Every year, January 30 is observed as Gandhi Nirvan Divas – the day Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was assassinated in 1948.
On January 30, 1948 at 5:17 pm Mahatma Gandhi along with his grandnieces, was on his way to the garden of Birla House to address a prayer meeting. This was when Hindu nationalist Nathuram Godse fired three bullets into his chest from a pistol at close range. Mahatma Gandhi's last words are known to be 'He Ram'. Today, the Birla House site is now a memorial called Gandhi Smriti. The place near Yamuna river where he was cremated is the Raj Ghat memorial in New Delhi.
Every year, the Indian President, Vice President, the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, and three Service Chiefs gather at the samadhi at Rajghat memorial and pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Not only in India, Gandhi Nirvan Divas is observed in other parts of the country, especially in the UK where the India League and the High Commission of India mark this day every year.
