Writer says Gandhi book ban 'shameful'

The author of a book on Mahatma Gandhi has said it is "shameful" that it has been banned in India's western state of Gujarat.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Joseph Lelyveld said the book was banned on the basis of newspaper reviews.

He said the reviews had sensationalised his account of Gandhi's friendship with a German man, who may have been homosexual.

Although legal, homosexuality still carries a stigma in India.

Gujarat's state assembly voted unanimously on Wednesday to ban Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India with immediate effect, even though it has not yet been released in India and few people will have read it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12930427

The BBC article does not say that this is a book about Gandhi's homosexual relationship. It says it's a book about Gandhi, and that Guajarati politicians say that it implies on a few pages that Gandhi had a homosexual relationship, which the author denies.

Hence, the title of this thread is very misleading.

They (the author and the Gujerati politicians) should let the old man rest in peace.

"The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones."

Edited April 4, 201115 yr by isanbirder

Yes if he failed to consummate that homosexual relation with the German, that would indeed be evil! Sorry, what do you expect on the gay forum, to agree that homosexuality is an "evil"? To heck with Gandhi, what's up with Chairman Mao and his genital massage boys?

The title of the thread is way off -- complete distortion.

Isn't it the dream of every author to have their book banned? Ka-ching.

Gandhi's intimate friend Hermann Kallenbach (and who knows what else) has quite an interesting life story as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Kallenbach

In Gandhi's words, they became "soulmates" and, for a time, shared Kallenbach's home.

Edited April 4, 201115 yr by Jingthing

Yes if he failed to consummate that homosexual relation with the German, that would indeed be evil! Sorry, what do you expect on the gay forum, to agree that homosexuality is an "evil"? To heck with Gandhi, what's up with Chairman Mao and his genital massage boys?

Fair comment, Jingthing... it wasn't one of my more appropriate quotations!

To heck with Gandhi, what's up with Chairman Mao and his genital massage boys?

Ooh, please tell more! I'll go get another cup of coffee.

Ghandi, like many males from the sub continent and other parts of asia are more flexible and fluid about sexuality, there was never the word 'gay' in the thai language and probably still is not, corrrect me if I am wrong..

What Ghandi? I thought he was too busy weaving, contemplating his navel and being generally great to be turned on by some frisky farang.