2 October Gandhi Jayanti: Remembering The Five Chilling Assassination Attempts On Mahatma Gandhi Before His Final Walk To Birla House

2 October Gandhi Jayanti: Every year on Gandhi Jayanti, social media lights up with tributes, trending hashtags, and heated debates about what Bapu stood for in today’s divided world. But while most people know the chilling story of his final moments on 30 January 1948, few realise that Mahatma Gandhi had already cheated death five times before Nathuram Godse’s bullets finally silenced him. It almost feels like a plot out of a political thriller — bombs, daggers, train derailments, and even a botched bombing at Birla Bhavan. Yet Gandhi, with his frail frame and calm smile, walked away from danger time and again, reminding us that destiny had its own timetable. Manuben Gandhi, in her memoir Last Glimpses of Bapu, wrote that it often felt as though

the Mahatma had sensed what was to come. As we look back, history quietly holds five earlier attempts on his life—episodes often overshadowed by the tragic walk that ended on 30 January 1948.

Attempt 1: Pune, 1934 — The Bomb That Missed

Gandhi and Kasturba were on their way to deliver a speech when fate intervened. Their car was delayed at a railway crossing, sparing them from a massive blast that tore through the vehicle ahead. The explosion injured several officials and policemen. Gandhi, visibly distressed, remarked: “It is easy to kill me. But why harm the innocent?” A line that resonates even today in times of indiscriminate violence.

Attempt 2: Panchgani, 1944 — Enter Nathuram Godse

Ironically, the man who would eventually kill Gandhi had already tried in 1944. Armed with a dagger, Nathuram Godse stormed into Gandhi’s prayer meeting at Panchgani, only to be stopped in time by loyal followers. In true Gandhian style, Bapu invited Godse to stay with him for eight days, hoping to understand his anger. Godse declined. History, sadly, was only postponed.

Attempt 3: The Jinnah Talks, 1944

The Hindu Mahasabha was determined to stop Gandhi’s talks with Jinnah. As Gandhi travelled to Bombay, Godse and his men mobbed the ashram, armed with weapons. Eyewitnesses later testified about finding a dagger on him. Though thwarted, this was the second direct confrontation that placed Gandhi face-to-face with his would-be assassin.

Attempt 4: The Sabotaged Train, 1946

In June 1946, the “Gandhi Special” train was derailed between Nerul and Karjat. Huge boulders blocked the track, and though the engine was damaged, the quick-thinking driver slowed the train, preventing what could have been a mass tragedy. Gandhi later told a gathering: “By the grace of God, I have escaped from the jaws of death. I will not die yet, I aim to live till 125.” Fate, however, had a shorter script in mind.

Attempt 5: The Birla Bhavan Bomb, 1948

Just ten days before his assassination, conspirators including Godse and Madanlal Pahwa tried to bomb Gandhi’s prayer meeting in Delhi. Madanlal, disguised as a photographer, planted a crude explosive near the podium. The blast was feeble, and he was caught by locals who exposed the larger conspiracy. The gang fled, regrouped, and returned — this time with bullets.

The End, Yet Not the End

At 5:17 pm on 30 January 1948, Godse fired three shots at point-blank range, ending the Mahatma’s life but not his legacy. His haunting words just two days earlier — “If I’m to die by the bullet of a madman, I must do so smiling” — now echo with an almost prophetic calm. In today’s world of political polarisation, cancelled voices, and endless outrage, revisiting these forgotten attempts isn’t just about history. It is about understanding resilience, tolerance, and the stubborn belief that dialogue, not violence, is the ultimate weapon. Gandhi may have fallen to a bullet, but his life reminds us that ideas often outlive their assassins.Quick takeaway: Gandhi dodged bombs, blades, and even a derailed train, only to fall to the very man he once invited for tea. History has its ironies, doesn’t it?