P. Parameswaran, director of Bharateeya Vichara Kendram, has called for a social boycott of a book on Mahatma Gandhi written by Joseph Lelyveld.
In a statement here on Friday, he said the disparaging remarks on Gandhi's sexual life were not only untrue but also dangerous. He contended that Gandhi's life was a long experiment with Truth. He had named his autobiography ‘My Experiments with Truth.' In that book Gandhi had not hesitated to talk about all his weaknesses, including his sexual attitude. That being the case, if there was an iota of truth in Lelyveld's ‘Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and his struggle with India,' Gandhi would not have kept it out of his biography. He had the moral courage and uprightness to do so. That was proof enough that the controversial portions have really no basis, Mr. Parameswaran said.
He said Gandhi's two major planks were non-violence and truth. On certain occasions like self-defence, Gandhi would compromise non-violence but on no account would he compromise Truth. For Gandhiji, Truth and God were one and the same. To question one was equal to questioning the other. No one could cast a doubt about Gandhi's truthfulness; but that was precisely what the author had done. That was unpardonable.
He said such books denouncing national icons which brought immediate and worldwide publicity to the author, were motivated by their market value (money value). Of course, they would not be able to denigrate the greatness of men like Mahatma Gandhi. But they caused irreparable damage to the common man's faith in moral values which sustained society. It was a great crime against society. Such a publication should be treated as contagion and kept away from society, so that generations yet to come might not be contaminated, he added.
