M. F. Husain, India's greatest and most celebrated artist, called me from his hospital bed in London Tuesday afternoon. Speaking in a soft, low voice, with old world courtesy, he informed me matter of factly that he had suffered “a silent heart attack” in Dubai some time ago, that it had gone undiagnosed, and that he had just checked in at the Royal Brompton where the doctors and medical facilities were excellent. I enquired how he was feeling and he said he believed there were no complications. I asked if there was anyone I should inform about his hospitalisation and he said members of his family were on their way.
I had a sense of foreboding that this might turn out to be a farewell call. I knew he had sighted many more than a thousand moons, scored a century by the Islamic calendar, and was probably fit enough to go on to a hundred years by the Gregorian calendar. I was touched that he had telephoned me at a moment he must have felt vulnerable and possibly helpless in a hospital bed far, far away from his homeland. Family, two sons and one daughter, managed to get there in time to be with him at the end.
My mind went back to 1996 when a communal hate campaign, physical threats, acts of vandalism, and impending arrest forced Husain-saab into exile. He was distraught, deeply unhappy, and felt abandoned by the India he loved. He kept calling us from London, from New York, pleading that he must absolutely come back to India, “not die in a foreign land.” After months and a good deal of negotiation with the Maharashtra authorities, he was allowed to return in the dead of night and in disguise, a fruitless exercise as he was recognised, even in his Alpine hat and Italian boots, at Mumbai's international airport — and before that at Heathrow. We received him at immigration and whisked him away to the Taj Mahal, Mumbai, always his well-wisher, which now provided a safe haven.
During this insecure period, we accompanied Husain-saab to court proceedings in Indore and elsewhere and acquired first-hand experience of the harassment and terror he faced from bigoted mobs. We witnessed what uncertainty and fear this creative genius, then in his eighties, had to endure in rising India. However, the one city where he felt completely safe was Chennai, where he stayed either with his son Mustafa or with us. He always travelled light and left a set of clothes and art equipment in our homes.
He relaxed, he painted, he spent several nights working with A.R. Rahman on the music for his current film. He always came armed with reels of his latest film, which he screened for our friends. He sometimes called on the writer R.K. Narayan, the seniormost member of his Rajya Sabha ‘gang of four,' from a period he brought alive in his satirical Sansad Upanishad. He spent early morning hours gazing at, and sketching, a blue-and-gold macaw.
However, this was a decade fraught with intimidation and legal threat. Husain-saab finally left India in 2006 to make his home elsewhere. Since 2006, with the escalation of the Hindutva hate campaign against him, he had been living in Dubai and Qatar and spending his summers in London. He travelled freely except to India, where he continued to face harassment and physical threats, with the system impotent and not committed to enabling his return. Though the Supreme Court intervened on the right side, it was too little, too late. The Congress-led government, it became clear, could do no better than the preceding BJP-led government had done in protecting Husain-saab's freedom of creativity and peace of mind.
I remember the artist telephoning me in New York, in February 2010, to give me the news of his impending acceptance of Qatar nationality. “Honoured by Qatar nationality” but deeply saddened by his enforced exile and the need now to give up the citizenship of the land of his birth, which he has lovingly and secularly celebrated in his art covering a period of over seven decades. He made it a point to emphasise that he had not applied for Qatar nationality, which was conferred upon him at the instance of the modernising emirate's ruling family.
Two projects
Until his passing in the early hours of Thursday, the artist worked a long day, producing large canvases and life-size glass sculptures. Never had he been as commercially successful. His work was mostly devoted to two large projects, the history of Indian civilisation and the history of Arab civilisation. The latter was commissioned by Qatar's powerful first lady — Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Missned, wife of the emirate's ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani — and the works were to be housed in a separate museum in Doha.
Husain-saab, although sad, was never bitter against anyone in India, or for that matter anywhere else. His quiet and dignified passing in a London hospital brings to a close one of the sorriest chapters in independent India's secular history. I know no one more genuinely and deeply committed to the composite, multi-religious, and secular values of Indian civilisation than M.F. Husain. He breathed the spirit of modernity, progress, and tolerance. The whole narrative of what forced him into exile, including the failure of the executive and the legal system to enable his safe return, revolves round the issues of freedom of expression and creativity and what secular nationhood is all about.
