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Nathuram Godse Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 6, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth19 May 1910

Age39 (at time of death)

BirthplaceBaramati, Pune district, Bombay Presidency, British India

ProfessionRSS activist, Politician, Journalist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather: Vinayak Vamanrao Godse; Mother: Lakshmi; Brother: Gopal Godse; Sister: 1

Nathuram Godse Biography

Nathuram Vinayak Godse (born Ramachandra; 19 May 1910 – 15 November 1949) was an Indian political activist and journalist associated with Hindu nationalist

Early life and background

Nathuram Vinayak Godse was born Ramachandra on 19 May 1910 in Baramati, in the Pune district of what was then the Bombay Presidency under British India. His parents were Vinayak Vamanrao Godse, who worked in the post office, and his mother, Lakshmi. He grew up in Baramati and attended a local school there but did not complete formal higher education, ultimately dropping out after failing his matriculation exam. He came from a Brahmin family and practiced Hinduism.

As a child he was given the name Nathuram after an early period in which his family treated him in a way the record describes as different because of losses they had suffered previously. He had at least two siblings: a brother, Gopal Godse, and one sister.

Career

Godse became involved in Hindu nationalist movements as a young man. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Sangli in 1932 while maintaining ties to the Hindu Mahasabha. Influenced by the ideas of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, he later launched a Marathi-language newspaper that was published under the names Agrani and, later, Hindu Rashtra. In 1942 he founded an organization called Hindu Rashtra Dal on Vijayadashmi.

By the mid-1940s Godse had broken with the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha, citing dissatisfaction with their response to the Partition of India. He blamed Mahatma Gandhi for policies he considered responsible for the division of the country and for measures he saw as overly accommodating toward Muslims.

Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and trial

On 30 January 1948 Nathuram Godse shot Mahatma Gandhi multiple times at close range while Gandhi was arriving for a prayer meeting at Birla House in New Delhi. The accounts in the record state Gandhi was shot three times and died at 5:17 p.m. that day. A Beretta M1934 pistol is identified in the record as the weapon used. Godse was apprehended at the scene by bystanders, and other participants in the wider plot were arrested in the following days.

Eight people were tried on charges related to the assassination; Godse and Narayan Apte were convicted and sentenced to death on 10 February 1949. Others convicted received prison terms. Appeals and requests for clemency, including appeals from Gandhi's sons on behalf of the condemned men, were considered and ultimately rejected by senior leaders of the Indian government at the time. Godse and Apte were executed by hanging at Ambala Jail on 15 November 1949.

Public profile

Godse left a written statement explaining his motivations, published under the title Why I Killed Gandhi in the sources cited in the record. In that statement he argued that Gandhi's political positions had favored the creation of a separate Muslim state and that Gandhi's moral and political influence had led to policies he opposed. His trial and words before the court attracted significant attention; contemporary judicial commentary quoted in the record describes a courtroom strongly affected by Godse's presentation.

Legacy and later mentions

The assassination and its aftermath have made Godse a controversial and heavily scrutinized figure in Indian history. His brother Gopal published a memoir years later, and in subsequent decades there have been isolated efforts by some groups to rehabilitate or reinterpret his actions. The record notes that political developments in India at various times prompted renewed attention to Godse's case, including attempts by some organizations to portray him as a patriotic figure.

Latest updates

The excerpt notes that in the 2010s and later some political and social events revived public discussion about Godse, including calls by organizations to commemorate him and references to him in election-campaign rhetoric. These mentions reflect the continuing sensitivity and public interest surrounding the assassination and its place in modern Indian political debates.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Nathuram Godse, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Why I Killed Gandhi

A written statement setting out Godse's stated motivations for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi.

1949
Hindu Rashtra / Agrani (newspaper)

Marathi-language newspaper founded and edited by Godse; later published under the name Hindu Rashtra.

Hindu Rashtra Dal

Organization founded by Godse in 1942.

1942
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Career Highlights

  1. Joined Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1932
  2. Founded Marathi newspaper Agrani, later renamed Hindu Rashtra
  3. Founded Hindu Rashtra Dal in 1942
  4. Assassinated Mahatma Gandhi on 30 January 1948; convicted and executed in 1949
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Nathuram Godse born?

Nathuram Godse was born on 19 May 1910.

What is Nathuram Godse known for?

Nathuram Godse is known for rSS activist, Politician, Journalist.

What is Nathuram Godse’s marital status?

Nathuram Godse's marital status is listed as Unmarried.