What are the main criticisms of Gandhi?

Gandhi was not the uncomplicated saint he's sometimes portrayed as. Major criticisms:

Racism in South Africa: His early writings show contempt for Black Africans. He worked to improve conditions for Indians in South Africa but explicitly argued Indians shouldn't be classified with Black Africans, whom he referred to using the word "Kaffir" — a slur. He later revised some views; the early writings remain.

Misogyny: He held paternalistic views about women and used female sexuality as a political tool in disturbing ways. His "celibacy experiments" — sleeping next to young women to test his self-control — were ethically indefensible regardless of his stated intentions.

Caste: His relationship with caste was complicated. He initially accepted varna (the caste-based division of labor) while opposing untouchability. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who led India's Dalit liberation movement, was one of his sharpest critics.

How did he respond to these criticisms in his lifetime?

Inconsistently. He was capable of genuinely updating views — his position on untouchability strengthened over time. His response to Ambedkar's critiques was often defensive. He was a man of his time in some respects and ahead of his time in others.

Does this make Gandhi's contributions to justice irrelevant?

No. It makes the full picture more honest. His contribution to nonviolent political philosophy was genuinely transformative. It doesn't require pretending he had no blind spots. Complex figures are the rule, not the exception, in history.

How should Gandhi be taught?

In full — contributions and contradictions together. Sanitizing him does no one any favors. It also models the wrong approach to public figures: that we should either worship or cancel rather than understand.