What do you think?
Rate this book
The Murderer, The Monarch And The Fakir: A New Investigation of Mahatma Gandhi's Assassination
The Murderer, the Monarch and the Fakir is a fresh account of one of the most controversial political assassinations in contemporary history-that of Mahatma Gandhi. Based on previously unseen intelligence reports and police records, this book recreates the circumstances of his murder, the events leading up to it and the investigation afterwards. In doing so, it unearths a conspiracy that runs far deeper than a hate crime and challenges the popular narrative about the assassination that has persisted for the past seventy years.
The Murderer, the Monarch and the Fakir examines the potential role of princely states, hypermasculinity and a militant right-wing in the context of a nation that had just won her independence. It relies on investigative journalism and new evidence set in a strong academic framework to unpack the significance of this tumultuous event.
The Murderer, the Monarch and the Fakir examines the potential role of princely states, hypermasculinity and a militant right-wing in the context of a nation that had just won her independence. It relies on investigative journalism and new evidence set in a strong academic framework to unpack the significance of this tumultuous event.
245 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2021
21 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 11, 2021
The world at large is aware of who killed the Mahatma. But was it really and the only man in Nathuram Godse, who murdered the champion of Ahimsa? The answer is clearly and beautifully explained in this book and covers the entire sequence that lead to Gandhi’s death.
I don’t want to divulge details here and get into a random squabble with the readers but the term ‘Hindu Khatre Mein Hain’ that was coined in the year 1912, has taken us to this day, that the masses are constantly implanted with this supposed apprehension, that indeed the Hindus are in perpetual danger. Therefore, kill thy ‘other’!
This book is explosive and all the more an important read in the present-day for the current dispensation, stems from the same ideology that was initiated by the ‘father of Hindutva’ in V.D. Savarkar.
P.S. Suggestion. When the authors cover such historical facts, they should and very importantly include some photographs of the key figures / objects / letters, for the book to be a ‘ready reckoner’. Why ask the reader to ‘Google’?! 📚
I don’t want to divulge details here and get into a random squabble with the readers but the term ‘Hindu Khatre Mein Hain’ that was coined in the year 1912, has taken us to this day, that the masses are constantly implanted with this supposed apprehension, that indeed the Hindus are in perpetual danger. Therefore, kill thy ‘other’!
This book is explosive and all the more an important read in the present-day for the current dispensation, stems from the same ideology that was initiated by the ‘father of Hindutva’ in V.D. Savarkar.
P.S. Suggestion. When the authors cover such historical facts, they should and very importantly include some photographs of the key figures / objects / letters, for the book to be a ‘ready reckoner’. Why ask the reader to ‘Google’?! 📚
December 15, 2021
The book is about the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, with new information from recently disclosed archival notes and documents from the Intelligence Bureau, CID and other internal security agencies. As arduous as the approach may seem, shedding new light now on a crime committed on 30 January 1948 was just as necessary given the present political and misinformation climate. We have people even celebrating the murderer of the Mahatma, which, in my opinion, can only be termed as asinine, as killing a 'Fakir', who always propounded the messages of peace and non-violence, was nothing more than an act of cowardice. It was also an act of desperation when the participants of this crime, from Savarkar to Godse, failed to wean the masses away from Gandhi through their polarizing and misinformed messages.
While the objective was worthy, I think the authors failed to approach the subject matter coherently. The events are not described in a linear temporal fashion and it seems they come up like in a conversation, frequently diverging to explain how this other new factor came into the narrative. The authors should have spent some more time on the book, even at the expense of delivering it at a later more inopportune stage. Such loose structuring may not help the authors to convey their message widely and it may even attract some unwanted false criticism.
Nevertheless, if you still believe in things like - Gandhi was responsible for the hanging of Bhagat Singh, or it was Gandhi who delayed us from attaining independence, or that Gandhi wanted a partition of the country; this book is a mandatory read for you, with additional ones like Gandhi Before India, Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World and From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India. For others, you may or may not read it, but on going through its pages at least you will come to an understanding of how deep a conspiracy the crime was, involving not just Godse and Apte, but also other senior leaders of the Hindu Right and princes.
