Non-Violence, Gandhi And His Flipside. Poem by Om Chawla

Non-Violence, Gandhi And His Flipside.



People may call Gandhi 'father of nation'
Am dismayed, I won't call him so.

Gandhi unique in his experimentation
Gave fight for freedom a new direction
Of non-violent response to brutal aggression.
Imbued with intrinsic trait, non-violence
People followed him as their redeemer
Great indeed, in this, was Mohandas Gandhi.
A trait demeaning howsoever
Desquamates his glorified hallow.
People may call him 'father of nation'
I feel the shame, I won't call him so.

Obsessed and boastful of truthfulness
Proclaiming to experiment with celibacy,
Disrobed he would abed young lassie;
Self control ostensible demonstration.
Even if avoiding conjugation;
It still amounts to lascivious gratification:
Hypocrisy is obvious in this action.
Celibacy a matter of individual observance
Ill conceived is demonstrable performance.
A volley of questions it does throw up:
Whence he acquired the licence to do so?
What if his disrobed sleeping partner
Failed in controlling her desire?
How would he have responded?
Emotionally mauled would be the young lassie.
Many an agitating questions are raised.

A coterie of sycophants, howsoever
Mahatma they called him, proclaimed him saint.
Even they foisted him as 'father of nation'
What a shame?
Degrading womanhood to a medium
Detestable was his autocratic action.
Truthfulness is no cloak for impropriety,
Licentious behaviour it can't sanctify.
People may call him 'father of nation'
I feel the shame I won't call him so.

Saturday, April 5, 2014
Topic(s) of this poem: social
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, though he led the freedom struggle adopting non-violent means, sought self glorification, as is apparent. In his 70s he carried his so called experiments in celibacy by bedding young disrobed women almost 1/4th his age even from within his family,
besides others. There was opposition from his colleagues and his employees- his secretary resigned besides others-but autocratic as he was, he persisted for several years.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Om Chawla 11 April 2014

I appreciate the frank opinion expressed by Ms. Valsa, Ms. Patricia and Mr Dinesh { on my other quadruplet: Echo of Adolescent Desires'}. I recall having been taken to one of Gandhi's prayer meetings in Sept/Oct.1947 and like most Indians, held Gandhi in awe and admiration. But when recently the innuendoes concerning Gandhi's experiments with Brahmcharya [celibacy] resurfaced I decided to ascertain the truth for myself. Now after going through some biographical literature, interspersed with confessional notes by the concerned dramatis personae, the pedestal on which I had placed Gandhi in my reverence, have been shattered. Some of the facts/ utterances in the public domain are self revealing e.g.: - -Sushila Nayyar his personal physician, used to sleep and bathe with him even when his wife was alive; -Later on Sushila was supplanted in the bed by Manu, a grand-niece of Gandhi {Manu was earlier brought into the Gandhi household at the age of 12 to look after ailing Kasturba and she was singularly shaped by gandhi during her growing years} Even while she was yet in her teens was taken to bed nude by over seventy year old Gandhi ostensibly for experiments in celibacy; - Later another girl from the family, Abha, wife of Gandhi's grand nephew, 'rejoined Gandhi's entourage in the run upto Independence in 1947 and by the end of August 1947, he was sleeping with both, Manu & Abha at the same time. - This is what Manu writes at one place: - Tonight When Bapu, Sushila and I were sleeping on the same cot, he embraced me and patted me..... He embraced me after a very long time. Then Bapu praised me for remaining innocent... And this is not all there is much more revealing in the public domain.. All this in the name of Brahmcharya, a concept unique to Hinduism. Probably that was the age of licentiousness [! ] for powerful; what with Nawab of Awadh or Maharaja of Patiala and their ilk.... when woman was used as a commodity for male gratification.. What about the emotional and psychological turmoil suffered by the young women involved in these experiments? Was Gandhi so very self centered and unmindful of this aspect? What about the family system where a grandfather behaves like that with his grand-daughters [not daughters] 1/4th his age. Several leaders including Patel disapproved and objected to these experiments; but he remained defiant. When Bapu prefered Nehru over Patel for prime ministership, what considerations weighed with him. There are questions galore which remain unanswered; my observation of his behaviour as autocratic is in this context. May be I am wrong but that is how I honestly view him.

0 0 Reply
Patricia Grantham 09 April 2014

A very poignant write. You are very direct in your observations. Appreciate the share.

1 0 Reply
Gajanan Mishra 05 April 2014

Gandhi - Satya and Ahimsa - new experiment of life - in practical field.

0 0 Reply
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Close
Error Success