Let the people of India pay their respects to a great son who, rising from humble origins, used his prodigious talent and creativity to portray and celebrate all that is diverse and wonderful about this country and the historical civilisation it represents.
Keywords: M.F. Husain, M.F. Husain death, N. Ram
That was a very touching and intimate portrait of MF Hussain. Happy to know that The Hindu was so close to the great painter and that he thought of you during his last moments.
He could immerse himself in his creativity while in Qatar and that would have lessened the pain of being away from home. What an extraordinary creative life!
I remember vividly, how when we were at the NGMA Mumbai, to see his Kerala paintings, he was among friends and was quite relaxed. My sister, who was with us, mentioned a Baroda connection to Hussain Saab and that led to his asking for my daughter's drawing book (which we had then just bought) and in just a few flourishes, he drew his trademark horse on a blank page with my daughter's name on it!
Being a Hindu, I pride myself as the inheritor of a religion that is at once so simple and complex, with so many different symbols and expression of the divine. Something which is all encompassing and all inclusive. We have hundreds of interpretations of Ganapati, the depictions on gods in temples - all testimony to how we are not constrained to look, touch and feel God in any one manner. To each his choice! How could someone like Hussain denigrate in any manner our Gods? It is just a creative expression and nothing more. Do we have logical answers to Khajuraho? Don't we just accept it as another creative expression and move on whether we like, dislike, agree or disagree? So, for those who do not like Hussain's depictions of Gods, should give it the Khajuraho test - just ignore and move on.
There is no need to overglorify him. He had his negatives too. There was for him no need to go out of the way to hurt Hindu sentiments. That was not the purpose of his art. Any explanation justifying his deed will not cut ice with reasonable people who have a regard for Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
Thank you sir for writing this article at this very moment when I'm failing to understand how could a man of such brilliant artistic abilities, and with great love for his country not get a chance to die in his country of birth, that he craved to be in. Thank you again for showing us how simple and humble a person M.F. Hussain was despite his fame and abilities. Would there such persons on the days coming in his facebook world where every little thing of least significance done is written into 'walls' and twitted to millions.Hats off to the Editor for writing this article at this moment. I hope this serves as an eye opener to people who think they own the religion and culture of this great nation
The Hindu and Mr. N. Ram always support secular values and hence the approach towards MF Hussain is indeed part of the same policy. As we all know Husain was the victim of the Fascist ideology and we Indians apologise for the vandalism shown to him by the miscreants. The hatred produced by the hindutva politics even destroys the plural culture and tradition of our country.Thanks to Ram and The Hindu.
An artist or a work of art is as good as the intent behind it, and the integrity of the work itself, which may be an interpretation or an expression of some perceived truth. Why is it that Hindus were offended with nude paintings of Hindu goddesses? If MF Hussain's intent was pure, he would have known better. If his artistic merit was so high, Hindus would not have been offended. If a Danish cartoonist can get into trouble for offending Muslim sentiments, I don't see anything to condone MFH with for being banished from India. If art is an expression, why should the reactions it evokes also not be given the same freedom of expression?
Thanks Mr. Ram for this article. Escapist often sees the world in different perspective...shame on our few country ppl who find solace in their own unscrupulous character. A legend who brought so many laurels to our great India has nothing to do with those inhuman remarks. What is Art? It is the response of man's creative soul to the call of the Real... Rabindranath Tagore When religion interferes with creativity, you make fugitives of free minds. This is not the India Tagore envisaged. Not the India we want.
Will the rabid Bajrang Dals and the VHPs at least now have the decency to condole a man who was an artist and not some religious despot?