While the objective was worthy, I think the authors failed to approach the subject matter coherently. The events are not described in a linear temporal fashion and it seems they come up like in a conversation, frequently diverging to explain how this other new factor came into the narrative. The authors should have spent some more time on the book, even at the expense of delivering it at a later more inopportune stage. Such loose structuring may not help the authors to convey their message widely and it may even attract some unwanted false criticism.
Nevertheless, if you still believe in things like - Gandhi was responsible for the hanging of Bhagat Singh, or it was Gandhi who delayed us from attaining independence, or that Gandhi wanted a partition of the country; this book is a mandatory read for you, with additional ones like Gandhi Before India, Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World and From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India. For others, you may or may not read it, but on going through its pages at least you will come to an understanding of how deep a conspiracy the crime was, involving not just Godse and Apte, but also other senior leaders of the Hindu Right and princes.
November 12, 2021
Disappointed - started off well but towards the later half felt that the same points were repeated. Nothing new. Also a lot of Savarkar bashing and after a point it got jarring. I felt it presented a skewed view.
April 19, 2024
The authors have arduously collected facts and point out why the assassination of Gandhiji was not a lone wolf attack as determined in the courts of law. The book has beautiful articulated why the fakir was the greatest threat to the killers myopic view of India and why they never had the capability and capacity to understand Bapu's ethical stand in arena of politics & religion. We have not only lost the greatest reformer of Hinduism after Buddha but also a pragmatic leader who would have redefined the concept of state (trusteeship) and economy (boodan movement) in the the bipolar world of 1950s.
January 31, 2022
The death anniversary of Gandhi is finally done for this year. All the posts that sang his praise on the 30th are now laid to rest and all those ‘Desh Bhakths’ have sung a customary hymn for him and moved on with a huge Sigh of relief. They now go back to collude their ways with the Killers of Gandhi and pretend it is just like any other death of old men not an heinous murder it really was. They rest in the thought that their numbers have grown and only little more time needed before they give the final burial to his memories and dreams like they did for his mortal remains 74 years back.
So it becomes all the more important that we do not just talk about Gandhi on his birthday or anniversary, but every day to remind that the murder of that man was not like just any other murder but an attack on the soul of India that was built over the years fighting against oppressors and nation that was forged in the fire of sacrifice. A fire and dream so powerful that it inspired the millions across the subcontinent, to unite on a common goal cutting across ethnic, religious and language lines.
There have been successive efforts on white washing of multiple facts. Savarkar is not connected to Godse; RSS and Godse are not connected; Hindu Mahasabha did not know about the plot on Gandhis’s Murder; Godse and his fellow accused were not connected to Hindu Mahasabha or RSS and were just lone wolves on prowl and much more so much that it is just a step from saying Gandhi death was suicide and no crime took place. On one hand number of Apologists starting from Godse himself to the likes Konrad Elst to Goutier were propped up justify the murder under the need for Hindu survival.
So what this new book, presents about is not important just in the facts that are presented, rather how they are presented to reveal the sequence of events and the motive behind the murder conclusively and compellingly. The false narrative that the Hindu fundamendalist hoard created at every step needs a strong refute with facts and figures in a way that appeals to the generation today and this book goes to do exactly that.
Did Savarkar and Godse have a passing acquaintance and Savarkar was involved with him on the long term plot?
There are a number of Witness statements and motives presented in the past including about the fateful meeting between V.D.Savarkar and Godse before they executed the plan. But those were based on conjunction and therefore was easy for the Hindutva supporters to brush as circumstantial. However this book presents a compelling first hand proof of the fact that Godse and Savarkar knew each other well and were involved in Joint meetings and activities leading upto the Murder. The smoking gun people were looking for was right before the eyes, which went unnoticed, intentional or unintentional.
“AIR India’s propeller aircraft DN-438 took off from Bombay (now Mumbai). Delhi, the new national capital, was the destination.”
“The trip from Bombay to Delhi on 8 August 1947, was not the first time Godse had accompanied Savarkar. Between 1938 and 1943, he used to go with Savarkar whenever the latter was on tour.”
