Gandhi's girls - sex scandal

Washington Monthly, July-August, 1987 by Art Levine

And their judgment seemed harsh. Within a matter of days, the squalid controversy over Gandhi's private parts turned him from a national hero into a laughingstock. On his nightly radio program, comedian Charu Carson quipped, "Well, at least we know the Mahatma is big enough for the job of running India.' He added, to more laughter, "I guess he was really meditating his brains out this weekend.' Editorial cartoonists had a field day, as a bulging loin cloth quickly became the Mahatma's new trademark.

In the next few days more revelations came trickling out about other celibacy "experiments' he had been conducting since his forties, including one report of a pleasure trip down the Ganges with Nehru and two female assistants on the awkwardly named Holy Cow. The Post also revealed that at the end of each day, he had one of his attractive, young female disciples administer an enema, which he insisted was for "health' and "cleansing' purposes. "Gandhi gives as much as he takes-- even to total strangers,' said one Gandhi aide.

New Ground rules: Gandhi's sudden demise triggered an orgy of self-examination in the media. Did the press go too far? "At first, I agonized over whether we should risk tarnishing a great man's reputation with close-up photos of naked women and speculation about his sex life,' said Ved

Fiedleraba, who led the Herald stakeout. "But then I realized that the public had a right to know.' Fiedleraba reasoned that if there was the slightest possibility that Gandhi was lying about his celibacy, then that raised serious questions about his candor and his ability to negotiate with foreign leaders were India ever to become independent. "So, naturally, it was my moral obligation to set up camp outside his bedroom.'

Clearly, the ground rules have changed. Historically, the press has had a gentlemen's agreement with India's rulers. When Viceroy Lord Lillybottom himself brought a bevy of beauties to the Taj Mahal, the muckrakers of Madras looked the other way. But with the rise of Indian Nationalism and the decline of British sea power, the mores of Indian society have been loosened--and so have those of the press. Today, nothing is off limits, even enemas. Many wondered what's next: asking Jinnah whether he had violated the Koran's strictures against amorous relations with pigs or other unholy animals? But for now it was Gandhi who was caught in this whirlwind. This smiling man, from a more polite age, seemed oblivious to the new rules of his beloved India.

Whatever the press's ultimate responsibility, the longstanding doubts over Gandhi's character left India's nationalist movement in disarray. Behind the scenes, some Congress party operatives were privately relieved. "We feel betrayed,' said one. "Gandhi promised he would remain celibate, at least until India achieved independence. Now that he's gone, at least we can move on.'

Ultimately, Gandhi's fate hinged on those questions of character, rather than any moral revulsion. In her essay "Gandhi's Women Problem, Women's Gandhi Problem,' Sukai Lessardai voiced the concerns of many women wary of Gandhi's apparent philandering. "Whether or not he was celibate, his need to prove his spiritual manhood by lying with five naked women is an affront to the dignity and equality of women everywhere.' And as Willmed Schneidermanai of the Indian Enterprise Institute points out, "It's not so much the fact that he slept with these women or regularly indulged in enemas; it's that he showed such bad judgment in doing so. I think this raises serious questions about Gandhi's self-discipline and insensitivity to the appearances of impropriety --and finally about Gandhi's ability to lead a successful non-violent movement.'