In the city of Cerritos a statue of Gandhi symbolizes immorality and hypocrisy.
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I’m one of those people who thrive on inspirational and encouraging quotes from prominent people, gnawing on them for sustenance in my hunger for enlightenment. My writing and photography often include quotes to impart wisdom as I emphasize the message of my work.
Mahatma (Mohandas) Gandhi’s popular quote encourages us to “be the change that you wish to see in the world.” On October 2, his clichéd words spread all over social media sites, in observance of Gandhi’s birthday and the International Day of Non-Violence. For many, it was a time for reverence and celebration.
But what happens when the man on the pedestal contradicts the perception of his admirers?
Several times a week I drive through the intersection of Carmenita St. and Alondra Blvd. in Cerritos, California, where a 6-foot-tall bronze statue of Gandhi stands sentinel over traffic. Erected last year outside of The Chugh Firm office building, its benign presence seemed welcomed until vandalism knocked Gandhi’s likeness off its pedestal a few months ago.
Local news reported the event as an attempted theft but since then, the effigy has been the center of controversy, inciting a protest in Cerritos City Hall last month. Reinstatement of the statue prompted a group, Organization for Minorities of India (OFMI), to express their vehement opposition in a letter addressed to Cerritos Mayor Bruce Barrows and other city council members.
I asked OFMI coordinator, Arvin Valmuci, to explain the group’s opposition to the statue’s reinstatement, which lies in the life Gandhi modeled for the nation:
“Gandhi was instrumental in influencing national treatment of women in India. He said ‘my life is my message’ and the life he modeled for the nation was one of sexually exploiting his grandnieces and many other teenage girls under the guise of performing ‘celibacy experiments’ and invoking his religious convictions when denying his wife medicine that would have saved her from death before weeks later taking the same medicine to save his own life [sic].”
For many people in Cerritos, Gandhi’s statue symbolizes dishonesty, immorality, and hypocrisy. Bhajan Singh, Director of OFMI, says, “The Cerritos Gandhi statue is an offense to progressive human values of life, liberty, and equality.” Singh questions why a city would “idolize someone who abused his grandnieces sexually and his wife psychologically, sympathized with Hitler, and spread racial segregation in South Africa before Apartheid?”
Cerritos City’s formal response to OFMI’s letter states the Gandhi statue occupies private property. However, Valmuci says they don’t acknowledge their responsibility in approving the installation of Gandhi’s statue, nor do city officials “refuse to reject his sexism, racism, and casteism.”
How do I reconcile the Gandhi I’ve idealized to the one I know now?
Rita Banjeri addresses this quandary in her article, Gandhi to Asaram: Who Empowers the Sex Crimes of ‘Gurus?’ Spiritual leaders like Gandhi procure a mass following whose reverence for him blinded them to the truth. He was a sexual predator while he espoused non-violence in fighting for the independence of India. Yet his ideology was enough for the majority of his supporters to disregard his immoral acts.
In my work as an abolitionist, fighting for the rights of sexually exploited victims, I can’t minimize the facts I’ve learned about Gandhi. It’s unsettling, to say the least.
I’ve met young victims of human trafficking, child labor, and the sex trade, stripped of their dignity by men in positions of power. Their degradation meant nothing, marginalized because the community revered the perpetrators. There are no words to express the depth of rage and helplessness I’ve felt when confronted with these reactions.
Rita Banjeri also published an article today that challenges us to face the truth of Gandhi’s exploits and his manipulation of power in his leadership. Her words have made me realize that I shouldn’t be careless in my use of quotes when attaching them to sensitive messages or photographs.
The truth lies in our actions and I hope we have the courage to live it even when it’s not popular.
—Photo: chelsea-girl/Flickr
Soo good. 🙂
so much now
Those of us familiar with George Orwell’s fairly devastating piece on Gandhi are not in the least bit surprised: http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/898/
Here’s what Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (the leader of 85% of India has to say about the so called mahatma in BBC interview….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJs-BJoSzbo More of all everybody should do there own research on the so called mahatma and come to there own conclusion. Some of the papers mentioned in the interview that was put out by Gandhi should be available somewhere. Being born in so called untouchable cast which was endorsed greatly by mahatma I can say for my self that he might be mahatma for the 15% people of India whom he did everything for but was a devil… Read more »
I can not thank you enough for this great article and bringing out the real face of Gandhi.
Much appreciated.
Gee, I remember his sleeping with teens (and not touching them) from reading an autobiographer when I was a teenager and being impressed. I guess I just don’t believe that “sexuality” is some kind of master crime, even though the push to make it so is sadly back.