“If one were to look for a common thread that bound these three passengers, then one would find it in their deep, unwavering resentment of Gandhi and his politics.”
While the embers were smoking for some time, it got headway when partition became the rallying point and Raison d'être for the flames of hatred that fed into the motives of the Sangh and its predecessor Hindu Maha Sabha.
In fact, the plot was so meticulously planned and the net for the supporters cast so wide that, every time a proof surfaced, the initial intelligence reports were buried, the key conspirators were allowed to move around and subterfuge used to cover up their trail by those at the power within the law enforcement and Judiciary, that is pointed out repeatedly with documents unearthed. Besides on the previous abortive attempt by the same team, one of their conspirators who was a refugee from partition was apprehended. In spite of that and mounting evidence, the plan took off possibly only because of the network of supporters inside the establishment.
“Desai met with Bombay Police’s Deputy Commissioner J.D. Nagarwala, who was handling the intelligence portfolio, the same night at 8.15 p.m. at the railway station, as Nagarwala was about to depart for Ahmedabad. His instructions to the deputy commissioner were clear—arrest Karkare and keep a close watch on Savarkar’s house. The court which tried the Gandhi assassination case, as well as the Kapur Commission, that was set up to re-examine it, also confirmed that Morarji Desai did convey the information Jain gave him to Nagarwala. On the morning of 22 January 1948, Desai met with Union Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and narrated the whole incident to him.”
This key fact has to be understood in the right context is that the murder did not stop with those who were convited but a wider set of people whose said reason stated was religion but the real purpsose much more sinister.
Was RSS blameless compared to Hindu Mahasabha which enabled, armed and facilitated the crime?
“A top-secret report of the Intelligence Bureau dated 20 July 1948 showed that the RSS, or the Sangh ‘has decided to murder the approver in Mahatma Gandhi’s murder case’.5 This was cited as a reason not to lift the ban on the RSS in July 1948.”
So what was the compelling reason that savarkar and his Band of Hindu terrorists to plan the heinous act? What brought the Fanatics and Rajah of Alwar together in this evil terror mission?
“On the question of trusteeship, which was absent from the constitution of the Sangh, Mahatma Gandhi is said to have pointed out that since the theory of trusteeship was stressed by him and had a permanent association with his name, it was legitimate to make it a matter of dispute. He said that he did not want to accentuate class-struggle. The owners should become trustees. They might insist that they should become trustees and yet they might choose to remain owners. We shall then have to oppose and fight them. Satyagraha will then be our weapon. Even if we want a classless society we should not engage in a civil war. Non-violence should be depended upon to bring a classless society.”
“The princely state was not a single unit. There was the Prince or Maharaja who was an inheritor of the right to rule and a princely bureaucracy comprising officials such as Khare who had more clout than the inheritor himself. Gandhi correctly identified that the princely bureaucracy was interested in continuing to hold power in a post-colonial structure.”
It is also interesting to note the power in many of these principalities that supported were not actually the princes but the people like khare and his fellow privileged class who held ropes of power strongly and those were the ones to lose the most more than the princes if Gandhi’s Classless society dream was to be realised. The privileged class and the monarch on which it was feeding on, colluded to achieve a common goal.
Let this sink; it was not the Hindu preservation; not even the Dharmic indignation but plain and simple, a preservation of a specific class and Class and a Monarch with an axe to grind on Gandhi, facilitated and pulled it through.
Yet the height of the collusion was how the terrorist and murderer, Godse was given the means and to produce a completely misleading yet tear wrenching justification in the court room for his act. Clearly the tone and tenor of that long “speech” was prepared and rehearsed for the effect not just in the courtroom but to this day as “document” for those who seek to further the nefarious agenda.
“Justice G.D. Khosla has described the proceedings in the Panjab High Court in his book The Murder of the Mahatma: and Other Cases from a Judge’s Notebook.”
“According to the judge, Godse’s plea of poverty was an excuse. The real reason behind his wanting to be present was a desire to show himself as a fearless patriot and an ardent advocate of Hindu ideology.”
