Ramachandra was born on the 19th of May, 1910 in Baramatti, Maharashtra. As their first three sons had died in their infancy and a daughter had survived, his parents had been advised to raise their next boy-child as a girl to counter the curse on the family. As a result, soon after his birth, they had Baby Ramachandra's left nostril pierced and a ring put in as was the custom with baby girls. Young Ram (a diminutive of Ramachandra) was raised as a girl until the safe birth of a brother a few years later.
Ram with the nose ring (known as a nath in Marathi) was affectionately called Nathuram by his parents and the name stuck.
On January 30, 1948, Nathuram Godse, aged 37, shot Mahatma Gandhi three times at point blank range.