Some say Gandhi was gay

Share/Save/Bookmark

Some say Gandhi was gay
by Ari Siletz
13-Jul-2012
 

A while back I was reading a review of a book where it said Gandhi had a gay affair going on with a German-Jewish body builder, and I was thinking for God’s sake why am I wasting time on this tabloid stuff? First it was Tom Cruise rumors, then John Travolta, then the Shah of Iran, then Anderson Cooper…and now Gandhi?! I stopped reading.

But yesterday I found out that the Indian government just coughed up $ 1.28 million to buy a pile of Gandhi letters from the grandniece of Hermann Kallenbach, the bodybuilder Gandhi was supposedly in love with. Well OK Hermann was also an architect, but I’ll stick my neck out and say his being a bodybuilder, weightlifter or whatever is more in context.   

Of course the letters were purchased for historical research. But when Gandhi wrote things to Kallenbach like, “How completely you have taken possession of my body. This is slavery with a vengeance,” you wonder how much of the $1.28 million was for research and how much just to get the letters out of circulation to protect Gandhi's saintly image. Indian society is quite homophobic (though there are signs of improvement; the law against homosexuality was struck down in 2009).


Anyway the Gandhi being gay thing was year-old news and on its way to being forgotten if the Indian government hadn’t bought up the letters and foolishly reminded everyone of Hermann just when Reza Pahlavi had compared himself to Gandhi. Iranians aren't much better than Indians at tolerating gays, and Reza Pahlavi probably wouldn't have put on Gandhi's dhoti in that interview if he had kept up on his book reviews--and possibly the books themselves. Still, talk about bad luck timing in politics!

 

 

Image: Mahatma Pahlavi by Red Wine

Share/Save/Bookmark

Recently by Ari SiletzCommentsDate
چرا مصدق آسوده نمی خوابد.
8
Aug 17, 2012
This blog makes me a plagarist
2
Aug 16, 2012
Double standards outside the boxing ring
6
Aug 12, 2012
more from Ari Siletz
 
anglophile

Dear Albaloo and Anahid

by anglophile on

Please do not get into a verbal conflict over a nobody who is me. I don't wish to see either of you getting banned due to some misuderstanding. I wonder what Ari thinks when reading these exchanges. 

 

Anahid khanom, whether I am a man, a woman, a transgender, or anything else it should not influence your judgement on my words. I am sorry if I may have said something about obese men or women that might have sounded offending or ridiculing but I don;t know what my guilt is unless you tell me so.

 

Please let me know what specific case I am supposed to be guilty of and then I can perhaps defend myself.

 

Otherwise there is no point in continuing with these exchanges. 


Albaloo

Anahid Khanum,

by Albaloo on

Why are you so rude?  Have you been brought up that way?  


Anahid Hojjati

albaloo

by Anahid Hojjati on

i did not write that blog made fun of obverweight people, what i mean is people who every day claim to be a new thing just to attract attention. so£e men all of a sudden claim to be women not men. these people expext everyone including overwight people to be understanding of them. but these gay or transgender people can discriminate against others and be total insensitive jerks and additionally they lie about being men, wome, gay, straight


Albaloo

Mr. Anglophile,

by Albaloo on

Please accept my sincere understanding in dealing with Anahid Khanum.  She has the tendecy to deviate from the topic but not in a civilized way. I have read the blog and the comments. I see no sign of ridiculing fat people here. 

Am I missing something?  


anglophile

And I though this blog was about homophilia

by anglophile on

or in case of Ari, homophobia :)) But obviously there is link between obesity and sexual orientation which I am supposed to be guilty of causing offence.

Is it unfair to ask for the charge before the sentece is read out?

 

Anahid khanum please provide a link before going any further.

 

Thanks 

 

 


Truthseeker9

Anahid jaan

by Truthseeker9 on

I think you may be talking about AO's blog, it was about morbidly obese people, not chubby or middle age spread, or people suffering from conditions. I don't think people are deliberately mean here.

You're Fat, I'm Thin. I WILL Make Fun of You! 

 


Anahid Hojjati

then people can ridicule behaviors

by Anahid Hojjati on

that result in them becoming gay and a deceiving gay for that matter.


Truthseeker9

...

by Truthseeker9 on

 

Why is it acceptable to ridicule and tell people off for smoking but not ridicule the behaviours (sloth and gluttony) and such attitudes that keep people fat and unhealthy? Writing a satire about such attitudes is not same as talking about sexual orientation.

