It’s a bold move that’s sure to court controversy. British historian Jad Adams has released a book called Gandhi: Naked Ambition, which purportedly investigates the Hindu ascetic’s sexuality. According to the Sydney Morning Herald:

The book has been released in Britain and will be available soon in India where it is bound to make waves in a country where Gandhi’s image is fiercely protected and a source of national pride.

That his attitudes to sex were censorious and unusual is well known. He wrote of his disgust at himself for having intercourse with his wife Kasturba, aged 15, when his father died in 1885.

In later life, having fathered four children, he forbade even married couples in his ashram retreats from having sex and lectured men on the need to take a cold bath when they felt lustful.

However, the article goes on to say that, contrary to our prevailing notion of the spiritual leader, “Gandhi frequently bathed with nubile young women, had nude massages, and often shared a bed with one or more of his followers.” Although Adams insists that there is no evidence Gandhi broke his vow of chastity, he goes on to state that the ascetic’s definition of chastity was very narrow. “He’s talking about penetration. However, he’s defining sex so narrowly that he’s ignoring a lot of activities that many people would consider sensual, if not actively sexual.”

Beyond selling books, what were the author’s motivations for writing about Gandhi’s sex life?

The author says that Gandhi’s practices were commonly discussed when he was alive but after his assassination in 1948 the details were glossed over in his elevation to the stature of national icon.

“I don’t think that an understanding of any individual’s sexuality necessarily casts them in a poor light. To suggest it does implies a negative view of sex, which I don’t have,” he said.