Joseph Lelyveld is saying he didn?t say it. While reviewers have claimed that his biography of Gandhi alleges that the latter was bisexual and racist, Lelyveld says the word ?bisexual? never appears in his book and the word ?racist? only appears once to characterise Gandhi?s early statements in South Africa. Putting aside this problem and also the problem of assuming that certain sexual identities are pathological, the Mahatma is no stranger to muckraking. The rich mosaic of his personal life definitely boasted some controversial shards. His failures as husband and father have spawned tomes. Yes, we wouldn?t know any of this if we were to go by Richard Attenborough?s film alone. But what if we put the two perspectives next to each other? A hero, a visionary, a man of follies and foibles, someone the world still holds dear, someone who has had great influence over many freedom struggles. That this happened in South Africa and the American South is the matter of school textbooks. That this is happening in the Middle East today is a matter of wonder.
When Barack Obama addressed our Parliament this winter, he admitted he might not have been doing so as President of the US if it was not for Gandhi. Some are fashioning a Gandhi for our times, like Mukesh Ambani recently drawing attention to how the Mahatma created an incredible bond across Mumbai and Kolkata?s landless workers and business leaders. Most of us walk the Gandhian path in a more plodding fashion, rather like Munnabhai?s 3 miles on MG road. But it?s a path made a little more pleasant by his spirit.