By expecting him to have been respectful towards women and not being a racist/casteist is not trying to re-evaluate Gandhi on today’s parameters.

Let me explain myself.

Gandhi, in a letter written to RajKumari Amrit Kaur from Wardha on 20-10-1936, said, "If you women only realize your dignity and privilege, and make full sense of it for mankind, you will make it much better than it is. But man has delighted in enslaving you and you have proved willing slaves till the slave and holders have become one in the crime on degrading humanity.”

He knew exactly what was happening. And yet, we have the unsettling celibacy tests.

Gandhi was interested in abolishing untouchability but he was a strong advocate of the caste system. “It will be chaos if every day a Brahmin is changed into a Shudra and a Shudra is to be changed into a Brahmin.” He was an upholder of the ‘varna’ system, which in turn gave way to feelings of superiority and inferiority. It is like saying, it is inhuman to kill animals, but still enjoy eating meat.

Lastly, as Indians, we have all been taught the chapter about how Gandhi was thrown out of the first-class compartment of a train because it was reserved for the Whites. This is how he realised how “racism” worked. Even though he had experienced racism, he did feel that Whites and Indians were higher up the civilised scale. Extending to the Africans, exactly what he had been offended about.

If you ask my opinion, I think there was always a convenience to Gandhi’s principles. Today’s parameters had existed then too, but maybe they got lost in the blind spot of the conversations.

No one is perfect, not even the Mahatma. We should applaud his greatness but not hesitate to criticise where needed.