Ms Nannette,
Thank you for speaking against concealed oppression against women under the norm of religious figures like Gandhi. If only we had the courage to stand against oppression , we would find the legacy of Gandhi’s divine racism and sexism cloaked under the image of religion.
No surprise here, nobody is perfect and neither are you or me. Contradictions are part of the human nature from catholic saints to to modern day moralist’s. So if Gandhi had a dark side, it doesn’t leave me more surprised than reading on a newspaper of Berlusconi’s new corruption case.
But as others have pointed out, while discovering his dark side, we should not ignore or forget his bright side.
I have a few issues with Banjeri’s exposé, much of which has been written about before: One, is it necessary for our heroes to be perfect human begins for them to be heroic and for us to learn something from them? If so, then there are no heroes in this world. Two, wasn’t it by experiencing apartheid + being thrown out of a 1st class train in South Africa that Gandhi came to oppose colonialism? Three, wasn’t one of the conditions of living in Gandhi’s intentional community in India as an adult taking the vow of celibacy? Yes, of course,… Read more »
Totally agree with your assessment Jackson Bliss!! Thanks to the author for informing this abolitionist.
Jackson,
Please do check your facts. Gandhi supported racism in S. Africa by supporting that Apartheid should be limited to Blacks only. He campaigned for the rights of Indians by campagining against the rights of Blacks. Gandhi-inpired from Hinduism- equated Blacks with animals and half-castes. Very simply, Gandhi used racism to fight against racism. If you want a person like him to be your leader then why would you can have any problem in making racism part of your life?
Dear HSW Amongst the Indians Gandhi only favored the upper caste and merchant class Indians,the low caste were indentured laborers who toiled in the farms quarries and plantations. Gandhi’s Hindu ideology has a centuries old apartheid system already in full practice , it was this upper caste that he boasted to in his first visit to India from colonial Africa. Gandhi boasted about the government response to his petition for segregation from the blacks. He wrote: “The result has not been altogether unsatisfactory. Separate entrances will now be provided for the three communities.” Again, in his 1896 “Grievances,” he bragged… Read more »
Very interesting comments. Despite what was taught to me I find historical Gandhi distasteful. His promotion/participation of WARS (four times in his life) is quite revealing. To understand Gandhi in a comprehensive manner, I suggest one should read Gandhi’s relationship with Blacks of South Africa. His 21 yrs in South Africa cast a light on his activities of race hatred of blacks, promotion of caste consciousness, promotion of violence/wars, promotion of colonization etc etc.
Let us not make mockery of nonviolence and peace via this statue and false history. Sergeant-Major Gandhi was a dangerous man.
.
When examining the personal lives of historic figures it is important to understand the culture in which they were living and not make harsh moral judgments based on contemporary standards. The linked article by Rita Banerji contains excerpts from RP Parasuram’s “letter of indictment.” In the letter he lists five of Gandhi’s actions that he finds objectionable: 1.Your sleeping with any member of the opposite sex. 2. Being massaged by any member of the opposite sex. 3. Allowing yourself to be seen naked by any member of the opposite sex. 4. Allowing yourself to be seen naked by strangers and… Read more »
Context is important,however,there must be some limits otherwise egregious crimes against humanity will be repeated. Just because something was normal in another age doesn’t make it right. How historical figures are written about and viewed cannot be left entirely up to the experts.I reserve the right to determine for myself if King David was a ruthless killer of women,men and children or benevolent ruler. History is full myth,politics and other factors that compromise the truth.
While we’re at it, we should definitely be tearing down that statue of MLK in Washington, because:
1. He was with two women in his hotel room, and neither of them was his wife. Not only did he hire prostitutes and have orgies with them, but at times he beat them brutally – according to his close friend, the Rev Dr Ralph Abernathy.
2. It’s a well known fact that he plagiarized his graduate thesis, and his “I have a dream” speech.
http://www.snopes.com/history/american/mlking.asp
So…how many vote to tear this statue down, too?
Dear Paul, The DREAMS & ways of MLK AND Gandhi are racially, morally ethically, non violencely, humanely so divergent, that they are never to meet, no matter how hard falsehood, ignorance, racism, confusion and or victims of false history, propagate. MLK Dream I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having… Read more »
To put Ghandi in perspective.