From the tribute by the editor in chief it was obvious of the association of Mr. N.Ram and Hussain Ji. The respect and love for each other was very much mutual. The world celebrated and loved his craft. His love for the mother land was also obvious, but when you love your country it consists not only just rivers and mountains but human beings having various sentiments and religious faith. In the name of creativity freedom definitely Hussain ji did cross his lines. That was unwarranted and uncalled for as already crossed the century according to Islamic calander and on the verge in gregorian calender he should understand the people of India than anyone else. Anyway, the man is no more just want his soul to rest in peace.
What is interesting to observe are the readers of this article have such bigoted views and miss the whole point. I do worry for the future of India and hope people awake and rise.
A fitting tribute by the man whom Hussain considered dear. This piece would make even die-hard critics think of how much pain Hussain must have gatherered in his 'dil' in his last years. How tragic is this that Hussain wished not to die out of India and he had to. This saddens us all.
MF Hussain joins the gallery of great people who in their pursuit of excellence and service of the world were rejected and exiled or crucified by the very society for whom they toiled. His life and death has taught me that greatness has to be born of humility, endurance in the face of adversity and an attitude of forgiveness. Quoting the Bible I would like to say of those who directly or indirectly contributed to his misery "God, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." I am inspired by the tribute paid in poignant language by N. Ram to MF Hussain, his friend.
A great soul has passed on. A brilliant star is born in the firmament. When the heavens are lit with tiny images of hope for peace, there must be a message: Peace shall not prevail by killing the violent, but by opening hearts wide and accepting all. Peace begins at home.
India and the world has lost a great, great artist. I love all that he painted be it nudes or not. I live in Portugal and had an idea that India was the most tolerant country in the world. India's people drove MFH away from the country he so loved and expressed it in so many forms in the canvases. What a shame MFH was not understood by some 'unconscious', imature, ignorant, intolerant, radical, fanatical group of people. These people have to change their mentality.
Reading, the comments people claim to connoisseurs, and protectors and followers of faith. It's amazing to read a thoughtless, educated class, from a country which gave birth to Kamasutra, temples with sculptures of love making, and where God's penis is worshiped. I am proud to be a part of this profound vibrant culture, but ashamed of uncivilized, senseless few.
I may have some semblance of aesthetic sensibilties but I will not venture thus far to say that I understand art. I do thank N Ram for this article. My two cents Sir, is that really the arts, literature, music and paintings are a form of expression. A form of expression a lot us of do not understand or interpret literally. We forgive our political leaders for far greater follies, which frankly require a lot less interpretation! I personally believe MFH did no wrong and brought pride to the country as an artist. For those who believe he did, (for its not a democracy without disagreements) he could have been forgiven. This is just shameful. Period.
I write to you from the kingdom of Morocco. I have discovered today M.F Husain when his interview with Micheal Peschardt from the BBC was being broadcasted on tv. The glimpse I had of his work transfixed me, to me, this frail man, a smiling man, active, loving life and loved by life, was a stunning discovery. Sadly as I went to research his work on the internet, I would learn of his death. The interview would go on and I would discover with amazement that he painted more then 40 000 paintings. Asked by Peschard about such prolificity he replied "All the talk about inspiration and mood is senseless. Excuse us". This was a revelation to me, as an artist photographer I always believe in the moment, in inspiration, how naive I was, and how close he was to the truth.
Today India, and indeed the world has lost a great man, one that is humble, accomplished, who lifts the veils suspended in front of others minds. A towering figure humanely speaking, but he wouldn't leave a footprint on the grass for fear of killing an ant. He created rather than destroyed, and although he went into forced exile, you could not sense an ounce of bitterness in him. How exemplary. Dear Indian friends, I want to tell you today that although you must suffer this loss, be convinced that that man, again, accomplished in his death as much as he accomplished in his life, for here we are in the presence of someone commissioned to paint the civilization of India and that of the Arab world. Someone who received the citizenship of Qatar, an Arab nation. Indeed the man, frail as he was, is also a bridge between civilizations, a robust, long lasting bridge. One that is very much needed in theses difficult times, a bridge that spans understanding and common admiration.
As for me, I discover this man the same day he is taken away, but I do not feel robbed or overly sad, if anything happy that he existed, proud of what he accomplished and curious about his work. May he rest in peace. Yes, that too, a man of peace.