“The audience, Khosla wrote, was moved. The room fell silent, with some people in tears, others pretending to hide their tears. Justice Khosla felt as if he were in a scene from a melodrama. Even as he pointed out the irrelevance of what Godse was saying, the audience listened to the murderer, transfixed. To them, Godse’s performance was the only worthwhile part of the court proceedings. ‘I have no doubt,’ Khosla wrote, ‘that had the audience of that day been constituted into a jury and entrusted with the task of deciding Godse’s appeal, they would have brought in a verdict of Not Guilty by an overwhelming majority.’”
And that explains why till date, a well rehearsed speech, however false & misleading, appealing to Hindu preservation and not to sensible / rational truth, can sway and direct the masses in India.
So it becomes all the more important that we do not just talk about Gandhi on his birthday or anniversary, but every day to remind that the murder of that man was not like just any other murder but an attack on the soul of India that was built over the years fighting against oppressors and nation that was forged in the fire of sacrifice. A fire and dream so powerful that it inspired the millions across the subcontinent, to unite on a common goal cutting across ethnic, religious and language lines.
There have been successive efforts on white washing of multiple facts. Savarkar is not connected to Godse; RSS and Godse are not connected; Hindu Mahasabha did not know about the plot on Gandhis’s Murder; Godse and his fellow accused were not connected to Hindu Mahasabha or RSS and were just lone wolves on prowl and much more so much that it is just a step from saying Gandhi death was suicide and no crime took place. On one hand number of Apologists starting from Godse himself to the likes Konrad Elst to Goutier were propped up justify the murder under the need for Hindu survival.
So what this new book, presents about is not important just in the facts that are presented, rather how they are presented to reveal the sequence of events and the motive behind the murder conclusively and compellingly. The false narrative that the Hindu fundamendalist hoard created at every step needs a strong refute with facts and figures in a way that appeals to the generation today and this book goes to do exactly that.
Did Savarkar and Godse have a passing acquaintance and Savarkar was involved with him on the long term plot?
There are a number of Witness statements and motives presented in the past including about the fateful meeting between V.D.Savarkar and Godse before they executed the plan. But those were based on conjunction and therefore was easy for the Hindutva supporters to brush as circumstantial. However this book presents a compelling first hand proof of the fact that Godse and Savarkar knew each other well and were involved in Joint meetings and activities leading upto the Murder. The smoking gun people were looking for was right before the eyes, which went unnoticed, intentional or unintentional.
“AIR India’s propeller aircraft DN-438 took off from Bombay (now Mumbai). Delhi, the new national capital, was the destination.”
“The trip from Bombay to Delhi on 8 August 1947, was not the first time Godse had accompanied Savarkar. Between 1938 and 1943, he used to go with Savarkar whenever the latter was on tour.”
“If one were to look for a common thread that bound these three passengers, then one would find it in their deep, unwavering resentment of Gandhi and his politics.”
While the embers were smoking for some time, it got headway when partition became the rallying point and Raison d'être for the flames of hatred that fed into the motives of the Sangh and its predecessor Hindu Maha Sabha.
In fact, the plot was so meticulously planned and the net for the supporters cast so wide that, every time a proof surfaced, the initial intelligence reports were buried, the key conspirators were allowed to move around and subterfuge used to cover up their trail by those at the power within the law enforcement and Judiciary, that is pointed out repeatedly with documents unearthed. Besides on the previous abortive attempt by the same team, one of their conspirators who was a refugee from partition was apprehended. In spite of that and mounting evidence, the plan took off possibly only because of the network of supporters inside the establishment.
“Desai met with Bombay Police’s Deputy Commissioner J.D. Nagarwala, who was handling the intelligence portfolio, the same night at 8.15 p.m. at the railway station, as Nagarwala was about to depart for Ahmedabad. His instructions to the deputy commissioner were clear—arrest Karkare and keep a close watch on Savarkar’s house. The court which tried the Gandhi assassination case, as well as the Kapur Commission, that was set up to re-examine it, also confirmed that Morarji Desai did convey the information Jain gave him to Nagarwala. On the morning of 22 January 1948, Desai met with Union Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and narrated the whole incident to him.”
