• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Body
  • Daily Resist
  • POLITICS
  • Travel
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Film
  • TV
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Men
  • Marriage Equality
  • Space
  • Trans Rights
  • Books
  • Science
  • Gay Iconography
  • TowleREAD

Was Mohandas Gandhi In Love With His Bodybuilder Friend?

March 26, 2011 by Steve Pep

The Wall Street Journal has published a review of Joseph Lelyveld's new book about Mohandas Gandhi titled, Great Soul. From the review:

G "Yet as Mr. Lelyveld makes abundantly clear, Gandhi's organ probably only rarely became aroused with his naked young ladies, because the love of his life was a German-Jewish architect and bodybuilder, Hermann Kallenbach, for whom Gandhi left his wife in 1908. 'Your portrait (the only one) stands on my mantelpiece in my bedroom,' he wrote to Kallenbach. 'The mantelpiece is opposite to the bed.' For some reason, cotton wool and Vaseline were 'a constant reminder' of Kallenbach, which Mr. Lelyveld believes might relate to the enemas Gandhi gave himself, although there could be other, less generous, explanations."

"Gandhi wrote to Kallenbach about 'how completely you have taken possession of my body. This is slavery with a vengeance.' Gandhi nicknamed himself 'Upper House' and Kallenbach 'Lower House,' and he made Lower House promise not to 'look lustfully upon any woman.' The two then pledged 'more love, and yet more love . . . such love as they hope the world has not yet seen.'"

"They were parted when Gandhi returned to India in 1914, since the German national could not get permission to travel to India during wartime—though Gandhi never gave up the dream of having him back, writing him in 1933 that 'you are always before my mind's eye.' Later, on his ashram, where even married 'inmates' had to swear celibacy, Gandhi said: 'I cannot imagine a thing as ugly as the intercourse of men and women."

In the above photograph, taken in 1913, Gandhi is to the left and Kallenbach to the right. Gandhi's secrerary, Sonia Schlesin, is in the center.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: News

Recent Posts

  • Gloria Gaynor, Herd Immunity, Louie Gohmert, Dianne Feinstein, Ian McKellen, Tyson, WAP, Billy Porter: HOT LINKS

    Gloria Gaynor, Herd Immunity, Louie Gohmert, Dianne Feinstein, Ian McKellen, Tyson, WAP, Billy Porter: HOT LINKS

    11 hours ago
  • Kathy Griffin Drags Gay Son of NFL Legend Herschel Walker After Finger-Wagging Rant Claiming Trump Won Election: WATCH

    Kathy Griffin Drags Gay Son of NFL Legend Herschel Walker After Finger-Wagging Rant Claiming Trump Won Election: WATCH

    15 hours ago
  • Trump Has Told Advisers That He Will Refuse to Leave White House on Inauguration Day: REPORT

    Trump Has Told Advisers That He Will Refuse to Leave White House on Inauguration Day: REPORT

    16 hours ago
  • Ellen DeGeneres Says COVID Gave Her ‘Excruciating’ Back Pain: WATCH

    Ellen DeGeneres Says COVID Gave Her ‘Excruciating’ Back Pain: WATCH

    17 hours ago
Previous Post: « News: David Beckham, Geraldine Ferraro, “Road Gay,” Maryland
Next Post: WWE Commentator Tweets Then Deletes Anti-Gay Slur »

Primary Sidebar

  • Gloria Gaynor, Herd Immunity, Louie Gohmert, Dianne Feinstein, Ian McKellen, Tyson, WAP, Billy Porter: HOT LINKS

  • Kathy Griffin Drags Gay Son of NFL Legend Herschel Walker After Finger-Wagging Rant Claiming Trump Won Election: WATCH

  • Trump Has Told Advisers That He Will Refuse to Leave White House on Inauguration Day: REPORT

Recent Posts

  • Gloria Gaynor, Herd Immunity, Louie Gohmert, Dianne Feinstein, Ian McKellen, Tyson, WAP, Billy Porter: HOT LINKS

    Gloria Gaynor, Herd Immunity, Louie Gohmert, Dianne Feinstein, Ian McKellen, Tyson, WAP, Billy Porter: HOT LINKS

    11 hours ago
  • Kathy Griffin Drags Gay Son of NFL Legend Herschel Walker After Finger-Wagging Rant Claiming Trump Won Election: WATCH

    Kathy Griffin Drags Gay Son of NFL Legend Herschel Walker After Finger-Wagging Rant Claiming Trump Won Election: WATCH

    15 hours ago
  • Trump Has Told Advisers That He Will Refuse to Leave White House on Inauguration Day: REPORT

    Trump Has Told Advisers That He Will Refuse to Leave White House on Inauguration Day: REPORT

    16 hours ago
  • Ellen DeGeneres Says COVID Gave Her ‘Excruciating’ Back Pain: WATCH

    Ellen DeGeneres Says COVID Gave Her ‘Excruciating’ Back Pain: WATCH

    17 hours ago
  • GOP Rep. Joe Wilson, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt Test Positive for COVID

    GOP Rep. Joe Wilson, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt Test Positive for COVID

    18 hours ago
  • Nicolle Wallace Smacks Down Pearl-Clutching Marco Rubio After Biden Campaign Manager Calls GOP Lawmakers ‘a Bunch of F**kers’

    Nicolle Wallace Smacks Down Pearl-Clutching Marco Rubio After Biden Campaign Manager Calls GOP Lawmakers ‘a Bunch of F**kers’

    18 hours ago
  • Atlantic City Mayor Auctions Off Opportunity to Demolish Trump’s Casino: WATCH

    Atlantic City Mayor Auctions Off Opportunity to Demolish Trump’s Casino: WATCH

    18 hours ago
  • French President Emmanuel Macron Tests Positive for COVID, is Symptomatic

    French President Emmanuel Macron Tests Positive for COVID, is Symptomatic

    19 hours ago
  • Mike Pence Will Preside Over Final Confirmation of Biden’s Victory and Then Fly Out of Town

    Mike Pence Will Preside Over Final Confirmation of Biden’s Victory and Then Fly Out of Town

    19 hours ago
  • Pompeo Holiday Bash, Letitia James, Rupert Everett, Wild Mink, Arlo Parks, Billie Eilish, Moscow Mitch: HOT LINKS

    Pompeo Holiday Bash, Letitia James, Rupert Everett, Wild Mink, Arlo Parks, Billie Eilish, Moscow Mitch: HOT LINKS

    1 day ago

Most Commented

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Footer

Copyright © 2020 · Log in