Some years ago I did not understand the uproar. Today I have a better insight. People these days tend to take offense at everything that is not politically correct, or what they perceive as discrimination. Somehow I still believe that the problem is more in the minds of those who take offense rather than the alleged offender.
None is questioning the artistic creativity and talent of MF Hussain but the pseudo secular community's collective rant that the Indian state insulted one of it's great sons of modern art by sending him on exile is reprehensible. MF Hussain insulted the religious sentiments of Hindus in India with his blatant portrayal of nudity of Hindu goddesses in his work and justified his irresponsible work by hiding behind the veil of creativity and art. With freedom of expression comes responsibility and the fact MF Hussain was a serial offender in hurting the religious sentiments of the majority in India is beyond debate. MF Hussain sadly fell into the same class of talented men like Dominique Strauss Kahn and Roman Polanski who slipped by the lack of judgement and ego of invincibility.He created his own exile.
Good article, fitting memior from a person who has seen Husian from close quaters. but not neccessarily view of 99%... How can Husian's death be national loss? His arts were only for super elites so his death is loss to those elites not to ordinary people.
The Hindu and its editor, N. Ram, once again lived up to the higest standard of jounalism as artculated by Mrs Cathorin Graham, when she was forced to plead at the US Suprime Court, To quote:'An organzation in its history may have to risk its srvival for its soul'. Thank you Mr. Ram.
I believe that however progressive one may be, like MF Hussein, one cannot forget what India stands for, the land of Dharma and which has a civilization which is more that 5000 years old. To disrespect India and it's civilization using a painting, which could have hurt the sentiments of a broad section of the people, is wrong. And he paid the price for it. The so called &'Intellectuals', who blame the 'communal miscreants' do not understand what India and its ideals stand for. I think everyone must respect the sentiments of other communities - that is the essence of secularism. In this regard, I believe Mr. Hussein crossed the line. An alternative happy ending to his story would be an apology from him to the country, his coming back to live in India and his passing away in the land of his birth - India.
M F Hussain, RIP. Thank you N Ram, for being there for him when the rest of us could do nothing. As someone who is still young, I bow my head in shame for the goons that have come to be the loudest voices of Hinduism today. For the shame they have wrought upon a secular country. And for the millions of weak voices who were too busy with roti, kapda and makaan to worry about freedom. Thanks Ram, for helping us not forget.
Please show your concern for MF Hussian's right to expression by showing support to people like Rushdie, Tasleema Nasreen, Sita Ram Goel (publisher of Understanding Islam through Hadis) who endured 7 years of court trial for publishing a book critical to Islam or ensuring movies like Da Vinci Code (banned in Tamil Nadu too) and music like Heavy Metal band Slayer's 2006 album Christ Illusion (banned after Church lobbying).
With all due respects to a departed soul, MF Hussain was not a 'A' grade artist. We have got millions of artists in India who are a zillion times better than him. I am not sure why the media hype. as usual the media wants something out of the normal to showcase...
As our friend Dr. Ashraf Ali has stated nicely above, Husain-ji should have not done what Salman and others have. There is absolutely no reason to put down some group in a derogatory and vile way to make a point. Freedom comes with responsibility. Maharashtra/India should have however could have shown more grace and tolerance and given Husain-ji an opportunity to reconcile in his last days.
After a death none should be disrespected. So, hearty condolences to Hussain family for this great loss. Hussain's passing away is also a great loss for India. He was a great artist. Hussain slipped many times by depicting Hindu Goddesses in nude. For a person born in pilgrimage place like Pandharpur in Maharashtra where even Bharat Ratna Bismillah Khan came praying at the foot steps of Lord Vithoba's temple, to not understand that drawing nude paintings will hurt Hindus of India is unthinkable. That was a pure Islamic fanatism on the part of Hussain. He never apologized for that intentional insult caused to Hindu beliefs. Even UPA and Congress Governments in Maharashtra could not defend this insulting work. It is a shame that none of those who are singing songs for Hussain today have courage to call a spade a spade.. This lack of neer-kshir viveka is a characteristic of leftist liberals like N Ram. Balasaheb Thackray, as an artist, wrote a praise of Hussain yesterday but he blamed Hussain for his sins. No one is perfect. Neither Hussain was. He should be praised for his artistic work but one should never forget that he did not apologize for his sins. May Alla offer him eternal peace.
