This viral dialogue between Gandhi and a barber is a work of fiction - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 9, 2023
A widely circulated post on social media presents an alleged dialogue between Gandhi and a barber concerning religious texts. Within this exchange, Gandhi underscores that Hindus should not have the Ramayana or Mahabharata in their households, but he suggests the inclusion of the Quran instead. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Gandhi underscores that Hindus should not have the Ramayana or Mahabharata in their households, but he suggests the inclusion of the Quran instead.
Fact: The viral image indeed depicts Gandhi receiving a shave from a barber named Munnilal in Allahabad in 1939. However, there are no records of the purported dialogue between Gandhi and a barber, indicating the possibility that the conversation might be a work of fiction. Further, contrary to the viral claim, Gandhi held sacred Hindu scriptures such as the Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, and Mahabharata in high regard. Also, he was also vocal about Islamic rulers destroying of places of worship of other religions and also forceful conversions. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The alleged conversation in the viral post is claimed to be a passage from a Hindi book, the title of which loosely translates to ‘Unrevealed Genuine Historical Narratives,’ authored by Madhu Dhama. However, our search yielded no results for a book by this author with that title, indicating the possibility that the conversation might be a work of fiction.
With regards to the image, it indeed depicts Gandhi receiving a shave from a barber named Munnilal in Allahabad in 1939. Archival records of Gandhi’s writings have published this very image alongside a letter expressing gratitude to the barber. Gandhi proceeded to write, ‘Munnilal has given me a meticulous shave with heartfelt dedication. His razor is domestically crafted, and he shaves without using soap’.
However, we could not trace any such dialogue associated with the image in the archival documents or any reports related to Gandhi.
As for Gandhi’s perspectives on religious texts, contrary to the assertion, Gandhi held sacred Hindu scriptures such as the Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, and Mahabharata in high regard. Gandhi viewed that ‘Gita is not only my Bible or my Koran, it is my mother, my eternal mother. He said that out of all the books he had read, he found the greatest consolation in two books: the Gita and the Tulsi Ramayana.’
Gandhi claimed to have read the Quran more than once and also many books on Quran and the Prophet. And was vehement about Islamic rulers destroying places of worship of other religions and also forceful conversions. He regarded Islam to be a religion of peace but viewed that there is a difference between the teaching and practice of Islam.
Hence, the aforementioned viewpoints directly conflict with the perspectives attributed to him in the viral post, demonstrating that the viral dialogue is a work of fiction, falsely attributing ideas to Gandhi. Further, there are no records about Gandhi asking Hindus, not to keep Ramayana or Mahabharata in their households, but suggesting the inclusion of the Quran instead.
To sum it up, Gandhi, on various occasions, expressed deep respect for Hindu scriptures like the Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, and Mahabharata.