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For The Love of Hussain
Abhinandan Mishra
The MF Hussain bundle of sex, paints and goddess was once again in the news as the 95 years old Maharahstra-born Indian Picasso was granted Qatari citizenship.
The ever active intellectual guardian population of India ably lead by Miss Booker Arundhati Roy have been raising a heart rendering hue and cry ever since this news broke and have cast a serious doubts on the Indian establishment on their ability to protect "genuine expression of art" and the repeated attack on the more sacrosanct Freedom of Expression enshrined in the Indian constitution.
I am a just bit worried that how much more battering our poor old Constitution will be able to withstand. Every alternate day some Tom, Dick and Harilal rises up with a copy of the Constitution waving in the air and shouting on the top of their voice that " The fundamental rigfhts of Mr.X has been violated".
After the initial war cry has been shouted, the constitution is consigned to flames, not literally though.
What starts with a question of fundamental Rights turns into an opportunity to gain spotlight and to show that "yeah we are still alive and protecting the intellectual wealth" of India from the saffronist dacoits.
But in this high flying emotive surcharge environment the real issue is lost. Always, without fail.
Forgotten is why is the common people who worship goddess not allowed to feel offend when some one paints those very goddess in nude. Where do their religious rights vanish?
Forgotten is why the religious sentiments ( not the cliche one, but the real one, the one which makes us bow our head whenever we pass a temple) not kept in mind by these intellectuals when they cry over the treatment meted out to people like Hussain.
Forgotten is why Hussain never apologised on the second place after it is forgotten that he should have been asked that why did he chose to paint only Hindu gods in nude in first place.
Miss.Bookers like people shout on the vandalization that was done to Mr.Hussain's painting but they don't ask the Indian Picasso that was not he aware that religion is an integral part of any Indian, be it Hindu or Muslim.
Let's put an open question to our " intellectuals" on What they will choose if given two choices.
Whether the intellectuals will focus on freedom of expression or they will shout violation of breach of privacy if this very Picasso paints them or their close one in nude.
Now that he has shifted his base to Qatar all that remains to be seen is that whether he will express his creativity like the same way as he used to in India.
I have stayed in Qatar and if i am even 10 percent right then I don't think he will even think of letting his artistic creativity go wild.
Hussain should not live under any disillusionment, Allahs right has always been more enforceable in any part of the world, be it India or Qatar.
But in the end it is not about a Muslim artist and a Hindu godess, it is about an Indian artist and an Indian god.
For The Love of Hussain
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Sumanth
March 5, 2010
07:15 PM
Big Deal. Even Vishwanathan Anand is now Citizen of Spain.
"Sexy MF" Husain is a moron...
Let that morons paint Arab nudes in public places there.....he will be stonned.
AJ
March 6, 2010
02:20 AM
Coverging themes ...
Burqa Dumb on 24x7 was interviewing MF today and repeatedly tried to get 'bytes' out of him which she could have used to fuel another controversy. e.g. "Do you think Indian government could have done more?" This question was asked at least twice if not more. To her great disappoinment he did not give her anything!
As far as MF goes, another traitor - what else? After having used all the freedoms offered by this country, he, through his actions has chosen to show his country of birth in poor light. Instead of trying to see the Point-of-View of people who felt offended and apologising for his excesses. Having been born in a religious town of Pandharpur, he could not have not understood the significance.
Clearly, freedom was not on top of his list in choosing the new country - he did not choose any of the democracies but chose an Islamic country!
Of course, MF can now paint the Prophet in nude and 'express' himself. I am sure he will be rewarded appropriately.
As far as Indians go, those who like his art, will continue to appreciate the art. As far as the painter behind the art goes, he can be safely ignored.
AJ
abhi
March 6, 2010
08:47 AM
@ AJ ...
BUrqa Dumb @ lol
Sumanth
March 12, 2010
01:09 AM
Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Monday expressed surprise over the "hue and cry" over painter MF Husain's move to give up Indian citizenship and chided him for painting Indian gods in the nude.
"While India has a policy of free expression, one cannot accept blatant insult to the heroes of its land. It is the intention behind a man's creativity which is questionable," Ravi Shankar said in a statement.
"In one of Husain's paintings of Mahatma Gandhi, Karl Marx, Albert Einstein and Hitler, he painted only Hitler nude and said that his way of humiliating a person is to paint him nude."
"No one has ever sculpted Rama and Sita as nude. Creative expression is always welcome. No country has been as liberal as India... Any nude woman could have been painted by him but calling the women Sita, Lakshmi (and) Saraswati shows his perversion and hatred."
"Will MF Husain show the same creativity and the same spirit with Islamic heroes and would he, then, be able retain his Qatari citizenship?"
"Double standards, bias and hatred do not go well with men of excellence."
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Is Sri Sri Ravishankar is talking tough at that hypocrite.
Yeah....lets wait see if MF Hussain paints prophet's wives and daughters nude in Qatar and saved his neck.
exist
March 20, 2010
04:27 PM
"I don't comment on individuals because individuals are just part of one wholeness."
"Everybody is what you call a nimitta -- an instrument of the divine,"
"So branding someone good or bad or right or wrong and boycotting them is meaningless is useless."
"and knowingly or unknowingly something bad might happen from an individual. So when someone does something wrong, don't hold him a culprit all his life."
"If you always keep telling a person of all the negative things all the time, the person gets frustrated."
These are Sri Sri's own words, in defence of unrepentant Modi.
where is your all inclusive compassion while speaking on MF Hussain.
isn't this double standard?
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