This key fact has to be understood in the right context is that the murder did not stop with those who were convited but a wider set of people whose said reason stated was religion but the real purpsose much more sinister.
Was RSS blameless compared to Hindu Mahasabha which enabled, armed and facilitated the crime?
“A top-secret report of the Intelligence Bureau dated 20 July 1948 showed that the RSS, or the Sangh ‘has decided to murder the approver in Mahatma Gandhi’s murder case’.5 This was cited as a reason not to lift the ban on the RSS in July 1948.”
So what was the compelling reason that savarkar and his Band of Hindu terrorists to plan the heinous act? What brought the Fanatics and Rajah of Alwar together in this evil terror mission?
“On the question of trusteeship, which was absent from the constitution of the Sangh, Mahatma Gandhi is said to have pointed out that since the theory of trusteeship was stressed by him and had a permanent association with his name, it was legitimate to make it a matter of dispute. He said that he did not want to accentuate class-struggle. The owners should become trustees. They might insist that they should become trustees and yet they might choose to remain owners. We shall then have to oppose and fight them. Satyagraha will then be our weapon. Even if we want a classless society we should not engage in a civil war. Non-violence should be depended upon to bring a classless society.”
“The princely state was not a single unit. There was the Prince or Maharaja who was an inheritor of the right to rule and a princely bureaucracy comprising officials such as Khare who had more clout than the inheritor himself. Gandhi correctly identified that the princely bureaucracy was interested in continuing to hold power in a post-colonial structure.”
It is also interesting to note the power in many of these principalities that supported were not actually the princes but the people like khare and his fellow privileged class who held ropes of power strongly and those were the ones to lose the most more than the princes if Gandhi’s Classless society dream was to be realised. The privileged class and the monarch on which it was feeding on, colluded to achieve a common goal.
Let this sink; it was not the Hindu preservation; not even the Dharmic indignation but plain and simple, a preservation of a specific class and Class and a Monarch with an axe to grind on Gandhi, facilitated and pulled it through.
Yet the height of the collusion was how the terrorist and murderer, Godse was given the means and to produce a completely misleading yet tear wrenching justification in the court room for his act. Clearly the tone and tenor of that long “speech” was prepared and rehearsed for the effect not just in the courtroom but to this day as “document” for those who seek to further the nefarious agenda.
“Justice G.D. Khosla has described the proceedings in the Panjab High Court in his book The Murder of the Mahatma: and Other Cases from a Judge’s Notebook.”
“According to the judge, Godse’s plea of poverty was an excuse. The real reason behind his wanting to be present was a desire to show himself as a fearless patriot and an ardent advocate of Hindu ideology.”
“The audience, Khosla wrote, was moved. The room fell silent, with some people in tears, others pretending to hide their tears. Justice Khosla felt as if he were in a scene from a melodrama. Even as he pointed out the irrelevance of what Godse was saying, the audience listened to the murderer, transfixed. To them, Godse’s performance was the only worthwhile part of the court proceedings. ‘I have no doubt,’ Khosla wrote, ‘that had the audience of that day been constituted into a jury and entrusted with the task of deciding Godse’s appeal, they would have brought in a verdict of Not Guilty by an overwhelming majority.’”
And that explains why till date, a well rehearsed speech, however false & misleading, appealing to Hindu preservation and not to sensible / rational truth, can sway and direct the masses in India.
February 3, 2022
“It was a fanatical wing of the Hindu Mahasabha directly under Savarkar that hatched the conspiracy...” wrote Sardar Vallabhai Patel to Jawaharlal Nehru after a month from the day of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. But, why did Godse kill Gandhi? In a passionately argued statement, Godse presented his defense that got later published as ‘Meri Kahani’ or ‘Why I Killed Gandhi?’ Outwardly, his defense might have looked like an oppressed individual with absolutely no guilt, asserting his communal identity, seeking justice for the victims of vivisection of the country. A closer investigation of the case had revealed how the conspiracy was a long-term project of the Sangh Parivar who were vehemently opposed to Gandhi’s principles and politics since the 1920s.
