Mahatma Gandhi, celebrated worldwide as a symbol of truth and nonviolence, faced deep personal and moral conflicts within his own family.
During their imprisonment in 1942 at Aga Khan Palace, Gandhi refused modern medicine for his ailing wife Kasturba
Gandhi later accepted Western medicine for his own illness—an irony that exposed the inner contradictions of his beliefs.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi — known across the world as Mahatma Gandhi — was an Indian lawyer, freedom fighter, and political thinker who led India’s independence movement through nonviolent resistance. His ideas of truth, nonviolence (ahimsa), and moral discipline inspired great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, and even drew the respect of thinkers such as Leo Tolstoy and Albert Einstein. Gandhi’s teachings continue to influence struggles for justice and equality around the world.
But behind this image of the “Father of the Nation,” was Gandhi’s personal life really as pure and peaceful as it appeared? Many accounts suggest that the man who inspired millions also faced deep personal and moral struggles within his own family. Some sources even make the shocking claim that Gandhi’s strict beliefs indirectly led to his wife Kasturba’s death — a claim surrounded by controversy and debate.
So, what really happened? What truths lie behind the public image of the Mahatma?
Let’s look at the story of Gandhi and Kasturba — one that reveals a side of him few people talk about.
In August 1942, Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba were imprisoned by the British at the Aga Khan Palace near Poona. Kasturba, who already suffered from poor circulation and recurring heart problems, developed bronchial pneumonia while in detention. Her youngest son, Devadas, urged Gandhi to allow her to take penicillin — a newly introduced antibiotic at the time — but Gandhi refused. He permitted her only traditional remedies, such as water from the Ganges, insisting that the Almighty would decide her fate.
According to The Life and Death of Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi said on February 19, 1944, “If God wills it, He will pull her through.” Biographer Geoffrey Ashe quotes him further: “You cannot cure your mother now, no matter what wonder drugs you may muster. She is in God’s hands now.” Three days later, as Kasturba’s condition worsened, Devadas again pleaded for penicillin, but Gandhi asked, “Why don’t you trust God?” That same day, Kasturba passed away. The following night, Gandhi lamented, “But how God tested my faith!” He later told doctors that even if she had taken the antibiotic, it would not have saved her, and that allowing her to use it “would have meant the bankruptcy of my faith.”
Kasturba Gandhi, often called “Ba,” was not only the Mahatma’s wife but also a dedicated political activist in her own right. She first entered public life in South Africa, helping her husband establish the Phoenix Settlement near Durban in 1904. In 1913, she led protests against the mistreatment of Indian immigrants. Upon returning to India in 1914, she continued her activism despite chronic bronchitis, frequently stepping into Gandhi’s role during his imprisonments.
She worked tirelessly for women’s welfare, particularly in Champaran, Bihar, and participated in the 1922 Borsad Satyagraha in Gujarat, even while unwell. Her lifelong dedication to nonviolent resistance led to multiple arrests and imprisonments. In January 1944, after two heart attacks, her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died at the Aga Khan Palace on February 22, 1944, at the age of 74.
See Also: Gandhi Statue Defaced in London Ahead of Gandhi Jayanti Indian Mission Demands Swift Action
Ironically, soon after Kasturba’s death, Gandhi himself contracted malaria. This time, he agreed to be treated with quinine, a Western medicine he had denied his wife. He even permitted doctors to perform an appendectomy — an “alien” medical procedure by his own earlier standards. These contradictions, though rarely shown in popular portrayals, reveal the deeply human side of the Mahatma’s moral struggles.
Gandhi’s private life was equally complex, especially his treatment of his family. He wrote harshly about his illiterate wife, once saying, “I simply cannot bear to look at Ba’s face. The expression is often like that on the face of a meek cow.” Gandhi also imposed strict rules on his sons — denying them formal education, ordering celibacy, and disowning his eldest, Harilal, for wanting to marry.
The relationship between Gandhi and his sons was also strained. Harilal, the eldest son, had a very difficult relationship with Gandhi. This relationship is said to be one of the most painful family conflicts in modern Indian history. Harilal rebelled, criticizing his father publicly in newspapers and accusing him of hypocrisy — fighting for national freedom while denying personal freedom at home.
The story of Gandhi’s family — his wife’s faith-driven death and his tragic estrangement from Harilal. This reveals the moral and emotional contradictions of a man who guided a nation but struggled within his own household. [Rh/VP]
Suggested Reading:
