On this day May 5 in 1944 India’s
freedom fighter Gandhi was released from Aga Khan Palace, the very
palace-turned-jail that Mahatma lost his wife Kasturba and another close
friend.
INDIAN HISTORY: Indian freedom fighter Mahatma
Gandhi and the entire Congress party working committee were arrested in
Bombay by the British on 9 August 1942. Following their conviction,
Gandhi and others were held for two years in the Aga Khan Palace in Pune
and released on this day May 5 in 1944.
It was here in this historic palace-turned-jail that Gandhi suffered
two terrible blows in his personal life. The legendary Indian palace is
closely linked to the Indian freedom movement where it served as a
prison for Mahatma Gandhi, his wife Kasturba Gandhi, his
secretary Mahadev Desai and Sarojini Naidu.
Gandhi’s 50-year old secretary Mahadev Desai died of a heart attack 6
days later and his wife Kasturba Gandhi died after 18 months
imprisonment in 22 February 1944 and then six weeks later Gandhi
suffered a severe malaria attack. He was released before the end of the
war on 5 May 1944 because of his failing health and given the fact that
the British Raj did not want him to die in prison making him a martyr
for an already enraged Indian nation.
The Aga Khan Palace was built by Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan III. The palace was an act of charity by a spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims
that wanted to help the poor in Pune that were undergoing a famine in
the area. Now in current times, a special section of the Palace premises
serves as a memorial dedicated to Gandhi and Kasturba where some of
their ashes have been placed You may be wondering what are samadhis,
well they are nothing but Tulasi aka holy basil plants growing on top
of the places where Kasturba and Mahadev Desai were cremated.
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