 


Anahid Hojjati

anglophile, ironic when guys with assumed names talk

by Anahid Hojjati on

about playing games.


anglophile

...

by anglophile on

ditto


anglophile

Anahid khanom are you serious or is this a little game?

by anglophile on

It means an unrestricted and a sincere one.


Anahid Hojjati

anglophile, what does

by Anahid Hojjati on

an unreserved apology mean?


anglophile

Anahid Khanom?

by anglophile on

What have I done to deserve this? At least give me a link. But before you say or not say anything let me offer my unreserved apologies if I have offended overweight people, be it directly or indirectly. If you think I am playing games, please be advised that I am prepared to communicate with my detractors - that is if they too are willing to communicate.


Anahid Hojjati

anglophile, it is not worth my time

by Anahid Hojjati on

to exchange comments with people who play games. you get my comment, you just don't have an answer for it. some of you guys are happiest when you can deceive someone and you are not capable or interested to communicate with those who lknow your games.


anglophile

Anahid khanum can you please refresh my memory

by anglophile on

I am not sure if I follow you.


Anahid Hojjati

to anglophile, now that you are being so sensitive

by Anahid Hojjati on

let me complain that I find people who post pictures of overweight people and then have their friends ridicule overweight people, I find those people in a way bigot too. Why be sensitive about perceived insults to gays but then actively ridicule overweight people?


Darius Kadivar

Ari Jan He never called himself Gandhi You made it up

by Darius Kadivar on

or is it a habit of you Jomhurykhahs ( Secular or Not) to lie ? 

 

Golshifteh Farahani Says We Iranians Lie in order to survive

 

American CBS TV network airs Fake Tapes on Shah's Speech (1979)

 

He did not call himself Nelson Mandela either ...

 

Nor did he call himself Desmond Tutu:

 

Empress Farah Pahlavi with the Rev. Desmond Tutu.

 

Nor did he call himself Havel:

 

Crown Prince Reza’s Tribute to the Late Vaclav Havel (1936-2011)

Nor did he call himself Mashayekhi:

Crown Prince Reza's Tribute to Mehrdad Mashayekhi (1953-2011)

 

 

Nor did he call himself Gorbatchev:

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GORBY: Shahbanou Farah, Mikhail Gorbachev and Mahnaz Afkhami

 

 

nor did he call himself Walesa:

 

Iran's Farah Pahlavi and Poland's Lech Walesa

 

But he probably has met them ALL be it in private just like his Illustrious mother ! 

 

At best he has expressed his admiration for these Larger than Life individuals ... period ! 

 

But Lying or distorting comments seems to be a recurrent habit amongst you folks from Day One isn't it ?

 

just like his comment on the "Eye of the Octopus" in the aftermath of Sept 11th.

 

THE IRANIAN: Opinion, Pahlavi & terrorism, Mohammad Sahimi

 

Here is the exact transcript of RP's Speech at the time:

 

Reza Pahlavi's Speech at the World Affairs Council of Delaware

 

By the way unlike RP 2 ... one of your very own Secular Jomhurykhah likeminds Abbas Milani went as far as have dinner with President George Bush :

 

Abbas Milani | The Book Haven:

In the article, Milani recalls a 2006 dinner at the Stanford home former Secretary of State George Shultz, where President Bush was a guest:

“When Bush met Milani, the president told him to stay after the other guests left. ‘I want to talk to you one-on-one,’ Bush said. Milani and Bush chatted privately for 15 minutes. Bush asked if there were any reliable intermediaries who could negotiate with the mullahs on Washington’s behalf. As they were leaving, Milani told Bush, ‘You know, you’ve got a lot of popularity in Iran for standing up to these guys.’ The president wheeled around and stared at Milani. Then he said, ‘You’re not bullshitting me, are you?’”

 

But on a side note ... Did Trita Pass the test ? ...

 

 

EDUCATING tRITA: New 'Rites of Passage' for NIAC Staff & Board of directors

 



Friendly Notes

List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people

by Friendly Notes on

Here is the official list of gay, lesbian or bisexual people in the world. All those names appeared either in this blog or in the comment section cannot be seen in the list. So, they are all safe!

