Desicritics Comments on Freedom to Paint Bharat Mata NUDE

Comment by VINAYAK

Tue, 7 Mar 2006 12:40:23 EST

MY FRIEND ALWAYS SAY "HIND ME JO GAANDU HAI WOHI HINDU HAI".Varanasi blast has proved beyond doubt nexus of nefarious elements & local political parties.

Comment by srinu

Sun, 5 Mar 2006 01:28:10 EST

Dear all, I found all the matters related to the nudity in art, I have a question, I saw a sculpture art wherein it shows that a naked mother is feeding baby. If you all really imagine, any mother does like that but why it is shown in the sculpture. This clearly shows that this is coming from ages that people who are in this line want to express their sexual feelings by the way of art publicly and attain name and fame in the society. I heard about a photographer who married a girl after a promise of permission from her for exhibiting her nude photos in the exhibition just for attaining name,fame and award. Ofcourse, he married her but she is almost in some 4 or 5 in no. to him and made her to lookafter his work in his shop as an ordinary worker after that.. like this if we see that every artist is somehow using their talent sexually in the name of art. Art can it not be done great as what others do without nudity..remember people like raja ravi varma if he thinks of nudity in art no body can dare to stop him, but he does'nt want to spoil the valuable name of art. After looking at all nude arts of mf hussain my friend thought of drawing his image in the belly of madhuri dixit so that his eyes will be in the breasts and his hairy mouth at the bottom between legs of her. but since we dont want to be same as hussain stopped publishing anyware. that is the mentality of hindus. freedom of expression why only in nudity of other women, if he want to express it let him make it and keep it in his rooms rather than publishing it, so let us all condemn this for love on art.

Comment by Lakshmikanth

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 15:18:02 EST

Hi Agni, 'Sex Embarrassed' would be an understatement. My dad is uncomfortable with us watching some medium budget 'Bollywood' movie. We also never had any discussion about anything remotely related to sex. Considering the fact that everyone in my house is above 22, there should not be a problem with discussions about issues related to sex. Basically our culture is against sexual freedom. As if someone having sex illegally(i.e. without getting married in Indian terms) somehow affects and destroys the 'culture'. I never understood(or understand) how it destroys and also how it destroys our 'culture'. What is worse, our 'culture' allows people to shit on the road. We dont even have suffecient space to shit but our culture does have a temple, mosque and church on every other street. We dont have enough money to keep ourselves well fed, and yet we donate crores(millions) to temples, mosques and churches. I would say that our 'culture' is the reason of why we are a nation of under-performers.. that applies to sexual openness too.

Comment by G.S.B.Agnihothri

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 14:41:28 EST

this is 50-50.I do agree with your point. present culture is quite prudish and sex-embarrassed. And what I mean to say is that artists can play a huge role in transforming 'present' culture to 'future' culture. this is freodum of artist. - agni

Comment by desh

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 13:20:05 EST

LK: Thanks! I do agree with your point though! Cheers, Desh Drishtikone.com

Comment by Lakshmikanth

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 11:14:06 EST

Desh: I did not mean ur stand on this issue. The issue for me is "Whether someone painting a goddess nude or a phophet caricature makes any difference in socio-economic issues?" The answer is obviously NO. It wont make a change in your life or mine. Thats all what i was saying. If we are fighting on issues like this then we are fighting a void war i.e. a war where ppl fight and die for something useless. Why die for issues like this when there are better things to fight for... like economic freedom in India. I respect you and your stand. I was not taking a stand against your stand. I am not in the war in the first place!!!!!!!

Comment by desh

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 11:00:51 EST

Kush, Aaman, and LK: I doubt anyone of you got my message. I am only talking about consistency in views. Whichever way it goes is ok. If Hussain was right - so is Danish cartoonist. If Muslims' sensitivity needs a look-up so does Hindu sensitivity. anyways, its folly to argue about something that you wouldn't pause to think about before you dash you next post! cheers, desh drishtikone.com

Comment by Ruvy in Jerusalem

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 10:08:49 EST

To all of you kind enough to respond to my observations: I bring to the table the perspective of a Jew who once lived in a land of Christians. Judaism is practiced in America, but its practice is heavily influenced by the Christian majority around it. Now please do not take this to mean that I think that Moslems are ill-treated in the Union of India. Not at all. But in any country where Islam is not the majority, a Moslem is more likely to be influenced by the majority religion - in India, Hinduism - in much the same fashion that a Jew, treated with relative tolerance in a Christian country, will be strongly influenced by the majority religion - Christianity. In Pakistan, a Moslem country not under the rule of Sharia, a Moslem is likely to be strongly influenced by the majority religion around him - Islam. Whatever the content of the speeches of the founder of the Pakistan Movement in the last Christian century, I suspect that this understanding I've tried to impart is what was in his gut (or his heart - take your pick - I'm not fussy). Shabbat Shalom Sabbath Peace to all of you, Reuven

Comment by Aaman

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:13:26 EST

That's stunning - it might be my own creative maturity but I'm seeing stuff there that I never did earlier - I feel the pain in "Draupadi's Dice", I sense the cubist interpretation in "Human Space" LK - good summation of the issue, the responses fits the cartoon issue too - there are bigger issues in the world

