit him? Someone must have fired the bullet that hit him.” The guide stays silent.