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October 22, 2004
Gandhi: Behind the Mask of Divinity
G.B. Singh’s Book Review by Dr. Baldev
Singh
316 R Glad way,
Collegeville, PA 19426, USA
“Truth comes out breaking the walls of a fortress” is a
Punjabi saying. For the lovers of truth G. B. Singh has exploded the Gandhi
myth¾apostle of peace, emancipator
of untouchables and liberator of India by peaceful means from the British yoke¾by publishing his labor of love, Gandhi: Behind the Mask of Divinity. G. B. Singh studied Gandhi for
over twenty years collecting Gandhi’s speeches, writings and other documents,
which the promoters of Gandhi left out intentionally to create a twentieth
century messiah by fusing Jesus Christ and Vishnu. The oppressors – the
proponents of colonialism, slavery, racism and casteism - have imposed their
own version of history on the victims through manipulation, deception and
hypocrisy. For example there is holocaust museum in the capital of United
States in the memory of six million Jews who fell victim to the atrocities of
Nazis in World War II. It is commendable and such museums should be built in
every capital in the world to remind people of the heinous crimes of the Nazis.
But why not a museum about the genocide of native Americans or a museum about
slavery in the capital of United States? It takes moral courage to look into
the face of truth! In order to avoid the obligation to intervene in Rwanda, the
Western powers led by President Clinton put pressure on the United Nations
Security Council not to characterize the mass murder of Tootsies as genocide.
The making of Gandhi myth stared in South Africa by white
Christian clergy. Rev. Joseph J. Doke, a Baptist Minster was the first to write
the biography of M. K. Gandhi. Soon many other European and American clergymen
and writers rushed in to make their input. John H. Holmes, a Unitarian pastor
from New York praised Gandhi in his writings and sermons with titles like:
Gandhi: The Modern Christ, Mahatma Gandhi: The Greatest Man since Jesus Christ,
Mahatma Ji: Reincarnation of Christ and Gandhi before Pilate. Romain Rolland,
French Nobel Laureate in literature looked at Gandhi not only as a Hindu saint,
but also another Christ. He wrote Gandhi’s new biography in French. The English
translation of this book opens with: He is the One Luminous, Creator of All,
Mahatma. Impressed with lavish propaganda about Gandhi in the West, the Hindu
propaganda machine came into action and it churned out a plethora of literature
to elevate Gandhi to the status of twentieth century Hindu god¾ “The seventh reincarnation of Vishnu, Lord Rama,”
proclaimed Krishnalal Shridharni. Portraits of Gandhi depicted him as Hindu
avatar and Christian saint. The Indian government under Prime Minister Indra
Gandhi financed one-third the cost of the production of the movie “Gandhi” for
the portrayal of Gandhi as “an absolute pacifist.”
The Christian clergy had an ulterior motive in building
the Gandhi myth. They thought that by elevating Gadhi to a 20th century
messiah and then converting him would open the flood gate for evangelizing
Hindu masses. Little did they realize that Gandhi hoodwinked them with his
insincere statements about Christianity? He was a die-hard Hindu, a true
believer and defender of the caste order – the essence of Hinduism?
Gandhi apologists indulged in gross deception by claiming
that Gandhi’s Satyagrah in South Africa was in the defense of the rights of
native people. Nothing could be further from truth than this bald lie. How could Gandhi, a diehard supporter of the
caste system think of the welfare of African blacks he regarded lower than the
Untouchables of India - slightly above the animal level? His Satyagrah was for
the better treatment of Indians, who, according to Gandhi were treated the same
way as savage Kaffirs (native people) were. In his stay of twenty years in
South Africa, he had no social contacts with the Kaffirs, as he did not see any
common ground with them in the daily affairs of life. He was horrified when he
was lodged with “natives” in the same jail ward. He did not like wearing the
same clothes with label “N” born by the natives, nor he liked their food and
sharing lavatory with them. It was the jail experience, which brought out his
racism in the open. “ Kaffir and Chinese prisoners are wild, murderous and
given to immoral ways. Kaffirs are as a general rule uncivilized¾the convicts even more so. They are troublesome, very
dirty and live almost like animal.”
He proclaimed that the British Empire was for the welfare
of the whole world and he accepted the superiority and predominance of white
race. But he reminded the white people that upper caste Indians share with the
Europeans a common heritage – the blood of the noble Aryan race. According to
him it is Aryan blood, which is responsible for the advancement of human
civilization. He suggested to Rev, Doke to civilize the Kaffirs by converting
them to Christianity and by infusing Aryan blood into their race. He told the
white colonists that the preservation of racial purity (Apartheid) was as
important to the Indians as to Europeans.
He urged the colonial authorities to raise a volunteer
militia of Indians to fight for the Empire. He told the Natal authorities that
it would be a “criminal folly” if they did not enlist Indians for the war. He
was rebuffed with sarcastic and derogatory comments about the fighting ability
of people like Gandhi. However, his persistence persuaded the authorities to
form a volunteer ambulance corps of Indians under the command of Sergeant-Major
Gandhi during the Boer War and Zulu Rebellion. He urged the Indian community to
show their loyalty to the British Empire by raising funds for the War. He
reminded them that they were in South Africa due to the courtesy of the Empire.
