Body, Hygiene, and the Affective Politics of Gandhi’s Swaraj

Abstract

‘I had been used to fasting, now and again, but for purely health reasons.’ Fasting, however, had much deeper implications for Mahatma Gandhi. In 1925, when he wrote the above words, Gandhi was discussing his experiment in using fasting as a ‘technology of self’ (The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1925). ‘That fasting was necessary for self-restraint,’ he added. ‘I learnt from a friend.’ Nearly 25 years later, he was far more categorical: ‘Control of the palate is the first essential in the observance of the vow. I saw that complete control of the palate made the observance very easy and so I now pursued my dietetic experiments not merely from the vegetarian’s but also from the brahmachari’s point of view’ (Diet and Diet Reform, 1949).