While condemning untouchability outright, Gandhi was not prepared to criticize the caste system itself. He thought that by restricting oneself to a bride of one’s own caste, the predatory instincts of young men would be checked. But, for those who had already achieved a greater degree of ‘self-control’ (such as himself), mixing and mingling with other castes was permissible. The system, he seemed to be saying, would not be brought down; but heretics should not be persecuted either.