Between the failed attempt to kill Gandhi on 20th January 1948 and Gandhi's assassination on 30th January 1948, this book connects the several dots left as a trail in the ten days of investigation beginning from the first failed attempt. The details from the investigation establish the close contact that prevailed between the Hindu Mahasabha and VD Savarkar behind the conspiracy. But, by the time the Kapur Commission submitted its report on Gandhi’s assassination in 1969, Savarkar was dead. The report concluded: “All these facts taken together were destructive of any theory other than the conspiracy to murder by Savarkar and his group.”
This book also throws light on the less known side of the conspiracy, which is the role of princely states. Alwar was one of many princely states on friendly terms with the Hindu Mahasabha, which opposed their merger with the union. As Gandhi was opposed to the idea of princely states within a democratic republic, in contrast to the views held by Savarkar who viewed the princely states as the real custodians of Hindu culture, the chapter on how princely states played a lead role in nourishing the militarization of the right-wing to eliminate secular forces is essential reading to understand the less explored side of the ploy.
A few years ago in the parliament, Savarkar was honored by his leaders hanging his portrait immediately opposite Gandhi. The irony is inescapable that the philosophy embodied by Gandhi was in total contrast and extreme opposite to what Savarkar stood for. That, Gandhi stood for the truth is very evident from the fact that Savarkar, throughout the trial, distanced himself from Godse or the case, pretending to be completely detached from any of the events, lying through his teeth that he had never met any of the accused before, despite traveling together with them a month ago to attend a public meeting. Nevertheless, the very fact that Godse was a disciple of Savarkar must be ceaselessly reiterated. Though exonerated purely on ‘lack of evidence’ in 1948, the Kapoor Commission Report, the notes, and diary entries from the agents who investigated the case and the testimonies of the convicts laid bare the role of Savarkar in the scheme which was conceived and hatched under his hospitable roof.
Previously, Larry Collins' book ‘Freedom at midnight’ had unraveled the events leading to the assassination of Gandhi in the best possible way. This book is short, concise in story-telling, investigative, and riveting.
Between the failed attempt to kill Gandhi on 20th January 1948 and Gandhi's assassination on 30th January 1948, this book connects the several dots left as a trail in the ten days of investigation beginning from the first failed attempt. The details from the investigation establish the close contact that prevailed between the Hindu Mahasabha and VD Savarkar behind the conspiracy. But, by the time the Kapur Commission submitted its report on Gandhi’s assassination in 1969, Savarkar was dead. The report concluded: “All these facts taken together were destructive of any theory other than the conspiracy to murder by Savarkar and his group.”
This book also throws light on the less known side of the conspiracy, which is the role of princely states. Alwar was one of many princely states on friendly terms with the Hindu Mahasabha, which opposed their merger with the union. As Gandhi was opposed to the idea of princely states within a democratic republic, in contrast to the views held by Savarkar who viewed the princely states as the real custodians of Hindu culture, the chapter on how princely states played a lead role in nourishing the militarization of the right-wing to eliminate secular forces is essential reading to understand the less explored side of the ploy.
A few years ago in the parliament, Savarkar was honored by his leaders hanging his portrait immediately opposite Gandhi. The irony is inescapable that the philosophy embodied by Gandhi was in total contrast and extreme opposite to what Savarkar stood for. That, Gandhi stood for the truth is very evident from the fact that Savarkar, throughout the trial, distanced himself from Godse or the case, pretending to be completely detached from any of the events, lying through his teeth that he had never met any of the accused before, despite traveling together with them a month ago to attend a public meeting. Nevertheless, the very fact that Godse was a disciple of Savarkar must be ceaselessly reiterated. Though exonerated purely on ‘lack of evidence’ in 1948, the Kapoor Commission Report, the notes, and diary entries from the agents who investigated the case and the testimonies of the convicts laid bare the role of Savarkar in the scheme which was conceived and hatched under his hospitable roof.
Previously, Larry Collins' book ‘Freedom at midnight’ had unraveled the events leading to the assassination of Gandhi in the best possible way. This book is short, concise in story-telling, investigative, and riveting.