I pay my respected tribute to legendary M.F.Hussain who have showed us path of wisdom, modernity and renaissance through his portray. We have lost our great devoid of assimilated communal harmony
I was moved to tears reading your tribute to Hussain Saab. No one else could have described better the way India, its government and its people treated this great artist, depriving him of even a grave in his own motherland. What a shame. You have truly said "His quiet and dignified passing in a London hospital brings to a close one of the sorriest chapters in independent India's secular history." Let all fascists and religious fundamentalists read this again and again to realize what wealth the nation has lost in his exile and death in a foreign land.
The total loss of respect and consequent animosity for M.F. Husain took place only after the nude deity paintings. They were no issues otherwise. Regarding the freedom of expression, I want to ask is: when a painter makes a painting of something, whatever it may be, there is a purpose behind it. For eg., Mona Lisa by Da Vinci studied the human expressions in one face. Other paintings may have been based on some scientific exploration like this or expression of some event or emotion. Now, back to Husain's offensive nude paintings, 1.What was the meaning he was trying to bring out?? 2.What was he trying to express?? 3.Was it something worth painting, in other words did it bring out some new scientific revolution?? Most of these self-righteous intellectuals argue that 'freedom of expression' was ''curbed' , but they avoid giving any explanation and reasons for the above questions. This is followed by the media's crocodile tears and constant right bashing (as well as from the pseudo-secular panelists cunningly chosen).
India may be an old culture but we are a young nation. One of the hallmarks of a plural, open-minded nation is how it reacts to what are perceived to be radical, extreme points of view. Are we willing to digest unbridled and uncomfortable thoughts (expressed without any fear) that may be unconventional to a majority of our populace? Or, does fear of upsetting our masses mean we simply keep quiet and not express ourselves in order not to 'offend' someone? Mr Hussain has, in his last few years, and in his death, asked our nation to engage in some self-introspection. He has proven to us that our system is impotent in protecting free speech and our people are too scared to publicly express what is truly on their minds. It does not matter that free-speech oppressors may be religious, linguistic, regional, cultural, sexist, casteist or classist 'activists' but are we as a nation willing to go to any extent to protect free speech, even if it were deemed 'offensive'? Since we seem to be eager to ape American values in this nation, why not ape their most basic right, per their First Amendment : the Right to Free Speech. It would be a huge victory for this young nation of yours. Mr Hussain's exile and passing away in a foreign land has miserably exposed our fecklessness as a people and as a 'system' of protecting civil liberties. If someone of his stature could be driven away from here, what about the rest of us? Will we continue to live in fear of goons of various hues? I pray to God that we seriously contemplate this issue.
Mr Ram you have given a fitting tribute to the out standing artist of this world.It is sad to see that relegion distance we the people of India.Though MF Husain died in London the people of India honour him as an Indian first and all Indians and the world community should be proud of him. I salute him.
Mr. N Ram's recount of Mr. Hussain's last call to him from hospital is heart rendering. His last para of the article summed up well of what this great Artist stood for! Thanks
Respected N Ram, You have done a great service to the world minus India by narrating the real crux of the fact about Hussain Saheb.Indians as a whole have no right to know the facts about Hussain Saheb because they are in Khumbhkaran nidra and do not want know about atrocity and harrassment with a great man Hussain Saheb.Hussan Saheb passed away but he has left many reminiscences not only for us but for many generations to come.He was hounded in his own country where he was born and created one of the best paintings in the globe and his desire to come back India remained a dream, that never came true-dreams are never true!Your narration of the entire episode what happened with Hussain Saheb will do at least awoke Indian as a whole from Kumbhakaran sleeps!Taking into account the sufferings of great man at the hands of Hindu outfits, I personally do not call myself as Indian or part of any civilised society-Indians as a whole has become part of decadent society-here we Indians have no gut feelings to rise to the occassion to raise voices against atrocity-and Hussain Saheb became its victims- his last wish for Bombai faluda also could not be fulfilled!
