13.6 Was Gandhi a Hero? ~ KHOJ

India’s freedom struggle took a new turn after the Great War and it was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who took the center stage in that final battle against British Raj. Gandhi is widely regarded as a saint, a mahatma, who showed the whole world that battles can be won without violence. To Einstein he was a role model for generations to come, “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood”. Yet Gandhi had his fair share of critics. Recently he has been labeled as a ‘sexual wierdo’ who slept with his young niece, and there have been protests against building his statue in London. He has been called a racist, and has been accused of having sexual relation with a German body builder. So before we go into our next phase of freedom struggle we have to understand who Gandhi really was.

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Selected writings by Gandhi in ‘My Experiments with Truth’ [1] enlighten us on his life. Gandhi was a little boy of eighteen when he dared to go against his people who threatened to outcaste him, and sailed to England with a dream of a bright future in law. He got permission from his mother only after he promised her three things: no meat, no alcohol, and more importantly, no sex. His friends warned him that he would not survive the cold conditions without meat, but he was adamant. He was also inspired by the new vegetarian revolution in England. Not having wine had its own advantage, especially when Gandhi was called to the bar at the end of his course. There were two bottle of wine for a group of four. Since there was scarcity of non-drinkers, he was in demand as everyone wanted him so that the rest three in the group can finish two bottles. He kept his first two promises easily; it was the third that seemed most difficult. There were times when he came very close to breaking his third and the most important vow to his mother. First time in Portsmouth, and second much later while sailing to South Africa. But each time he managed to stop himself before crossing the limit, even though it meant dirty thoughts and sleepless nights.

Gandhi was ashamed of the fact that he was married in such a young age, and even had a kid. His first child was born when he was just 15, but survived only few days. Like a coward he hid it when he was in England until he had to confess to an old lady who loved him and was looking to engage him with a white girl. He was also very very shy. He trembled when he had to speak in public, and often someone else had to read his speech on his behalf. It was in his second year when Gandhi read Gita for the first time. He read other religious books like ‘The light of Asia’ and was impressed by Hindu philosophy. He realized that superstition was not part of Hinduism, and in later life fought hard to abolish all forms of superstition from Hindu religion. He also began to like English customs and dresses. Gandhi survived England and came back to India after three years in 1891, only to hear the news of his mother’s demise. It was kept a secret from him so that it does not affect his studies. His shyness prevented him from becoming a successful lawyer in India. His relation with his wife, Kasturba, was also not great. There were times when he made her life miserable. Later in his life he realized his mistake, and even had the guts to acknowledge it in his writings.He revealed that he learnt non-violence from his wife who would later be active participant in freedom struggle. In 1893 he got an offer from Dada Abdulla & Co. and went to South Africa, where the second phase of his life began.

Gandhi was surprised to see the poor condition of Indians in Africa. Indians were often insulted by the Englishmen who addressed them as ‘Coolie’ or ‘Sami’, quite oblivious to the fact that ‘Sami’, which came from ‘Swami’, meant ‘Master’. Gandhi was thus called the ‘Coolie Barrister’. Not all Englishmen were rude. There was one gentleman who fought with the guards and allowed Gandhi to travel with him in First class train compartment. He even ate dinner with many Europeans in Johnson’s family hotel. It was in South Africa where he came to know about Islam and Christianity, and also sharpened his knowledge of Hinduism. However, it was the racism that he faced in South Africa that prepared him for the battle in India. He had to fight to keep his turban on while inside the court. He was thrown off the first class compartment despite having legal tickets. In the same journey Gandhi was beaten up after refused to sit on the floor of a coach for which he had tickets. He was also denied to stay in many hotels for his colour. There were places where Indians were not allowed to walk in the streets at night. He was once pushed and kicked by a guard for walking on the foothpath at night. He was a well-educated barrister; if he was treated like this, what would be the condition of other Indians. Once his work in South Africa was finish, he was preparing to leave for India. In his farewell party he chanced upon an article in the newspaper. It was about a bill before the House of Legislature which will disallow the Indians the right to elect the members of Natal legislative Assembly. That changed his plans, and he decided to stay back and fight for justice. He started to study the condition of Indians in South Africa in detail. He put effort to make Indians aware about cleanliness and educate them. He promoted unity of Indians despite the differences in language and religion.

