A number of books have been written on Mahatma Gandhi, but the most recent one by Joseph Lelyveld has allegedly given some titillating insights into Mahatma's sexual preferences. People have started demanding a formal (by law) ban on the book, and criminal proceedings on the writer of the book. This post is about to point-out some serious moral dangers behind such an action...
I ask the reader; 'Are we really talking about protecting image of someone who himself had been against any such protection his entire life...?'
Gandhi, was pro-overtness, Had never tried to hide any of his life-styles, rather he preferred openness in his public/private dealings. But the so called democratic India has not seen many implementations of his teachings after he died...Banning books, which express views not in sync with the general belief has been a worrisome aspect of Indian politics. Of course parties like Congress and State like Gujarat will oppose any such illustration of Gandhi's sexuality, because they have been built on the back of the aura of the same Gandhi!
But the general public like us, who also have the right to make their opinions on the matter, should see the things from the reasonable point of view, and we should stop making any such judgements on the Gandhi based on the little information that we get from newspapers, and the book itself! I have read several notes on the subject on various platforms and believe me, none of them say that book directly mentions any such allegations on Gandhi. I think our political parties should stop drawing wrong and misguided conclusions based on several independent passages of the book, which collectively do not talk about Gandhi being homosexual.
These political parties are not playing this patriotic card for the first time! And they will do whatever they could, to project that, they are the sole protector of Indian culture and image. They will do this even at the cost of the actual teachings that they are pretending to protect!
|"The effect of words must be judged from the standards of reasonable, strong-minded, firm and courageous men, "and not those of weak and vacillating minds, not of those who scent danger in every hostile point of view..." ~ Supreme Court of India (1988)---
It is 22nd of many posts under "Ideas to Ponder Series".
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