It is fun reading our main stream newspapers, isn’t it? How they blatantly hype things around homosexuality and have this fantastic capacity for making something as irrelevant as Sonia Gandhi’s fart look like our not-so-perfect world has been bombarded with nuclear bombs.
But.. I digress.
Not Sonia Gandhi. But the other Gandhi. The long dead Gandhi. Is back on the front page. Mahatma Gandhi is back with yet another one of his experiments with truth. Or more correctly, the possible truth, if one goes by Joesph Lelyveld’s review of “Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India”.
Gandhi, Sonia Schlesin & Hermann Kallenbach (Source : Wikipedia)
Thousands of books have been written on Mahatma Gandhi with each new one claiming to have discovered an unknown facet of his eventful life. When reviews of Pulitzer prize winner Joseph Lelyveld’s “Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India” hit the newspapers in England and US claiming that the book says Gandhi was a bisexual and had a German-Jewish bodybuilder lover in Hermann Kallenbach it created immediate sensation.
But as the Daily Mail’s review of the book created a storm in cyberspace, there was a barrage of protests not just from Gandhians who said this was “blasphemy”, but from the book’s author himself who denied having suggested anything of the sort. [TOI]
I have no clue what cyberspace-storm the news article is referring to and do Gandhians really exist in this day and age? Barring our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his (Sonia) Gandhism, of course.
As always the only ones trying to cash in on the bandwagon are the Media and our Politicians. They are outraged. And who cares if one can’t read but hey, they want it banned! Unfortunately for them the country couldn’t care much because we are busy Bleeding Blue. Cricket. Religion. So freaking true!
At the eye of the storm is the burning question: was Gandhi Bisexual or not! Who cares! Will it make any difference to the Queer Politics in our nation in the current scenario? Nope. Will it make easier to step out of the closet? I don’t think so.
What it has done in fact is yet again brought out the homophobic mentality of those (apparently) in charge of our welfare. Even after decriminalization of IPC 377, our existence continues to remain offensive.
A parting shot for a certain Ms. Shobhaa De – “Even if Gandhi were Gay, it does not make him a Gay Icon, by default. Just like your passion for Leopard Print Saris does not necessarily make you a Fashion Icon. Thank you”.
Loved it!
That is funny!
I read some articles about the same, and it seems like Joseph Lelyveld is like Dan Brown and “Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India” is like Da Vinci Code. He has connected some facts together and hinted at something, the veracity of which, can never (well, almost!) be unquestionably proved.
But as you rightly mentioned, who cares! Although I do think, that if it turns out to be true, it will make the issue of sexuality believable to a lot more people! Because right now in our country, sadly, sexuality is not even considered something that exists!
When will people learn it’s each to their own? So much for free will, man.
The problem here is with the semi naked fakir(sounds like what?) 🙂 Indians just don’t want to see the mahatma happy!
Anyways, no one would have battled an eyelid f this had been said about Nehru. He did ‘father’ too many in India and I think he should be the FATHER of the Nation 🙂
@Rashmi : Very true abt Nehru..he should have been the “father” of the nation… lol
MJ we are happy to see you back.. 🙂
**Cheers and whistles**
Liked this article and how rightly said.. it has once again highlighted the homophobic mentality of those in charge of our welfare!
MJ: There is actually a large number of Gandhians still in the country but as is with any cult figure or ethos, Gandhiasm is highly misunderstood, misplaced and misused so much so that any good that may come from it, ends up being detrimental.
That apart, if he was gay, then maybe, given his fan following and blind aping, being gay would be more acceptable since it would be a gandhian way …. from Dandi to Pride.
While I understand the point of this article is his sexuality is not a big deal, however, it looks like the Indian media spun a story out of thin air, on a book no one had read in India and based it completely on hearsay.
Michael Krasny interviewed Joseph Lelyveld on NPR and its really good to hear his side of the story:
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201104131000
Seriously, Our media is so crooked! It has such a wrong perspective abt everything..and experts in making a mountain out of a mole hill, jus for trp’s or whatever !!!!
I did read about this in the paper n looked up for a book review else where … n found one on NY times..which only mentioned that.. this book as Gandhi’s idea on sexual preference and a lot of other blah blah.. the review no where quotes that Gandhi himself is Gay or Bi. There were a lot of other practices Gandhi followed which *pretty* weird, but not all the “mango” people know about it..unless the media wants us to know..
Anyway, my point is Media jus made sure ever one know about it..else I’m sure it would have gone un-noticed with everyone busy in bleeding blue, like MJ said..
And Who cares anyway…! Let the dead man rest in peace!!