January 19, 2025
The Murderer, The Monarch, and The Fakir feels more like an academic research paper or a NCERT course guide disguised as a novel. While it ambitiously seeks to present a comprehensive view of Gandhi’s assassination, it falls short due to its dry tone and lack of narrative fluidity. The book reads like a fact machine gun—relentlessly firing information at you, but ends up deafening.
The book is divided into three parts:
1. The Murderer – Focused on the assassination itself, this is the strongest section of the book, offering depth and detail.
2. The Monarch – The weakest section, adding little to the narrative beyond highlighting that princely states had vested interests in Gandhi’s assassination.
3. The Fakir – A disjointed commentary on current events that feels like a hastily assembled summary of recent happenings.
One redeeming aspect of my reading experience was listening to Why I Killed Gandhi on Audible alongside this book, which provided a richer counter-narrative and a broader understanding of the subject matter.
Read this if you enjoy historical research and don’t mind a bombardment of facts. Skip it if you’re looking for a compelling story or a well-crafted narrative.
The book is divided into three parts:
1. The Murderer – Focused on the assassination itself, this is the strongest section of the book, offering depth and detail.
2. The Monarch – The weakest section, adding little to the narrative beyond highlighting that princely states had vested interests in Gandhi’s assassination.
3. The Fakir – A disjointed commentary on current events that feels like a hastily assembled summary of recent happenings.
One redeeming aspect of my reading experience was listening to Why I Killed Gandhi on Audible alongside this book, which provided a richer counter-narrative and a broader understanding of the subject matter.
Read this if you enjoy historical research and don’t mind a bombardment of facts. Skip it if you’re looking for a compelling story or a well-crafted narrative.
July 9, 2024
There is always a truth in every action or Reason for behaving. There is no proper definition for good hence it spreads its wings on the evil side also.
Anyone who is close to Gandhiji knows it is very difficult to follow him. No one understood him, that may be the reason for his assassination.
There are always two sides of the coin and the other side is this book, Why Godse killed Gandhi, most importantly which Gandhi he wanted to kill. The reason can be known by reading this book.
I felt bad the atrocity happened during partition of India, and it may be the black period of Indian history.
The book is eye opening to the reader who blindly arguing by seeing the one side of the coin. when the other side gets revealed, Will send you a shock in your spine and push you to stand in the centre of the event.
Good one to preserve in your library.
Anyone who is close to Gandhiji knows it is very difficult to follow him. No one understood him, that may be the reason for his assassination.
There are always two sides of the coin and the other side is this book, Why Godse killed Gandhi, most importantly which Gandhi he wanted to kill. The reason can be known by reading this book.
I felt bad the atrocity happened during partition of India, and it may be the black period of Indian history.
The book is eye opening to the reader who blindly arguing by seeing the one side of the coin. when the other side gets revealed, Will send you a shock in your spine and push you to stand in the centre of the event.
Good one to preserve in your library.
December 5, 2021
The book examines the potential role in killing of the Father of The Nation of princely states, hyper masculinity and a militant right wing in the context of a nation that had just won her independence. It relies on investigative journalism and hitherto little researched but available evidence to draw its conclusions. The book is relevant in current times where there is a renewed attempt at hyper nationalism and bid to rehabilitate ultra right wing elements like Godse and Savarkar.
October 26, 2022
The book examines the Godse-Savarkar nexus, the possible role of princely states and the role of the militant Hindu Right in contributing to the assassination of Gandhi. However, it doesn't really engaging enough and doesn't tell anything new that has not been put forth by others. Also, it spends a good amount of time straying into contemporary politics which has nothing much to do with the core of the book.
November 2, 2021
Was expecting some new insight into Gandhi's Assassination, but there isn't any really 'new' here. Also a lot of repetition of the same points again and again. Looks like the author ran out of material. If you have been following this historic changing event you would know most of the facts that are presented in this book. However a good read for younger audience I suppose.
