Non-Violence, Gandhi And His Flipside. Comments

I appreciate the frank opinion expressed by Ms. Valsa, Ms. Patricia and Mr Dinesh { on my other quadruplet: Echo of Adolescent Desires'}. I recall having been taken to one of Gandhi's prayer meetings in Sept/Oct.1947 and like most Indians, held Gandhi in awe and admiration. But when recently the innuendoes concerning Gandhi's experiments with Brahmcharya [celibacy] resurfaced I decided to ascertain the truth for myself. Now after going through some biographical literature, interspersed with confessional notes by the concerned dramatis personae, the pedestal on which I had placed Gandhi in my reverence, have been shattered. Some of the facts/ utterances in the public domain are self revealing e.g.: - -Sushila Nayyar his personal physician, used to sleep and bathe with him even when his wife was alive; -Later on Sushila was supplanted in the bed by Manu, a grand-niece of Gandhi {Manu was earlier brought into the Gandhi household at the age of 12 to look after ailing Kasturba and she was singularly shaped by gandhi during her growing years} Even while she was yet in her teens was taken to bed nude by over seventy year old Gandhi ostensibly for experiments in celibacy; - Later another girl from the family, Abha, wife of Gandhi's grand nephew, 'rejoined Gandhi's entourage in the run upto Independence in 1947 and by the end of August 1947, he was sleeping with both, Manu & Abha at the same time. - This is what Manu writes at one place: - Tonight When Bapu, Sushila and I were sleeping on the same cot, he embraced me and patted me..... He embraced me after a very long time. Then Bapu praised me for remaining innocent... And this is not all there is much more revealing in the public domain.. All this in the name of Brahmcharya, a concept unique to Hinduism. Probably that was the age of licentiousness [! ] for powerful; what with Nawab of Awadh or Maharaja of Patiala and their ilk.... when woman was used as a commodity for male gratification.. What about the emotional and psychological turmoil suffered by the young women involved in these experiments? Was Gandhi so very self centered and unmindful of this aspect? What about the family system where a grandfather behaves like that with his grand-daughters [not daughters] 1/4th his age. Several leaders including Patel disapproved and objected to these experiments; but he remained defiant. When Bapu prefered Nehru over Patel for prime ministership, what considerations weighed with him. There are questions galore which remain unanswered; my observation of his behaviour as autocratic is in this context. May be I am wrong but that is how I honestly view him.

A very poignant write. You are very direct in your observations. Appreciate the share.

Gandhi - Satya and Ahimsa - new experiment of life - in practical field.