Globally revered as a symbol of peace and nonviolence, Mahatma Gandhi's private life - particularly his views and experiments relating to celibacy and sexuality - has long been a subject of controversy. Several books, including British historian Jed Adams' "Gandhi: Naked Ambition" (2010) and librarian Girija Kumar's "Celibate Gandhi and His Women Friends" (2006), have raised difficult questions about Gandhi's unconventional behavior with women. 

After 15 years of research, Adams described Gandhi as a sexually repressed man who conducted experiments with celibacy that could be considered morally problematic today. These included sleeping naked with young women and even bathing with them to "test" his self-restraint. Kumar listed about 18 women who participated in these practices, including Gandhi's close associates such as Manu, Abha Gandhi and Sushila Nair. Some were reportedly tasked with massaging him while naked, a practice that Gandhi described as part of his spiritual discipline.

According to Adams, when riots were taking place in Noakhali, Bengal, Gandhi called Manu and said, "If you were not with me, the Muslim extremists would have killed us. Come, from today, let us both sleep naked with each other and test our purity and celibacy."

The book also describes the practice of celibacy in Panchgani, Maharashtra, where Sushila Nair bathed and slept with Gandhi. According to Adams, Gandhi himself wrote, “When Sushila undresses in front of me while bathing, my eyes close tightly. I cannot see anything. I can only hear the sound of soap being applied. I have no idea when she is completely naked and when she is wearing only underwear.

Nirmal Kumar Bose, who was a close associate of Gandhi for two decades, has also documented these experiments in his book "My Days with Gandhi". He mentioned some disturbing incidents. Nirmal Bose, referring to a special incident in Noakhali, writes, "One day, when I reached Gandhi's bedroom early in the morning, I saw Sushila Nair crying and the Mahatma banging his head against the wall." After that Bose started openly opposing Gandhi's experiment of celibacy. When Gandhi did not listen to him, Bose distanced himself from him. 

Critics argue that these acts exploited the trust of the young women at Gandhi's ashram and harmed their future personal lives. Some researchers claim that many of these women never married or lived emotionally troubled lives thereafter. Political contemporaries such as Nehru, Patel, and Ambedkar reportedly disapproved of Gandhi's personal conduct, although they refrained from public criticism.

After Gandhi's assassination, Manu, one of Gandhi's female friends, was strictly instructed to keep her mouth shut. She was sent to a very remote area in Gujarat. Sushila also always remained silent on this issue. The saddest thing is that the marital life of almost all the women involved in Gandhi's experiment of celibacy was ruined.

Gandhi's letters to women such as Sarala Devi and the missionary Esther Fearing reveal an emotional intimacy that often went beyond the usual platonic relationships. His relationship with Madeleine Slade, whom he renamed Mirabehn, adds to the list of intense female attachments in his life.

The subject remains sensitive. Some argue that Gandhi used celibacy not only as a personal test, but also as a means of asserting moral authority over his followers. According to a British historian, Gandhi's celibacy led Jawaharlal Nehru to consider him a man of unnatural and abnormal habits. Sardar Patel and JB Kripalani distanced themselves from him because of his behavior. 

Despite ongoing debates, Gandhi is respected globally. However, revealing these personal aspects challenges the one-dimensional saintly image often associated with India's "Father of the Nation".

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