August 16, 2025
A good book to read if uh want the insights of the killing of Mahatma Gandhi event by event! Book tries to unravel the evidences that can link Savarkar to the assassination of the father of the nation! MG’s stance against the power thirsty princes and his unwavering commitment to the decentralisation and democratisation of power also played a role in MG’s killing. 4-5/10
December 3, 2021
This is an interesting book on Gandhi's assassination. It's sheds new traces too. காந்தி ஹிந்து மத ஆதரவாளர் என்பதைவிட அவர் ஒரு ஆன்மீகவாதி என்ற வாதமே சரி என்று நிரூபணம் ஆவது அவரது கொலை நடத்திய நபரால். அக்கொலையும் அந்தப் பின்னணியும் இந்நூலில் அழகாக வந்திருக்கிறது. அவசியம் படிக்க வேண்டிய ஒன்று
January 30, 2022
Containing new info beyond (read in addition to) that of the traditional Kapur Commission enquiry, if there's one book you read about Gandhi's murder and the deep history of the terrorist ideology and connections that caused it, this book could be it.
March 6, 2023
An absorbing read on the events leading up to Gandhiji's assassination and how the Hindutva ideology continues to stay alive and worship his killers.
Brilliant articulation backed by facts and research.
Brilliant articulation backed by facts and research.
Read
November 10, 2023Completed reading #TheMurdererTheMonarchAndTheFakir by #AppuEsthoseSuresh & #PriyankaKotamraju.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone who hates #MahatmaGandhi and loves #Savarkar or even #NathuramGodse.
Knowing facts is important before developing affiliations
@HarperCollins
I strongly recommend this book to everyone who hates #MahatmaGandhi and loves #Savarkar or even #NathuramGodse.
Knowing facts is important before developing affiliations
@HarperCollins
November 21, 2021
Very well researched.
November 22, 2021
The book is investigative in nature, it questions both gandhi and godse and try to summarise their differences in opinions and ideologies.
Finally, It reassert our faith in the mahatma.
Finally, It reassert our faith in the mahatma.
December 20, 2021
Excellent.
December 21, 2021
Well researched , into the face , gripping account of an emerging nation shaping up in a constant flux of different ideologies .
February 6, 2022
Authors through their investigative journalism help to fill in the missing links about the murder of Gandhi. This book holds relevance especially in the current scenario and you know why.
March 25, 2022
The book describes the investigation into the murder of Gandhi. What I felt is that the book did not give the room for independent thinking for the reader.
May 6, 2022
Much needed read for today's times. Can be a drybread at times becuse it recreates the events but very well researched.
March 20, 2024
With the help of new evidence, this book proves that there was a conspiracy to assassinate Gandhi and the heinous crime was not an action of an emotionally charged madman.
January 16, 2022
Extremely well researched and a gripping narrative make it one of the most detailed books on the Mahatama’s killing. And so necessary in the current times.
December 19, 2024
Appu Esthose Suresh and Priyanka Kotamraju's book, The Murderer, The Monarch, and the Fakir, is an interesting piece of literature on the violent death of non-violent Mahatma Gandhi and the ideology of those people who were behind the murder of MK Gandhi. Do read.
What is The Murderer, The Monarch, and The Fakir by Appu Esthose Suresh and Priyanka Kotamraju?
The Murderer, the Monarch, and the Fakir, a new investigation of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination reveals the different facets of the people and the ideology that ensured Gandhi's death within a few months of Indian independence. The book not only informs the readers about the main characters who committed the killing of Mohandas Gandhi, but it also connects the many dots of this murder, which shook not only the conscience of the newly independent Bharat but also of the world.
Though the author(s) of this book did a commendable job, somehow they have also clouded the writing because of their inherent dislike for the Hindutva.
What is The Murderer, The Monarch, and The Fakir by Appu Esthose Suresh and Priyanka Kotamraju?
The Murderer, the Monarch, and the Fakir, a new investigation of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination reveals the different facets of the people and the ideology that ensured Gandhi's death within a few months of Indian independence. The book not only informs the readers about the main characters who committed the killing of Mohandas Gandhi, but it also connects the many dots of this murder, which shook not only the conscience of the newly independent Bharat but also of the world.
Though the author(s) of this book did a commendable job, somehow they have also clouded the writing because of their inherent dislike for the Hindutva.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews