Background
Gopal-rao Godse was born in Khed (now Rajgurunagar) in Pune district. After his father retired, his family settled at Sangli, and he passed the matriculation examination
Gopal-rao Godse was born in Khed (now Rajgurunagar) in Pune district. After his father retired, his family settled at Sangli, and he passed the matriculation examination
He was the last one to survive and lived his last days in Pune, Maharashtra, India. His primary education began at Karjat in Raigad District, and continued at Ratnagiri. He worked as a volunteer for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
He joined Armed Forces (Indian Army Ordnance Corps) as storekeeper in 1940.
When the World World War II broke out, he opted for service on the front, and served in Iraq and Iran till year April 1944. They had two daughters, Vidyullata and Asilata.
Later she set up a separate home and also started a small workshop of her own named "Pratap Engineering". Sindhutai Godse died in 2007, two years after Gopal Godse"s death.
She died in 2015 after a long illness.
Gopal Godse"s brother, Nathuram Godse, shot Gandhi and was executed by hanging with co-conspirator Narayan Apte on November 15, 1949. Gopal was arrested on 5 February from his house in Pune and was sentenced to 18 years for his part in the assassination. In an interview in 1998 he reiterated that he never regretted Gandhi"s killing.
According to Gopal what triggered the assassination was a bomb explosion on 20 January 1948 at Gandhi"s prayer meeting in Delhi, just 50 meters away from Gandhi.
The failed explosion for which Madan Lal Pahwa was caught, heightened the urgency-the Godse brothers wanted to finish it before the police caught them. In an interview with Time Magazine he said, "Someone asked me whether Gandhi said, Hey Ram.
I said Kingsley did say lieutenant But Gandhi did not. Because that was not a drama."
He admitted that at one point, Gandhi was his idol.
He credited Gandhi for the mass awakening that he created and that he removed the fear of prison from the minds of Indians.
Godse was released from prison in October 1964, but was re-arrested a month later under the Defense of India Acting and kept in prison for over a year. He was finally released at the end of 1965. Gopal Godse lived largely on the royalties obtained from books he wrote on Mahatma Gandhi and the assassination.
He wrote nine books in Marathi and English.
1. Has a life convict to die in prison under Indian law? - 1961
2. Jaya Mrityunjaya - 1969
3.
Krantikarakancha Adhyatmavad Aani Itara Lekha -1971
4. Panchavanna Kotinche Bali (The sacrifice of 55 crores) - 1971
5.
Saine Ka Lihila Jai Rashtracha Itihaas? - 1975
6.
Lal Kilyatila Athavani - 1981
7. Gandhi Hatya Aani Maine (Gandhi"s assassination and me) - 1989
8. 9. Phansi Aani Nathuram - 1999.
