Mahatma Gandhi in two recent publications*****
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Farida Shaikh
Two books have gained much prominence in recent times. The common subject in both the books is sexuality, and Gandhi's experiment with bramacharia, abstinence and racism. The writers are, well founded scholars and researchers on two sides of the Atlantic, Joseph Lalyveld is American and Jad Adams is British. Commenting on April fool's Day, Lelyveld 74, researching for four years on Gandhi 70, India's star writer Shobe De admonished, 'Come on India, Grow up! The modern generation of India should be able to accommodate the attraction of the great soul Gandhi, to a young man.' Further the noted woman writer said 'we are looking like the biggest fools on earth.' as the state governments in India refuse to ban: Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India, March 2011, except in the state of Gujarat. The book is banned in Gujraat where Gandhi was born. It is a politicised action having reference to 2002 Muslim program in Gujarat. On the same note Lalyveld laments: 'In a country (India) that calls itself a democracy, it is shameful to ban a book that no one has read, including the people who are doing the banning.' Defending his work the writer further added that '. It is a responsible book that is admiring of Gandhi and his struggle for social justice in India and its been turned into as if it is some kind of sensationalist pot boiler. It is not.' This takes us back to: Banned, 1976 by N. Gerald. It is documentation on all books and pamphlets which the British banned in India 1907-47. Lelyveld's 448 page book is a Knopf publication, where during an interview he made no comment on what Gandhi would say about present day 2011 India. Instead he referred to what Gandhi had said in 1915 letter: 'dear friend Kallenbach, that there was all round hypocrisy, humbug and degradation and yet underneath all this was trace of divinity.' His work 'does not say that Gandhi was bisexual it does not say that he was homosexual.' At age 70, sensuality and sexuality were a minor matter for Gandhi, not so for the uppity, rat racing modern young men and women. Sexuality is central to the life style of present generation. The commercially complex environment impinges upon the young mind in such a manner that sexual imagery and responses follow freely. To-days entertainment world necessarily need to integrate visual sexuality into its many folds so as to be successful. It is an avenue for the release of all the pent up emotions that are the root cause of stress and fatigue. Visual sexuality has more and more become a part of media journalism. Lelyveld's book "scrupulously avoids sensationalism.' Saint Gandhi as titled by Time Magazine in 1930 has been the subject of 30 full length biographies in English. Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph Lelyveld, retired as executive editor of the New York Times, who previously worked as correspondent in India and South Africa, presents Gandhi as a blend of Hinduism and western spiritualism that led to theosophical meetings and friends. Gandhi was profoundly influenced by Tolstoy's creed of universal brotherhood and radical non violence. There are details on why Gandhi linked caste system to Hindu-Muslim relations. Biographer and historian Jad Adam: Gandhi- Naked Ambition explores the multifaceted life of the political and spiritual radical, and his personal life. Research fellow at School of Advanced Studies, London University, during an interview, said that one good reason to read his book is to know the complete man 'the man behind Mahatma.' This was followed by one naïve question: 'is there adult material in (the) book? And the ready answer was it does not deal with Gandhi's sexuality. Rather it has been an attempt to understand his entire personality, 'A rounded picture of Gandhi not concentration on sex but not ignoring it either.' Published by Quercus, 2010, the 288-page book is classified under history and politics. This no nonsense biography of the spiritual leader of India, pioneer of non-violent resistance to civil disobedience, Satyagraha, more significant Adam also examines why Mahatma Gandhi and his teachings are still profoundly relevant. Distributed by Penguin India, Adam announced that historians have the right to address any matter on a subject's life and '.fear cannot play a part in my work.' Gandhi wrote and spoke a great deal about 'sex in general and his own sexual experience in particular.' (Collected works of Mahatma Gandhi) Tushar Gandhi, grandson, talking in the same interview session as Adam said that he had not read the book. However the terms 'sex seeker' and 'lothario' are not appropriate in the book. Gandhi's practices were discussed during his life time. After his death, elevating his stature of a national Icon, sex discussion was suppressed, and gave rise to the question in the context of National Hero, 'is sex always perceived to be in poor light?' Adam's answer is: 'All people have sexual nature and they have different ways of expressing it. Gandhi after his thirties when he decided to be celibate was to talk a great deal about sex, to write about it and to control it in others and to challenge him with a variety of sexual experiments. I think understanding a person's sexual life particularly if it is complex is an integral part of their biography and in no way detracts from their message. I do not think of sexuality as a negative quality. I try to understand not judge.' Farida Shaikh is a columnist, and can be reached at E-mail: farida_s9@optimaxbd.net