While Gandhi was worried about his countrymen, he did not care about the native Africans whose condition was even worse. Gandhi firmly believed that Indians deserved better treatment than the natives. He founded Natal Indian Congress in 1894 which fought for the rights of Indians in South Africa. Gandhi came to India two years later to get support from Indian political leaders. He was attacked by mobs when he returned back to South Africa, but he managed to escape. His wife too joined him in South Africa during this time. Gandhi encouraged recruitment of Indians when British were fighting Boer war in 1899 and again in 1906 against Zulu kingdom. During this time he came to realize the power of British Army. He knew that it would be futile for the weak countries to fight the British with arms. Instead he chose non-violent resistance, or satyagrahya, as his new weapon. He has been put to jail for his protests. It was in the jail where he had interaction with the native Africans, which removed his prejudice about them. He met the rich German born Jewish architect Hermann Kallenbach in 1904, and became very good friends. Kallenbach donated his farm to Gandhi which became shelter for the Satyagrahis. It was named Tolstoy Farm. Gandhi is said to have written to his friend the following lines: ‘How completely you have taken possession of my body. This is slavery with a vengeance’ [2]. The lines has widely been misinterpreted and taken as a proof that Gandhi was gay even though none of Gandhi’s letters to his German friend had sexual connotations. Gandhi’s new method of satyagrahya became successful. Funds started to pour in from India which included Sir Ratan Tata, Nizam of Hyderabad, Indian National Congress and the Muslim League [1]. Gandhi succeeded in uniting Indians of different class and religion. Gandhi finally returned to Indian in January 1915.

In India he was involved in the much controversial Brahmacharya Experiments, especially with his young grand-niece Manu. His obsession with Brahmacharya developed from a childhood experiment. When his father was sick he sent a lot of time him messaging his feet. One night his uncle took over from him and he went straight to his room where his pregnant wife was. They had sex that night, after which he got the news that his father was dead. Gandhi blamed his lust. The child born later also did not survive. The Brahmachariya experiment, quite rightly, was disliked by his own men including Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Nirmal Bose who warned him to stop. But Gandhi was adamant, and even frank about what he wanted. Gandhi’s reply was ''If I don't let Manu sleep with me, though I regard it as essential that she should, wouldn't that be a sign of weakness in me?[3].” Manu’s diaries throw light on the kind of affect the experiments had on her. She was devoted to Gandhi and addressed him as her mother. She was not forced to stay in there; instead she preferred to stay there. Manu wrote, "Bapu is a mother to me. He is initiating me to a higher human plane through the Brahmacharya experiments, part of his Mahayagna of character-building. Any loose talk about the experiment is most condemnable [4].” Sensual or not, what happened was consensual. The relation she shared with Gandhi was like “… Mirabai who lived only for her Shyamlo (Krishna).” She was standing beside Gandhi when the later was shot. She was shocked. She later wrote, “As the pyre was lit and Bapu's body was consigned to the flames, I wanted to sit there forever. It was all a bit difficult for me to accept; only a few days ago Bapu was with me, now I am completely lonely, completely helpless." Gandhi’s methods might have been weird, but he was not a ‘sexual weirdo’ as many try to project out of political malice or colonial prejudice.

Gandhi was not a saint, or god. He was an ordinary man who was put through extraordinary situations. Facing injustice from a powerful force, he did not accept it like most men… he revolted. Sometimes he was right, and at times wrong. He was orthodox, he was too religious, he was strict with his children, he had flaws ... we all do. But what makes him different was that he stood for what he thought was right. He was a shy person who was afraid to speak in public, but had the magnetic personality to attract millions of followers. He brought in a new method of satyagrihya that taught the world about non-violent protest. It is for these reasons that he is, and will remain, one of the greatest heroes of India.

Reference

[1] Gandhi M.K., My Experiments with Truth, Penguin Evergreen, 2011

[2] Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270778/Was-Gandhi-gay-Letters-Mahatma-Gandhi-bodybuilding-friend-fuel-speculation-true-nature-relationship.html#ixzz3EVp0ZuTW

[3] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mahatmas-attitude-to-sex-continues-to-fascinate/articleshow/7821432.cms

[4] Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/mahatma-gandhi-experiment-sexuality-manuben-discovered-diaries/1/278952.html

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CONTENTS

JOURNEY OF SURVIVORS: The History of the Sub-continent

CHAPTER 1: VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

PRE-HISTORIC [30,000-5000BC]

CHAPTER 2: THE FLINTSTONES

ANCIENT [5000BC-300 CE]

CHAPTER 3: THE LEGEND OF INDUS [5000-2000BC]

3.1 THE GREAT FIND

3.2 THE MYSTERY UNVEALED