When it comes to iconic figures, the more revered they are, the more people love to poke holes in their legacy. The phenomenon of slandering Mahatma Gandhi has produced a steady stream of stories that sound scandalous but crumble under scrutiny. Below we unpack the 10 totally baseless tales that keep resurfacing, showing why each one falls apart when examined closely.
10 Totally Baseless Tales Unveiled
10 Gandhi Was A Racist
In 1893 Gandhi set foot in South Africa, ostensibly to champion the rights of Indian expatriates. While there, he made a handful of remarks about the African population that, by today’s standards, read as deeply offensive.
Numerous biographies recount these statements, labeling him a “racist” – and there is a grain of truth. Gandhi once described Africans as “troublesome, very dirty, and live like animals,” branding them “savages” and repeatedly using the slur “kaffirs.”
That kernel of fact is undeniable – the youthful Gandhi harbored prejudiced views. Yet condemning him for those early comments is akin to judging the Apostle Paul solely on his pre‑conversion actions. Gandhi’s worldview evolved dramatically over the ensuing decades.
Later, Gandhi championed an “awakening” in South Africa, urging a revolution that would secure African rights. He instructed his followers to experience the same restrictions imposed on black citizens, ensuring they understood the oppression firsthand. He also dismissed the romanticized notion of the “noble savage,” insisting, “They are certainly noble, but no savages.”
When the movement he inspired reached fruition, Nelson Mandela explicitly cited Gandhi as an influence on Africa’s emancipation, acknowledging Gandhi’s early biases but emphasizing his ultimate commitment to justice.
Mandela summed it up: “Gandhi must be forgiven those prejudices and judged in the context of the time and circumstances. We are looking here at the young Gandhi, still to become Mahatma, when he was without any human prejudice save that in favor of truth and justice.”
9 Gandhi Supported The Caste System
Author Arundhati Roy penned an entire volume denouncing what she termed “The Gandhi Myth.” In it she proclaimed, “It is time to unveil a few truths,” before accusing Gandhi of backing the caste hierarchy.
The caste system, an ancient stratification, divides humanity into five groups. At the apex sit priests and teachers, while those deemed “untouchables” – such as street sweepers and latrine cleaners – occupy the lowest rung.
Accusing Gandhi of championing this structure sounds absurd. Historical records show that in 1932 he embarked on a hunger strike expressly to protest the caste system’s injustices.
There is a minute, out‑of‑context fragment that fuels the allegation: Gandhi, as a Hindu, accepted the doctrinal notion that birth determines caste. Yet he simultaneously argued that everyone should have the opportunity to ascend socially and vehemently opposed discrimination.
He famously declared the caste‑based religion “stinks in my nostrils,” insisting that such a practice could not be considered true Hinduism.
Thus, while Gandhi’s personal faith acknowledged caste as a cultural reality, his public stance was unequivocally anti‑caste, aligning his actions with the fight for equality.
8 Gandhi Left His Father’s Deathbed For Sex
One anecdote that frequently surfaces in sensationalist listicles recounts Gandhi abandoning his dying father’s bedside to indulge in sexual activity.
This story is indeed documented, as Gandhi himself narrated it. At age sixteen, he claimed to have been seized by what he termed the “grip of lust,” prompting him to leave his father’s side for the night and join his wife, Kasturba. In doing so, he missed his father’s final breath.
The tale gains its shock value because Gandhi framed it as a pivotal, self‑critical moment that revealed the perils of desire. He asserted that this episode cemented his lifelong vow to abstain from wine, meat, and sexual relations, limiting intimacy to procreation alone.
When viewed alongside his South African activism, this episode appears as part of his broader origin story – a moment of personal failure that spurred his later moral rigor.
Nevertheless, the episode is essentially Gandhi’s own dramatization of an otherwise ordinary event: a son sitting beside a dying parent, briefly stepping away to join his spouse. The sensational spin stems more from his retrospective moralizing than from any scandalous conduct.
In short, the narrative illustrates how Gandhi’s self‑reflection transformed a mundane family moment into a cautionary tale about lust and discipline.
7 Gandhi Slept Nude With His Teenaged Great‑Niece
Perhaps the most unsettling rumor concerns Gandhi’s approach to sexuality, especially his “purity tests” involving women, including his own great‑niece.
In his later years, Gandhi sought to eradicate sexual desire entirely, proclaiming an ambition to become “a eunuch mentally.” To gauge his resolve, he invited women – among them his great‑niece – to share a bed with him while naked, using the arrangement as a personal experiment.
Admittedly, this practice strikes many as bizarre. It was not a cultural ritual; rather, it was an idiosyncratic method Gandhi employed to confront his own chastity vows.
Critics argue that such conduct hints at perversion, suggesting an unconscious struggle with his self‑imposed celibacy. However, there is absolutely no evidence that Gandhi ever touched any participant inappropriately.
Women who were present, such as Sushila Nayar, have consistently reported that they slept beside him “as I would with my mother.” Similarly, his niece Manu described the experience as akin to being placed “with great love,” comparable to a mother’s care.
Gandhi never attempted to conceal these sessions. When rumors began circulating, he openly discussed them, insisting there was nothing hidden or untoward about his actions.
6 Gandhi Called Hitler His “Friend”
Joseph Lelyveld, in a scathing biography, highlighted a passage where Gandhi addressed Adolf Hitler as “Dear friend,” using it as proof of a cozy relationship.
This is a textbook example of how context can flip a narrative. Gandhi indeed opened a letter to Hitler with “Dear friend,” but the surrounding text reveals a fervent appeal for peace.
