Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Mira and the Mahatma
Most people know about the numerous love affairs of Jawaharlal Nehru, most notably the one with Lady Mountbatten. But what about the Mahatma? In India, he has been glorified to an extent where any talk of him outside the spiritual dimension is considered blasphemous. Fortunately, the mahatma was a great deal more honest than his present-day worshippers/hagiographers and even a cursory reading of his autobriography will reveal a very human side to his personality, including his various experiments with fighting off *temptation*.
So, I am not surprised by Sudhir Kakar's new novel, Mira and the Mahatma, which speculates extensively on the nature of the relationship between Gandhi and Madeleine Slade (Mira Behn). John Lancaster reviews the book in the Washington Post.
Kakar draws heavily on Gandhi's actual letters to Slade, as well as her autobiography and other historical records, to arrive at what he describes as the "emotional truth" of the turbulent relationship between the two. He does not suggest that the relationship ever turned physical. But he does suggest that Slade fell passionately in love with Gandhi, who had taken a vow of celibacy, and that Gandhi may have been tempted by her affections before the intensity of her feelings caused him to all but banish her from his life, to her everlasting despair.
Kakar acknowledged the speculative nature of his conclusions regarding Gandhi and Slade, whose letters to Gandhi -- unlike his to her -- apparently have been lost to history. But Kakar said he is confident that Gandhi "discerned the sexual element" in Slade's strong feelings for him, in part because "he was struggling with the same sort of thing all of his life."
Eventually, however, Gandhi began to find Slade's adoration unsettling and sought to create some distance between them. During a prolonged separation in 1927, he specifically forbade her to visit him, saying it was for her own good. "You must retain your individuality," he wrote. "Resist me when you must."
Mark Tully reviews the book for Outlook as well.
So, I am not surprised by Sudhir Kakar's new novel, Mira and the Mahatma, which speculates extensively on the nature of the relationship between Gandhi and Madeleine Slade (Mira Behn). John Lancaster reviews the book in the Washington Post.
Kakar draws heavily on Gandhi's actual letters to Slade, as well as her autobiography and other historical records, to arrive at what he describes as the "emotional truth" of the turbulent relationship between the two. He does not suggest that the relationship ever turned physical. But he does suggest that Slade fell passionately in love with Gandhi, who had taken a vow of celibacy, and that Gandhi may have been tempted by her affections before the intensity of her feelings caused him to all but banish her from his life, to her everlasting despair.
Kakar acknowledged the speculative nature of his conclusions regarding Gandhi and Slade, whose letters to Gandhi -- unlike his to her -- apparently have been lost to history. But Kakar said he is confident that Gandhi "discerned the sexual element" in Slade's strong feelings for him, in part because "he was struggling with the same sort of thing all of his life."
Eventually, however, Gandhi began to find Slade's adoration unsettling and sought to create some distance between them. During a prolonged separation in 1927, he specifically forbade her to visit him, saying it was for her own good. "You must retain your individuality," he wrote. "Resist me when you must."
Mark Tully reviews the book for Outlook as well.