It is not for us to judge whether the Kaffir revolt is justified or not. We are
co-colonists with whites of this land whereas the black savages are as yet
unfit to participate in the political affairs of the colony.
He was a mean spirited parochial Hindu. Sergeant- Major
Gandhi selected only Gujrati Hindus as his assistants, three Sergeants and one
Corporal in spite of the fact the ambulance corps (20-24 men) was made up
mostly of non-Gujratis with substantial number of Muslims.
The Russian Revolution of 1914 spurted national movements
against colonial rule. The British brought Gandhi back to India to sabotage
Indian national movement against British rule. The congress Party dominated by
Gandhi was set up under the patronage of the British authorities. The “apostle of peace” urged the Indian
people to support the British by enlisting in the army during World War I. In
his letter he wrote to the Viceroy in1930, he said, “ One of his reason for
launching the Civil Disobedient Movement is to contain the violence of revolutionaries.”
On the advice of white promoters of Gandhi, black clergy
and civil rights leaders traveled to India to seek Gandhi’s advice about
solving the problem of segregation and civil rights of blacks. How little did
they know that Gandhi regarded the black people slightly above the animal
level? Moreover, they were ignorant of the fact that caste system was
originally imposed, as racial discrimination (Varna Ashrama Dharma) similar to
the Apartheid system, on the black natives of India by their Caucasian
conquerors. But later on due to emergence of new racial groups due to
miscegenation between the two groups, Varna Ashrama Dharma evolved into caste
system tied to hereditary occupations. Untouchabilty is as integral a part of
Hindu faith as anti- Semitism of the Nazis. It is noteworthy that not a single
black leader met Dr. B. R. Ambedkar – M. A. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia
University, M.Sc. and D.Sc. degrees from London University and Bar-at-Law from
Grey’s Inn, London - who was the undisputed leader of the Untouchables at that
time. Gandhi propaganda machine manipulated the visit of black leaders, as it
did not want them to find truth about Gandhi’s views on the caste system. “I
believe in Varnashrama (caste system) which is the law of life. The law of
Varna (color and / or caste) is nothing but the law of conservation of energy.
Why should my son not be scavenger if I am one? He, Shudra (lowest caste) may
not be called a Brahmin (uppermost caste), though he (Shudra) may have all the
qualities of a Brahmin in this birth. And it is a good thing for him (Shudra)
not to arrogate a Varna (caste) to which he is not born. It is a sign of true
humility.”
In 1921, Gandhi delivered violent speeches inciting racial
hatred against the British. During
bloody demonstrations and riots against the visit of Prince of Wales, William
Francis Doherty, an American citizen working in Bombay was murdered. Gandhi
personally got involved in the cover up of this gruesome murder through bribery
and intimidation, as he was concerned that the details of this murder would
tarnish Gandhi’s image in the West.
It is a cruel joke and one of the biggest fabrications of
the twentieth century that Gandhi won Indian freedom without spilling a drop of
blood. The truth is that it was the devastating effect of World War II that
forced the British government to dismantle its Colonial Empire. Moreover, it
was Gandhi and his Hindu dominated Congress party that engineered the partition
of the country on communal lines, as the Muslim dominant states stood in the
way of high caste Hindus to set up their Ram Raj (mythical Hindu kingdom) based
on caste ideology. Additionally, the
Partition of India in 1947 is one of the major upheavals of the twentieth century.
In the State of Punjab alone, 11-12 million people lost their homes and hearths
where their ancestors had lived for centuries.
May be as many as one million people perished in the communal frenzy and
thousands of young women were kidnapped while Gandhi was reciting the murderous
sermons from his favorite scripture – Bhagvad Gita. He kept insisting up to the
last moment that the country would be
partitioned only over his dead body!
The ascetic in loincloth used to sleep in buff with naked
young girls to perform experiments to test his celibacy. Dr. Sushila Nayar told
Ved Mehta that she used to sleep with Gandhi as she regarded him as a Hindu
god. The man, who had taken vow of poverty, demanded and got even in jail the
same comforts enjoyed by British high officials in India.
The “apostle of peace,” who counseled a Jewish delegation”
to oppose the evil of Nazism by “soul
force” - by committing mass suicide, was all praise for annexing Kashmir by
armed aggression.
He told his Sikh followers that rusty sword is useless in the age of Atom Bomb. The development of nuclear weapons by India - a country that ranks among the poorest in the world and is near the bottom of human development index chart of the United Nations – exposes the real face of the “absolute pacifist” and the nation that calls him “father.” After all didn’t lord Krishna tell Arjana during the battle of Mahabharata “Victory is truth.” Although, the Indian people have started peeking at the man behind the mask of divinity, there is no let up in the perpetuation of Gandhi myth in the West, especially the United States. G. B. Singh rightfully deserves the accolades for bringing out the truth about Gandhi from Gandhi’s own mouth.
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