The missive reads, “You are today the one person in the world who can prevent a war which may reduce humanity to the savage state. Must you pay that price for an object however worthy it may appear to you? Will you listen to the appeal of one who has deliberately shunned the method of war not without considerable success?”
Gandhi’s courteous tone was a strategic choice, intended to persuade the dictator to abandon hostilities. The “friend” salutation was a diplomatic device, not an endorsement of Hitler’s policies.
Thus, the claim that Gandhi counted Hitler among his friends is a distortion; the reality is a peace‑seeking plea cloaked in polite language.
5 Gandhi Told The Jews To Kill Themselves
A particularly incendiary quotation attributes to Gandhi the statement, “The Jews should have offered themselves to the butcher’s knife. They should have thrown themselves into the sea from cliffs.”
Predictably, this line has been wielded to paint Gandhi as callous toward Holocaust victims. Yet, when examined in full, the remark emerges from Gandhi’s radical pacifist philosophy.
Gandhi often extolled self‑sacrifice as a moral ideal. In one of his many fast‑to‑death protests, he proclaimed, “This is a god‑given opportunity that has come to me, to offer my life as a final sacrifice to the downtrodden.”
His worldview held that non‑violence should prevail even under the most harrowing circumstances. He believed that responding to aggression with violence only perpetuated the cycle of suffering.
Applying this principle to the Holocaust sounds extreme, but Gandhi’s broader conviction was that truth is universal. He argued, “Every truth—if it really is truth—presents itself as universal, even if it is not the whole truth.”
In short, the quote reflects an abstract, absolute pacifism rather than a literal exhortation for Jews to commit suicide.
4 Gandhi Told Britain To Surrender To The Nazis
Graeme Donald, in his polemical work, claims Gandhi urged Britain to capitulate to Nazi Germany, portraying him as a sympathizer.
The claim hinges on a selective excerpt where Gandhi allegedly downplays Hitler’s evil. However, the broader context reveals a steadfast anti‑war position.
Gandhi conceded that Hitler represented the gravest threat to humanity, stating, “If there ever could be a justifiable war in the name of and for humanity, a war against Germany, to prevent the wanton persecution of a whole race, would be completely justified.”
Nevertheless, Gandhi’s philosophy rejected armed conflict outright. He advocated for the Allies to confront Nazism “without arms,” arguing that victory achieved through violence would condemn humanity’s moral fabric.
His counsel, while arguably impractical, stemmed from a belief that the means mattered as much as the ends. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while ending the war, illustrated the moral quandary Gandhi feared.
Thus, the assertion that Gandhi told Britain to surrender to the Nazis is a gross misrepresentation; he merely urged a non‑violent approach to ending fascism.
3 Gandhi Told His Own Son He Was Better Off Dead
The film “Gandhi, My Father” dramatizes the fraught relationship between Gandhi and his son, Harilal, presenting it as a clash of principles.
The tension was genuine: Harilal’s life spiraled into alcoholism and, tragically, the sexual assault of his own seven‑year‑old daughter, an act that horrified Gandhi.
Despite the turmoil, Gandhi continued to correspond with Harilal, imploring him to abandon alcohol. One of his letters famously reads, “I wish that you would rather die than resort to alcohol.”
This stark phrasing has been weaponized to portray Gandhi as callously suggesting his son’s death. In reality, the remark emerged from a father’s anguish over his child’s self‑destructive behavior, especially given the heinous crimes involved.
Gandhi’s emotional response, while severe, reflects his deep disappointment and concern for the moral decay he witnessed in his son.
Thus, the claim that Gandhi simply told his son he was better off dead ignores the broader familial tragedy and the context of his plea.
2 Gandhi Let His Supporters Rot In Prison
Andrew Roberts, in a lengthy essay, castigates Gandhi for allegedly abandoning thousands of followers who were incarcerated during the freedom struggle.
The critique cites Gandhi’s three suspensions of the movement between 1900 and 1922, suggesting he left “more than 15,000 supporters” to languish in jail.
However, every activist involved was fully aware of the inherent risk. Gandhi consistently warned participants that imprisonment was a likely consequence, stating, “It takes courage to resist and not strike back. It takes courage to risk going to jail.”
His strategic pauses were deliberate, designed to prevent escalation into violence. For instance, the 1922 suspension followed a violent incident where followers burned a police station with twenty‑two occupants inside.
Gandhi’s overarching goal was to secure India’s independence without bloodshed. When supporters resorted to violent tactics, he intervened to steer them back toward non‑violent resistance.
Consequently, the portrayal of Gandhi as a neglectful leader ignores his explicit intent to safeguard both his followers and the moral integrity of the movement.
1 Gandhi Refused To Let Doctors Save His Wife’s Life
A widely circulated claim, echoed by Harvard’s The Crimson, alleges that Gandhi deliberately denied his wife Kasturba life‑saving penicillin, leading to her death.
The fact is accurate: Gandhi refused the injection, but his reasoning was not xenophobia. The penicillin formulation contained animal‑derived ingredients, conflicting with Kasturba’s strict vegetarianism and Gandhi’s belief in preserving the soul over the body.
To Western observers, this decision may appear callous, yet within the Gandhi household, the ethical dilemma centered on aligning medical treatment with deeply held dietary and spiritual convictions.
Gandhi’s own health later required Western medicine; he took quinine, an oral remedy derived from tree bark, free of animal products, demonstrating a nuanced approach rather than outright rejection of all foreign drugs.
The tragedy of Kasturba’s passing haunted Gandhi, prompting lifelong introspection about the balance between principle and compassion.
While some portray him as a heartless figure, the reality reflects a complex interplay of cultural values, personal ethics, and the painful consequences of adhering to them.