Gandhiji and His Experiments with Sexualilty: My Opinion

The "Independent" while deposing upon Book on Gandhiji's experiments with Sex has titled its article as "An odd kind of piety: The truth about Gandhi's sex life"(http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/thrill-of-the-chaste-the-truth-about-gandhis-sex-life-1937411.html). It added further that It was no secret that Mohandas Gandhi had an unusual sex life. He spoke constantly of sex and gave detailed, often provocative, instructions to his followers as to how to they might best observe chastity.

In another work on https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2013/10/gandhi-used-power-position-exploit-young-women-way-react-matters-even-today/, writer saw Gandhi as a classic example of a sexual predator — a man who uses his position of power to manipulate and sexually exploit the people he directly controls.

Although there are so many attack on the Gandhiji regarding his Experiments with Sex. I have selected these two as one mooted by person having Western Linkage and later writer is of Indian Origin. Former is from the society which is considered modern and open and later response is an obvious response of a person who grown up in society where talk on Sex and Sexuality is Taboo.

These reactions are emphasising upon the response of other persons around Gandhiji at that point of time. Apparently those responses were but obvious, as people considered them as taboo. But reactions emerging now a days are appears to be an attempt to dramatized the issue to malign the image of Gandhiji.

But while going through these materials, my mind is churning due to following:-

• Gandhiji was not a fool who could not understand the obvious response of the people on that experiment. At the same time, you can’t say it firmly that he was a person who was either careless or ignorant about his public image. He was a person who specifically stated that "My life is My Message".
• It is evident from your and other person's writing that inmates of Ashram were fully aware with his experiments. Surely, it was not centred in and/or around a Coterie of people. Whatever wrong or right (only God can determine) he was doing, said thing was duly supported by Truth.
• Intricacies of his life were open to all. It could be ascertained easily that he has given deep thought to all dogmas and principles prevalent in those days. Once his mind has accepted them, he tried to follow them in letter & spirit. He has acted upon those principles to check their veracity.
• His early writing and thought process as available to us for study, clearly elaborate his opinion about human sexuality. He has accepted it and worked upon it. It was not a taboo for him. It might be taboo for others who look into it with different angle.

                                                                        

Thus, it is really absurd to compare him with any person like Asharam or Baba Ram Rahim. Gandhiji and his actions were open to all. Truthfulness was altogether with all deeds. Can anybody show any evidence describing Gandhiji ashamed of his actions? He might be wrong but he was truthful in his acts. Hence his mind was clear and away from any guilt. If we see second last point of extract of letter of Mr R P Parshuram (his staff who left him) wherein inter-alia other demands, he requested Gandhiji to refrain from allowing him (gandhiji) to be seen naked by strangers and even by people who are of your party who are not so intimate. It proves that Gandhiji was not having any dual face. He was one and same for everybody.

People raised objection on his experiment. They should have. Although, we claim to be Post-Modern, but still People do study and describe the personalities ignoring their sexual orientation & behaviour. It is not considered appropriate to enter into these facts considering it either personal or matter beyond serious discussion. Though we know that these are most important facets of human life. It plays pivotal role in formation and development of the personality. Person struggles to find out solution to this so called Sin of human nature. In view of the above, we should not ignore that he was trying to unearth vibrations of human mind. Whether he was wrong or right, it is debatable. But this could not deny his greatness as human being who entered into those difficult battle fields of human minds which in all probability invite indignation. 

I agree with one aspect which I think ignored by Gandhiji while pursuing his Experiment with Sex. That aspect is effect of his experiment on those young minds which had not yet experienced life. It could be said that those young ladies were lasted as mere object in that experiment. Even in such circumstances, intention of Gandhiji was beyond any doubt due to following:-

1.  Truthfulness involved in the Experiments;

2. Public discussion of the same with important personalities of the time and his request to Navjivan Publication to made his letters/writing public;

3.  His approach towards life and inquisitiveness to its mysteries which is undisputedly established beyond doubt.