Posted:
Gandhiji was a problematic personality. No doubt he played a key role in the Indian freedom movement and made great strides towards freedom. At the same time, many of his ideologies were flawed and even creepy.
His fascination of sleeping with naked teens as parts of his celibacy experiments have already been covered. But there's more to his flaws.
When Kasturba Gandhi contracted pneumonia in prison, he did not let the British give her penicillin shots. According to him, they did not believe in modern medicine. He called for an ayurvedic doctor. Later when Gandhiji himself contracted pneumonia, he gleefully took the penicillin shots.
We do not have to completely cast aside and reject Gandhi. But we have to acknowledge his missteps too. We should refrain from constructing him as perfect.
Also we need to stop making our freedom movement all about Gandhiji. Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh, Vallabhai Patel and so many more people need greater recognition for their contributions.
Writers Corner: Books, Stories & Poems
15