King Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Harilal Mohandas Gandhi ( हरीलाल गांधी),(1888-1948) was the first son of Mahatma Gandhi. He had a very troubled relationship with his father, who eventually disowned him. Harilal converted to Islam in the 1930s, adopting the name "Abdullah Gandhi".[citation needed] This act deeply offended his father, who believed Harilal had not converted out of belief but for material gains. He allowed himself to be used in public meetings as an example by Muslim mullahs in Karachi to convert Hindus to Islam. In one of these meetings, when a Muslim speaker disparaged his father, Harilal flew into rage and kicked the speaker in anger. Harilal later converted back to Hinduism.[citation needed] The strain in the relationship between father and son was underscored by Harilal's proposal to remarry upon the death of his first wife in 1918, despite firm objections from his father, who commented on his wish to remarry: "How can I, who has always advocated renunciation of sex, encourage you to gratify it?". He was also called Harilalkaka by his nephews.A film directed by Feroze Khan depicting the stormy relationship between him and his illustrious father is due to hit the screens in August 2007. Harilal Gandhi is being played by Akshaye Khanna in the film named My Father Gandhi. Harilal eventually became a homeless alcoholic. He died of tuberculosis in June 1948, within months of his father's death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 What a pity really? Someone like Gandhi that led the huge nation against the Brits and was hailed as a messiah couldn't control his own son's destiny. Tough are the life's ways :embaressed_smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suma25 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 thers gonna be lot of controversy when this film releases.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Gandhi on his son converting to Islam Journalist Gandhi Selected writings of Gandhi, compiled by SUNIL SHARMA published by Gandhi Book center, Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal, Mumbai- 400 007. TO MY NUMEROUS MUSLIM FRIENDS The newspaper report that about a fortnight ago my eldest son Harilal, now nearing fifty years, accepted Islam and that on Friday last 29th May in the midst of a large congregation in the Juma Masjid at Bombay he was permitted to announce his acceptance amid great acclamation and that after his speech was finished, he was besieged by his admirers who vied with one another to shake hands with him. If his acceptance was from the heart and free from any worldly considerations, I should have no quarrel. For I believe Islam to be as true a religion as my own. But I have the gravest doubt about his acceptance being from the heart or free from selfish considerations. Every one who knows my son Harilal, knows that he has been in the habit of visiting houses of ill fame. For some years he has been living on the charity of friends who have helped him unstintingly. He is indebted to some Pathans from whom he had borrowed on heavy interest. Up to only recently he was in dread of his life from his Pathan creditors in Bombay. Now he is the hero of the hour in that city. He had a most devoted wife always forgave his many sins including his unfaithfulness. He has three grown up children, two daughters and one son, whom he ceased to support long ago. Not many weeks ago he wrote to the press complaining against Hindus- not Hinduism- and threatening to go over to Christianity or Islam. The language of the letter showed quite clearly that he would go over to the highest bidder. That letter had the desired effect. Through the good offices of a Hindu councilor, he got a job in Nagpur municipality. And he came out with another letter to the Press about recalling the first and declaring emphatic adherence to his ancestral faith. But, as events have proved, his pecuniary ambition was not satisfied and in order to satisfy that ambition, he has embraced Islam. There are other facts which are known to me and which strengthen my inference. When I was in Nagpur in April last, he had come to see me and his mother and he told me how he was amused by the attention s that he were being paid to him by the missionaries of rival faiths. God can work wonders. He has been known to have changed the stoniest hearts and turned sinners into saints, as it were, in a moment. Nothing will please me better than to find that during the Nagpur meeting and the Friday announcement he had repented of the past and had suddenly become a changed man having shed the drink habit sexual lust. But the Press reports give no such evidence. He still delights sensation and in good living. If he had changed, he would have written to me to gladden my heart. All my children have had the greatest freedom of thought and action. They have been taught to regard all religions with the same respect that they paid to their own. Harilal knew that if he had told me had found the key to a right life and peace in Islam, I would have put no obstacles in his path. But no one of us, including his son now, twenty-four years old and who is with me, knew anything about the event till we saw the announcement in the Press. My views on Islam are well known to the Mussalmans who are reported to have enthused over my son's profession. A brotherhood of Islam has telegraphed to me thus, " Expect like your son you truth-seeker to embrace Islam truest religion of world." I must confess that all this has hurt me. I sense no religion spirit behind this demonstration. I feel that those who are responsible for Hiralal's acceptance to Islam did not take the most ordinary precautions they ought to have in a case of this kind. Harilal's apostacy is no loss to Hinduism and his admission to Islam a source of weekness to it, as I apprehend, he remains the same wreck that he was before. Surely conversion is a matter between man and Maker who alone knows His creatures' hearts. And conversion a clean heart is, in my popinion, a denial of God and religion. Conversion without cleanness of heart can only be a matter for sorrow, not joy, to a godly person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Letters to / by Kasturba Gandhi To Harilal Gandhi [The eldest son of Gandhiji and Kasturba, publicly announced his conversion to Islam . Kasturba was deeply anguished . She wrote a touching letter to Harilal on 27th September, 1936. Here are the excerpts of the letter, written by Kasturba.] “Every morning, I rise with a shudder to think what fresh news of disgrace the newspapers will bring. I sometimes wonder where you are, where you sleep and what you eat. Perhaps, you take forbidden food. That and other similar thoughts give me sleepless nights. I often feel like meeting you. But I do not know where to find you. I do not know why you changed your ancient religion. That is your affair. But I hear that you go about asking innocent and ignorant people to follow your example. Why will you not realize your limitations? What do you know about religion? What judgment can you exercise in your mental condition? People are liable to be led away by the fact you are your father’s son. You are not fit to preach religion. In time to come if you go on like this you will be shunned by all alike. I beseech you to pause and consider and turn back from your folly. I did not like your conversion, but when I saw your statement that you had decided to improve yourself, I felt secretly glad even about conversion, hoping that you would start leading a sober life. But that hope too is dashed to pieces.