Politicians of all huge and union governments of both NDA and UPA played game with the great painter, who had surpassed all heights of success but had to lead a life of political asylum in Qtar.
WE Indians have strange habits of raising non-issue but not voicing the real issue-that is the point I call India a 'murdon ka desh'. Baba, Sadhus, the so called Mahatama Gandhi like men become hero of this country by raising issues, which hardly affects commonmen and poor and get so called support but they forget the sufferings of over 78 percent rural and urban population , hardly live on twenty rupees a day and without any basic amenities, and also suffering of farmersand their suicides, who are considered back bone of this country.This is what happening in India-shame to countrymen of India, who did not care harrassment and victimisation of Hussain Saheb.
In a civilized world today, he cannot paint a woman in that form ( forget for a moment whether she is a Goddess or not or whether she is a Goddess of a particular religion ). That itself shows his little care for religious sentiments of others. What did he want to convey by painting a picture sans dress ? He never repented for this attitude nor did he realise his monumental blunder...Did he ever have a proper reasoning for his depiction ?
He was a painter par excellence no doubt. However, his portrayal of Hindu gods and goddesses was in very cheap taste. One does not support the politicians and mobs that went after him, they should have shown more restraint. Similarly one would have expected more restraint from M F Hussain himself - In the name of art, one shouldn't hurt sentiments of people, and if one has done so unintentionally, then all it required was an apology to set the record straight. That is the hallmark of a great artiste, and a civilized person. One dosent have to be 100% correct all the time, and Hussain sahib should have realized this. May his soul rest in peace
One can agree or disagree with Hussain's art...however to be punished for his 'blasphemy' by people who themselves practice only a lip service to thr religion while in reality using it for masquerading their politics, is something no one can be in agreement with. These perpetrators of religious bigotry are fascists who have no more belief in their own religion, than they have in any other. Religion for them is only a means to create minorities and hence votebanks out of the vulnerable population, who is susceptible to their venomous influence. If at all, it is these hate mongers who deserve an exile. Hussain was just artist, with art as a means of expressing himself. Expressions, if not aesthetic enough.. deserve to be critiqued. But to exile someone for merely expressing himself, is a slap on the face of the so called secular democracy we call oursleves.
Fitting homage to a great artist. However his peers and contemporary artists felt that he was more of a showman with more business sense than artistic. His success in the artistic field is remarkable but does that make him totally faultless. Though Picasso's works were sold for huge sums there were many in the artistic world who never acknowledged him as an icon during his lifetime or later. There seems to be a select group in the cocktail circuits who keep calibrating the value of paintings and artists for their own advantage. The artistic world will remember him as a successful businessman.
His passing away abroad is just testament to the sad withering away of freedom of speech and expression in India and re-iterating the insecurities in the minds of these so called followers of a faith! It surprises me, a non-follower but a believer nonetheless, how easily some people's faith seems to get slighted.
An elegant memoir befitting a man whose life was a celebration of creativity and secular ethos.
All those hardliners castigating him for hurting religious sentiments should go through cultural history of India , where gods always painted in purest artistic form i.e nude. I am really saddened by the mentality of minority of bigots. who can only imagine female form in context of sexuality only.. don't criticize if you don't understand art and underlying meaning. please go read scriptures and talk to artists you will understand why they draw human form in nude.
Using Images of Gods and Goddesses (of majority community) in objectionable manner is non-tolerant. Artists, Poets, Writers, etc. have faced severe criticism when depicting highly-revered figures in such a manner. M.F.Husain was no doubt a great painter, but he should have apologised for the paintings he had done and returned back to India to lead a peaceful last life. A fashion designer by name Lisa Blue had depicted Hindu Goddesses in Lingeries and Bikinis. Hindutva cadre remained silent in case of foreigners or Westerners doing so. Bias!!!