Two books have gained much prominence in recent times. The common subject in both the books is sexuality, and Gandhi's experiment with bramacharia, abstinence and racism. The writers are, well founded scholars and researchers on two sides of the Atlantic, Joseph Lalyveld is American and Jad Adams is British. Commenting on April fool's Day, Lelyveld 74, researching for four years on Gandhi 70, India's star writer Shobe De admonished, 'Come on India, Grow up! The modern generation of India should be able to accommodate the attraction of the great soul Gandhi, to a young man.' Further the noted woman writer said 'we are looking like the biggest fools on earth.' as the state governments in India refuse to ban: Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India, March 2011, except in the state of Gujarat. The book is banned in Gujraat where Gandhi was born. It is a politicised action having reference to 2002 Muslim program in Gujarat. On the same note Lalyveld laments: 'In a country (India) that calls itself a democracy, it is shameful to ban a book that no one has read, including the people who are doing the banning.' Defending his work the writer further added that '. It is a responsible book that is admiring of Gandhi and his struggle for social justice in India and its been turned into as if it is some kind of sensationalist pot boiler. It is not.' This takes us back to: Banned, 1976 by N. Gerald. It is documentation on all books and pamphlets which the British banned in India 1907-47. Lelyveld's 448 page book is a Knopf publication, where during an interview he made no comment on what Gandhi would say about present day 2011 India. Instead he referred to what Gandhi had said in 1915 letter: 'dear friend Kallenbach, that there was all round hypocrisy, humbug and degradation and yet underneath all this was trace of divinity.' His work 'does not say that Gandhi was bisexual it does not say that he was homosexual.' At age 70, sensuality and sexuality were a minor matter for Gandhi, not so for the uppity, rat racing modern young men and women. Sexuality is central to the life style of present generation. The commercially complex environment impinges upon the young mind in such a manner that sexual imagery and responses follow freely. To-days entertainment world necessarily need to integrate visual sexuality into its many folds so as to be successful. It is an avenue for the release of all the pent up emotions that are the root cause of stress and fatigue. Visual sexuality has more and more become a part of media journalism. Lelyveld's book "scrupulously avoids sensationalism.' Saint Gandhi as titled by Time Magazine in 1930 has been the subject of 30 full length biographies in English. Pulitzer Prize winner Joseph Lelyveld, retired as executive editor of the New York Times, who previously worked as correspondent in India and South Africa, presents Gandhi as a blend of Hinduism and western spiritualism that led to theosophical meetings and friends. Gandhi was profoundly influenced by Tolstoy's creed of universal brotherhood and radical non violence. There are details on why Gandhi linked caste system to Hindu-Muslim relations. Biographer and historian Jad Adam: Gandhi- Naked Ambition explores the multifaceted life of the political and spiritual radical, and his personal life. Research fellow at School of Advanced Studies, London University, during an interview, said that one good reason to read his book is to know the complete man 'the man behind Mahatma.' This was followed by one naïve question: 'is there adult material in (the) book? And the ready answer was it does not deal with Gandhi's sexuality. Rather it has been an attempt to understand his entire personality, 'A rounded picture of Gandhi not concentration on sex but not ignoring it either.' Published by Quercus, 2010, the 288-page book is classified under history and politics. This no nonsense biography of the spiritual leader of India, pioneer of non-violent resistance to civil disobedience, Satyagraha, more significant Adam also examines why Mahatma Gandhi and his teachings are still profoundly relevant. Distributed by Penguin India, Adam announced that historians have the right to address any matter on a subject's life and '.fear cannot play a part in my work.' Gandhi wrote and spoke a great deal about 'sex in general and his own sexual experience in particular.' (Collected works of Mahatma Gandhi) Tushar Gandhi, grandson, talking in the same interview session as Adam said that he had not read the book. However the terms 'sex seeker' and 'lothario' are not appropriate in the book. Gandhi's practices were discussed during his life time. After his death, elevating his stature of a national Icon, sex discussion was suppressed, and gave rise to the question in the context of National Hero, 'is sex always perceived to be in poor light?' Adam's answer is: 'All people have sexual nature and they have different ways of expressing it. Gandhi after his thirties when he decided to be celibate was to talk a great deal about sex, to write about it and to control it in others and to challenge him with a variety of sexual experiments. I think understanding a person's sexual life particularly if it is complex is an integral part of their biography and in no way detracts from their message. I do not think of sexuality as a negative quality. I try to understand not judge.' Farida Shaikh is a columnist, and can be reached at E-mail: farida_s9@optimaxbd.net