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Really interesting. Never knew about him and his troubled life. Thanks for posting ravi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zooter Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Well, this does help to prove that Mohandas Gandhi was a Hindu!! I've heard many arguments of how his message made him more of a Christian than a Hindu, or more of a Muslim than a Christian, or more of a Jain than a (blank). As for him not having any control over his son--I'm not surprised at all. I think the public tends to glorify anyone who is a leader or in the public eye. A feeling of "He can do no wrong" tends to emerge in the masses when in fact, even national leaders are just like you and me with the same family problems, the same vices, etc. etc. They're all human with human problems and human frailties even if they seem like Gods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dial_100 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Yep Same here.. But my views on our Gandhiji have changed drastically. It is not very hard to understand what MKG was. But there are many out there who misguide us. Good read. Thanks Ravi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suma25 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 They're all human with human problems and human frailties even if they seem like Gods.I remember in late 90s there was talk show hosted by kabir bedis ex which got banned because one of her guest called gandhiji a bastard Then a play about nahthuram godse the guy who assassinated gandhi got banned My dad told me that when news of gandhi's assassination spread the people from the community to which godse belonged distributed sweets and pedas in vasai .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 So in the end Gandhi's son became a Muslim, Jinnah's daughter married a non-Muslim and became ostracized by him and Nehru's daughter also married outside the religion, albeit with least heartburn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flute202020 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Yep Same here.. But my views on our Gandhiji have changed drastically. It is not very hard to understand what MKG was. But there are many out there who misguide us. Good read. Thanks Ravi. dial, how are your views changed about gandhi? do you mean to say gandhi is at fault for his son's bad ways? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suma25 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 dial' date=' how are your views changed about gandhi? do you mean to say gandhi is at fault for his son's bad ways?[/quote'] well to a certain extent he may have been.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaurav Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I have always said before and I will say again--> Gandhi is overrated :D Not too much against him as such but.... Actually all leaders desi + non desis get blown out of proportion by public and by passage of time. I am not trying to take piss out of all the sacrifices these type of people make but.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC1981 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Gandhi may be overrated by some- but i still think that he was a far better human being than most of us and an extremely shrewd mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dada_rocks Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 See there are only 24 hours in a day and when somone expands his ambit of concern to whole nation he is bound to neglect certain immediate family duties. I have no doubt had he not been so emersed in political affairs and have been a normal father things would not have gone that far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 ^^ Instead of finding faults in the man why can we not sit down and appreciate Gandhi's openness about this whole issue. If this article is unbiased, and I am in no position to say it is or it is not, then it shows that Gandhi's son was not a great human being by any standard. And to fulfill his desire(s) he was willing to trade his religious affliction. Even though this incident happened about 75 years ago, clearly a very orthodox age, Gandhi was liberal enough to let his son do as he wanted to. I dare say that many people wont be ready to accept if their kids turn towards other religion even today, remember how Moyo's parent reacted very recently? xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dada_rocks Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 ^^ Instead of finding faults in the man why can we not sit down and appreciate Gandhi's openness about this whole issue. If this article is unbiased, and I am in no position to say it is or it is not, then it shows that Gandhi's son was not a great human being by any standard. And to fulfill his desire(s) he was willing to trade his religious affliction. Even though this incident happened about 75 years ago, clearly a very orthodox age, Gandhi was liberal enough to let his son do as he wanted to. I dare say that many people wont be ready to accept if their kids turn towards other religion even today, remember how Moyo's parent reacted very recently? xx Precisely.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dial_100 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Nahi yaar Flute baba... I used to be misguided about Mahatmaji until 7 years ago. As time passed and I learned so many things about this great Soul of India, I feel ashamed that I even had such views for this personality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dial_100 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I dont think any one is responsible for anybody else. We can only be guided but at the end it is our own discretion that we chose good or bad. Failures always followed by excuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Don't get me wrong but this thread was not to lower Gandhi's greatness. After all he was a human and had his flaws. In fact I've read he gave up sex at the age of 37 as he considered it a sin as he was involved in sex when his dad was on death bed. In fact he said his eldest son was the living proof of his sin. He expected his kids to follow his way of life but none really could live up to his expectations. I was just pointing out however great a human he still has his problems. Gandhi never really claimed he was great. He always mentioned he was nothing but a politician that was trying to be a saint and not the other way around. Gandhi's way of life, what was good for millions was not good for his own kids. In fact all 4 of his kids couldn't really stand up to Gandhi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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