Freedom of expression should always be moderated by respect to the sensitivities of communities.When the cartoon of my beloved Prophet makes me feel indignant I should also expect my Hindu brother to feel rightfully indignant of the portrayal of the Goddess he adores.
Sir Ram - your article brings tears to my eyes. You are probably a great personality to bring news to people with such a master touch of words in the appropriate way - may the soul of our brother M F Husain - RIP.
I have never been an ardent follower of Art or anything on those lines. But i can say with conviction that 99% of the people hurt by paintings of Hussain never even saw his paintings. 'Lynch Mob' could not be defined in a better manner!
While paying my last respects to one of the celebrated painters of India, I feel the article is highly one-sided in emphasizing the secularist attitude of M.F.Hussain which I find missing owing to his unobjectionable potrayal of the Hindu Gods and Goddeses. When the right to creativity of the painter is being debated, it must also be understood that the right to the religion and the sensitivity of the majority of the population of this country should also be respected and guaranteed.
Mr Ram , thank you for the moving and touching tribute you paid to this great Indian - Maqbool Fida Hussian. Sad that the great Painter had to die in exile for no fault of his. But then in this so-called democratic Hindu state what else do you expect.
Again, a beautifully written article. For those on whom the irony of berating a great artist even in his passing about 'denigrating culture' is lost, must you be reminded of what the highest courts in this country had to say of your belated awakening of hurt sentiment ? "There are so many such subjects, photographs and publications. Will you file cases against all of them? What about temple structures? Husain's work is art. If you don't want to see it, don't see it. There are so many such art forms in temple structures." Enough said. We are lucky to have had artists of his stature in our midst. Let us all have the courage to stand up for them when it matters.
The most revered cultural ambassador of free India, dying elsewhere under enforced exile, brings shame on us.Surely, he would have lived few more years but for this intimidation, harassment and threat ,above all this, staying away from his beloved motherland. The non-secular, pseudo-culturalist and anti-nationalistic morons, responsible for this, have brought disrespect to secular India.
You are absolutely quiet on the controversy of nude paintings of Hindu godesses including Durga , Saraswati etc.Possibly because so soon after his death, it may not be appropriate to do so. Unfortunately at the height of this controversy, I was employed overseas and the only material I have seen are the emails sent out by hindu fundamentalists.At some time in the future I would like to hear your detailed view on this aspect of his work.
Nice to read your article, Mr.Ram. Although, as a Hindu, I abhorred his paintings of gods and goddesses naked, he seems to have been a great painter. However, its right that he was sent into exile and for better or worse, he died outside India. Iam not sure if you read this, reader would be happy to read more of your articles frequently - I rarely see your articles online.
I salute one of the great son of India. All of are equally guilty of dishonouring this legend, those who forced him into exile and those who kept mum. Just try to put yourself in his shoes and you will know how muct it hurts when you have served selflessly and not given the due.
Yes, We have lost a good painter. Yet...why would a person who is so committed to the secular values of India, as mentioned, in the article would paint something that is objectionable to the sentiments of others. Does that justtify the pretext of 'Creative liberty'.
I guess Ram is critical of the hardliners though he's trying to be diplomatic. With all respects to Hussain, it is expecting too much even from a so-called mature and secular nation to ignore religous sensitivities and not expect people to react. I am not even remotely suggesting that he was disrespectful to majority religion. That said, the situation was to a large extent of his own making and it's no use blaming the country and so-called hardliners. Wisdom, restraint and sensitivity are not just good virtues but necessary virtues.
Yes India is the world's largest democracy but the nation is not matured enough to be truly secular. It is a sad fact but I guess as the literacy levels improve, India's secular image too will improve. In India we view ourselves as Hindus, Muslims, Christians etc. In turn within each religious group we view ourselves differently. It's is a shame that we do not view ourselves as Indians. Thank God, the outside world views us as Indians. If not, India would cease to exist as an entity.
Thank you N. Ram for sharing and celebrating memory of M F Hussain....