In late 99 there was a round table discussion on TV discussing the greats of the 20th century…
Norman Schwarzkopf named Ghandi as the military leader he was most impressed by…
In my lifetime women in India were still throwing themselves on their husband’s funeral pyres- or being tossed by their in-laws and then it was just how things were in a culture that also featured castes.
Of course people will still be understanding of Gandhi – he is so influential in positive ways that people will manage to rationalise his awful actions some way or another. I am concerned for those men who will do similar horrible things but because they are not Gandhi will be written off altogether. For some reason I’m reminded of an interview given by Vicky Pryce – wife of our former energy minister here in the UK. They were both jailed for lying to police about a driving penalty he incurred. Apart from trying to use the gendered marital coercion defence… Read more »
All of us have a darkside.Simon De Beauvoir,the famous french feminist,also had a darkside which included sleeping with -raping!-teenage girls.She also recruited teeage girls for her husband,pimp/philosoper Satre, to have sex with.We are naive like children not to realize that there is a darkside in all of us,men and women.Broken heros are all around us.Our history books are filled with them.
This is so shocking to me…. I had no idea… Although I guess I shouldn’t be surprised about discovering the secret dark perverted side to a man in a position of power….when the whole truth comes out it is so ugly….no such thing as a saint or a priest who doesn’t hide secret desires….
Well well. Why should dealing with human-beings and the fruit of their thought be any different from dealing with say a fresh water fish one might want to eat. Out with the bones and visceral stuff and eat what is comestible. Same with Gandhi. Blame him for what is wrong and do away with it, and use what good he has produced. As simple as that. Applies to all humans. It is called daoism. Yin/Yang. Seeing ambivalence for what it is and selectively move ahead discarding the filth keeping the pearls. Stands to reason. Don’t beat yourself up for his… Read more »
“Well well. Why should dealing with human-beings and the fruit of their thought be any different from dealing with say a fresh water fish one might want to eat. Out with the bones and visceral stuff and eat what is comestible. Same with Gandhi. Blame him for what is wrong and do away with it, and use what good he has produced. As simple as that. Applies to all humans. It is called daoism. Yin/Yang. ” No – its called twaddle. You can get plenty of messages and ideas to apply without having to listen or acknowledge someone who by… Read more »
Hi Nannette
It saddens me to read this. I admire him so much,and still do after reading this.
Just one question :
Gandhi was married as a child and stared his sex life himself already as what we in the West today would say at an age he was still a child, not “legal ” sexually.
I can remember I read or saw a film where he said today he was agains marriage of children but remembered he was delighted to have sex with his bride as young. I do not remember how young they were.
Hi Iben Gandhi’s realty is ripe with his double talk and double standards.Gandhi was supposedly against child marriage but at the same time he was ok with himself, sleeping naked with teenagers. Gandhi’s grand niece Manu, lost her mother at the tender age of 12 and before she was seventeen,Gandhi a 70 years dirty old man ,was sleeping naked with her and many other young women. More on Gandhi’s double standards….Gandhi held the rank of a Sgt Major,participated and advocated in the war against the native Zulus in 1906.Gandhi advocated and participated in every war during his life time and… Read more »
Hi Bj
I am sad because of his actions and attitudes sexually.
Thank you for the link. I will read up on this.
I think it can be really hard to reconcile the images we create of our heroes with the actual people they were and lives that they lived. This is even harder when we look at political heroes, as we ascribe to them the ideals that even we falter to live by. When they betray the ideals that they stand for in their own behavior, it only makes it more painful. We should never ever forget the reality of the Gandhi you’ve acknowledged, but we should also not forget the reality of Gandhi the tactical father of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.… Read more »
Well said, John. And major thanks to Nannette for being the change and writing this!
~Cameron
Thanks, Cameron!
You’re right, John. That’s precisely the reason why I wrote this. Thank you!
Dear John, Your false propagation’s and assertions of “Gandhi the tactical father of the Montgomery Bus Boycott “, are complete opposite to the findings of a dynamic young investigative African black journalist Sentletse Diakanyo whom writes , “On Mahatma Gandhi, his pathetic racism and advancement of segregation of black people”. http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/sentletsediakanyo/2008/10/17/on-mahatma-gandhi-his-pathetic-racism-and-advancement-of-segregation-of-black-people/ Sentletse Diakanyo admonishes us by ending the article “To continue to honour and celebrate this man is to insult humanity!. Its high time we quit protecting Gandhi’s racism and violence. John, its racist to suggest that blacks are incapable of peaceful civil disobedience unless shown by a non black.This… Read more »
Agreed 100%. Thanks Bj.
Magnificent!
Thank you!