Comment by Kush Tandon

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:07:59 EST

Aaman, Please try the old fashioned way: http://www.artswithoutborders.com/ArtsNet/artistrev.aspx?strPer=176&pageno=1&ps=0&title=Husain,%20Maqbool%20Fida

Comment by Lakshmikanth

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:05:22 EST

heres my 2 cents(of which one cent is off topic) why dont we look at developing a united India which has a coherent economic policies instead of dividing ourselves on some petty issues? Why is it petty? Does a painting of Saraswathi Nude make an effing difference to a poverty stricken man in India who has to think how he will feed himself his next meal? NO Does a painting of a Nude godess make an effing difference to the number of child slave labourers in India? NO Does it decrease/increase the number of girls not going to school? or female foetuses being mercilessly murdered? NO Does it incease national wealth? NO what do i think about this issue? fuck this issue. Religion has done more harm than good.

Comment by Aaman

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:04:32 EST

The link did not work

Comment by Kush Tandon

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:02:43 EST

Aaman, Here is a link to Husian's work

Comment by Aaman

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 23:51:21 EST

Calling someone a 'racist', 'fanatic', etc. with no correlation or knowledge of personal beliefs does not advance the conversation any further. Stick to the topic at hand, and refrain from name-calling - it's in the best interests of increasing the signal-to-noise ratio. On the MF Hussain note, his studio in Bangalore was near my place and I visited it a few times. He seemed to have a terrible repetitiveness to his paintings. They lacked depth and were two-dimensional. He can't have changed much. Does anyone have a link to the latest painting? I for one, can't understand why should any religioso bother about a nude representation of India - India is not a theocratic state, last I checked.

Comment by deepti lamba

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 15:20:35 EST

Desh, this is my last comment on this thread, my stand is clear and thankfully I dont have to take any route that you propose for reasons I have stated above. Don't like my stand? tough cookie. Carry on gentlemen....I'm off to greener pastures

Comment by Kush Tandon

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 15:15:47 EST

Desh, I have put comments on Sepia Mutiny to this effect - in fact some of them I can clearly said "I support cartoons 100 %". These comments are 2-3 days before your question - therefore, no cover up. If the cartoons offended any of them, Please accept my apologies and I can help you in your peaceful greviences. I will fight soft bigotry. However, I will not help anyone in baring these cartoons - I also support European newspapers. I am ACLU-type guy. Equal opportunity offender. No you know, where I stand.

Comment by Desh

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 14:56:47 EST

"MORAL: Science, arts, and culture to make progress have to have freedoms, no exclusive ownerships, and entitlements." If that was a CONSISTENT reaction ALL the time - GREAT! I am with you! In fact I AM for the complete freedom! However, in any DEBATE you need to pick a consistent LINE! YOU CANNOT.. JUST CANNOT have sympathy for sensitivities of Muslim in the cartoon controversy and pooh-pooh the sensitivities of Hindus in Hussain controversy! Decide! And Go that route! The problem with Deepti's response has been that while she can be all gooey about the sensitivity of the Muslims in the cartoon thing.. she somehow feels no compunction in pooh-pooh-ing the Hindus who felt hurt over in Hussain controvery! Why? Just because she thinks that she can DECIDE what Hinduism SHOULD indeed mean for the one hurt! That to me is veritable Hypocrisy and Prejudice! No more explanation for that! So, Kush and Deepti - Either you are for FREEDOM - in which case sensitivity for the Hurt hearts is BS.. and if you do feel sensitivity matters for those HURT.. then FREEDOM is not an unlimited choice! YOU CANNOT HAVE BOTH WAYS.. Cheers, Desh Drishtikone.com

Comment by Sooraj

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 14:24:47 EST

Sweet Ambar - all is not lost yet. A Goddess can make the rest of Life a wonderful experience!

Comment by Ambar

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 14:19:24 EST

Because he has obvious liking to Hindu Goddesses, and I think even what would be considered as 'perverse' liking is a perfectly acceptable form of devotion in Hinduism. He probably has the route of Tantra. Absolutely. Goddesses rock! If only I'd been introduced to goddesses when I was younger, I might not have become an atheist.

Comment by Ambar

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 14:17:08 EST

Sooraj, what does atheism have to do with being active here? :D Agreed, my analogy was rather weak, trying to contrast atheism with Hinduism and Buddhism, when both of these religions contain atheistic elements. Its amazing that a polytheistic (on the surface)religion can tolerate and accomodate atheism with absolutely no hassles. :-)

Comment by deepti lamba

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 14:00:23 EST

Dont worry I am so gone

Comment by Sooraj

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 13:54:58 EST

I'm terribly sorry Deepti, my mistake! Very sorry indeed! It was Ambar. Sorry again for saying that when you've been so active here!

Comment by deepti lamba

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 13:54:19 EST

Ambar, I am so done with Desh bringing up the same argument again and again on which ever thread I seem to go to...its like a trailing toilet paper.

Comment by deepti lamba

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 13:48:52 EST

Hey, where did I say I was an Atheist?

Comment by Ambar

Thu, 9 Feb 2006 13:46:55 EST

Deepti and Desh, maybe its just me, but I'm getting a feeling of deja-vu reading your ~~duel~~ discussion. Is this being carried over from some other thread? :-/