This is indeed a touching tribute by the Editor-in-chief to M.F.Husain , undoubtedly , one of the iconic figures of the Indian art fraternity. India has lost a great son and the world a contributor par excellence. I join millions of his well-wishers around the globe in paying my humble respects to his noble soul. It is indeed a sad commentary on the uprightness and robustness of India's secular credentials represented by self-serving politicians at the helm over decades, that allowed one of its greatest citizens to die abroad, in spite of his repeated attempts to come back to the land he loved. Having said that, one cannot ignore the root of the problem relating to his flight from India, which is the charge of demeaning Hindu Goddess in his work by painting them nude. To be seen as not offending a soul that has passed away, i have never read or heard his expression of his heart-felt apologies for hurting the sentiments of a vast majority of believers, who till such time, were also celebrating him as India's contribution in art to the world. There-in lies the failure of this genius , as a human ,who in the first place , did not think it is incumbent on him to foresee that his work in areas of religious domain,may have the potential to hurt others , possibly because of his own religious profile and upbringing, and secondly went ahead and did what he did with a certain element of callousness and insensitivity and if i may say so,with a certain sense of ego. A very unfortunate moment of slip in his respect for india's composite culture , which has led to a sequence of unfortunate events leading to his flight from India and turned his life upside down. Lastly, i think India should have arranged for his burial atleast in Mumbai, but our folks are busy saving their seats here, a ceremnonial tribute is all that came from MMS , leaving us all to wonder as to what is happening to our hoary culture and a tradition of respect for great men and women.
Hussain may have passed away, but the spirit of creativity he left for Art will always be there. The beautiful diversity of India is undone by people who hate venom had evicted Hussain from the land he dearly loves
Excellent article
I had seen him in Hyderabadi tea restaurants, like an ordinary man, he had enjoyed his tea. A Great human being and of course, he represented a different dimension of Indian Muslim Community! May his Soul rest in Peace! Thank You Hindu and Mr Ram.
wonderfully written ... thank you sir.
Brilliantly written, and so poignant. Like corruption, the other malaise that needs to rooted out from India is bigotry and hatred. It is sad that such a brilliant individual who stood out like an icon at all times - from the days of Indira Gandhi to now while India modernize, should live his 5 years in a foriegn land, only because a small section of the country with enough goon power could hound him out.
Its shame for our leaders that one of the greatest artist of world who is Indian die in exile. His creativity will remain forever
My humble homage to a great son and artist of India. What a small heart our bigoted hate mongers have to banish him from the country he loved.
Thanks Ram, for a wonderful article. The issues that surrounded him, though I felt hurt at times, weren't that bad to not allow him to stay in his motherland. He should have died in India. His soul would be in his motherland for sure
M.F. Husain is a victim not only of religious and cultural intolerance, but also of an age that tends to reward form over substance. In spite of his deep knowledge of the culture and mythologies of the land he was born in, those with a shriller voice and much lesser knowledge of India's moorings managed to hound him out. What is even more galling is that he left India for good in 2006 - a time when a government dominated by secular forces was in power.
If the recent upsurge in hyper-Nationalism fueled by religious bigotry is any indication, Rising India cannot seem to wait to shed its secular image and wallow in the filth of fundamentalism. Great sons of India like M.F.Husain are better of dead than having a window seat to this perversion.
Great art, such as that created by M. F. Husain, necessarily transcends the narrow walls of nationalism and fundamentalist factionalism. So perhaps it does not, in one sense, matter that Husain, the humanist artist died in a foreign land. But his art was rooted in an 'Indian' sensibility and history that were, in turn, surely altered by his images and his very presence (as he walked, for instance, in the streets of Delhi, often barefoot, like a new Gandhi of the artistic world). So in the end, we must all be sad, as N. Ram points out so poignantly and trenchantly, that Husain had to leave the country he loved. But will we become wiser as a result? At least now will we respond to the calls of Gandhi and Tagore with a greater tolerance for fellow human beings?
Hussain was beyond petty politics. And, today's India did not deserve a legend like Hussain saab. All said and done, no one had/has the right to question his integrity, values and love for the culture and heritage of this land.
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