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gay,_lesbian_or_bisexual_people


Anonymous Observer

Faramarz

by Anonymous Observer on

I don't think the companion was him.  The guy was in a suit.  So, perhaps it was a colleague or a freind.  They didn't seem romantic anyway as they were having dinner.   


Faramarz

AO

by Faramarz on

 

 

His boyfriend is Ben Maisani (pictures below).

//www.zimbio.com/Benjamin+Maisani/articles/Fc...

 

Soosan Khanoom,

How do you compare yourself with Ben, since you had a crush on Coop?

 

Here is Gandhi's wife. Same question!

 

//2.bp.blogspot.com/-ccCNfzZYcWY/Tfa-OYR2lTI/...


Ari Siletz

Do's and don'ts of calling yourself Gandhi

by Ari Siletz on

1. DO NOT directly call yourself Gandhi. It ticks people off. Always pay someone else to say it for you.  For example, in this video (around 1:00) we hear Governor Howard Dean saying, "We should be calling her [Maryam Rajavi] president of Iran." Howard Dean's fee for calling someone president of Iran is about $25000; his Gandhi fee is in the same ballpark.  There are free of charge ways of calling yourself Gandhi--such as mentioning it on FOCUS Online interviews--but as they say, "you get what you pay for."

2. DO refuse to accept the compliment from the paid admirer. For example on Los Angeles TV interviews say things like, "Who me, Gandhi? He was a vegeterian in a way that I could only aspire to be if the people of Iran give me the opportunity."

 

3. DO NOT call yourself Gandhi during times when there's an expose of his private life making him look like a racist, misogynist, misanthropist, inept, and self serving politician who delayed India's independence for decades while getting credit for liberating the country. The problem isn't so much the racism, misogyny etc; it just that it makes it look like you and your advisory staff only read the sports pages. 

 

 

 


Anonymous Observer

DM - since you mentioned Anderson

by Anonymous Observer on

I met him not too long ago at a restaurant in NYC.  He was having dinner with another guy.  We were passing his table on my way out, and I said "hi Anderson."  He was very nice.  Responded, even though I'm sure he was annoyed.  I introduced myself and told him I was a fan, and told him I was from Iran originally.  He was friendly and nice.  Disclaimer:  I don't know who the male companion was, and frankly don't care.  I actually knew he was gay a long time before he "came out." I had read the rumors years ago.  


Darius Kadivar

Rasty meegan Kofi Annan ham Gay Hast ...

by Darius Kadivar on

Jesús asks Kofi Annan a question about gay rights - YouTube

 

Shaneedam Hey Beh Bachar Koon Meedeh ! 


Soosan Khanoom

Dear DM, It is too late ..

by Soosan Khanoom on

even putting him back in the closet won't do it anymore..

Ahhhh.. those piercing blue eyes !  It takes time but I will get over him !!  

: ) 


Dr. Mohandes

SK jan

by Dr. Mohandes on

We realized that too. In fact i heard your cries, from way out there and i figured dammit. i have to do something about it if i am gonna have a chance with this sk khanoo, Oopss... I said too much:)))

But anyways with the help of HG and AO and faramarz and one big push by Ari jan himself (he's got some muscles you know) we put Andi back in the closet.

So cased solved and you can start "crushing" him:)))

But do save some for me:)

 


Soosan Khanoom

Oh no ... Ghandhi is gay too

by Soosan Khanoom on

I can't take it anymore ... I haven't still gotten over my handsome crush, Anderson Cooper since he came out of closet last week !!!!!

Anderson Cooper says he's gay, happy and proud – The Marquee ...

 

Why every single perfect man has to be gay?  damn it !!!


anglophile

Ari jaan is it fair to say that (please forgive me)

by anglophile on

zaboonam laal, zaboonam laal,  there might be a slight remote chance that Ari is minutely, even  infinitesimally, a (closeted) HOMOPHOBE?

Just wondered :) 


Darius Kadivar

Aghebat Ham Pedar Sookhteh Roh meekham Khakesh konam

by Darius Kadivar on


Darius Kadivar

Badesh Bahash Meekham Chatrang Bazy Konam ...

by Darius Kadivar on


Faramarz

نظر رضا پهلوی در باره "نگو و نپرس!"

Faramarz


 

 

I wonder what Reza Pahlavi's position on Ghazvini soldiers in the military is.

Does he support "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"?