“One is my brother and the other is not is the thinking of a narrow-minded person. For those who are broad-minded, liberals, or noble people, the entire world is one big family.” This translation from the Maha Upanishad is part of the vision statement of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), established in 1952 and held annually in Goa. Unfortunately, the IFFI directorate seemed to have momentarily lost the nerve to uphold the spirit of broad-mindedness and tolerance reflected in these uplifting lines. When faced with the threat from right wing groups such as the Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), which had vociferously demanded that a documentary directed by the celebrated painter M.F. Husain be withdrawn, the IFFI's organisers, in a Pavlovian response, deferred the screening of the film. They also came up with a dubious explanation for their action. The IFFI director, Shankar Mohan, said legal technicalities (an apparent reference to the court cases against Husain that a HJS memorandum had drawn attention to) would be examined before a final decision was taken on screening. But what law could have possibly prevented or interfered with the screening of a documentary produced by the Films Division of the Government of India — one that was good enough to win the Golden Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival? Not surprisingly, the abrupt cancellation of the scheduled screening was widely perceived as a re-run of 2009, when the Husain documentary was withdrawn following threats from the very same quarters.
To their credit, the IFFI's organisers acted quickly to reverse course. To have buckled under the threat would have been unpardonable. After all, the Goa film festival is jointly conducted by the Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the State government; and the director of IFFI is appointed by the central government. In other words, it was not as if the HJS was attempting to sabotage the screening by threatening a few vulnerable individuals or a weak organisation. Like the news media, cinema creates its own space for free expression. An important reason for an organisation such as IFFI to stage film festivals is to promote cinema as a vehicle for encouraging reflection and debate on a variety of social issues. Withdrawing the film would have been tantamount to encouraging those very groups that forced Husain to flee India by threatening his life and liberty and by filing a slew of venomous complaints against him. Fortunately, IFFI did the right thing in the end by declaring it would go ahead with screening the film in the face of the threats — a decision that sends a timely message against cultural bigotry, obscurantism, and moral vigilantism.
It is very nice of the editor to quote Upanishads and preach every one about tolerance. There is no second thought about most of what is written in the editorial. But it is not the whole truth. I wish some one had taught Mr Hussain during his life time about respecting religious sentiments of other people and not to hurt them by painting nude pictures of their Gods etc. He does not seem to have read such scriptures like Upanishads or followed a religion which teaches religious tolerance and respect for others’ religious sentiments. It may be true that the God does not have any specific form but one can’t just rubbish and hurt harmless beliefs of other people. Personally I don’t believe in idol worship but I don’t go out of the way to disgrace the idols. That is what Mr. Hussain did. Have you ever condemned that? While always being rightly critical about Hindu fundamentalists, The Hindu is deafeningly silent about the religious chauvinistic acts of non Hindus.
B K S Sastry
Of late you can see the obscurantists commenting here in the hallowed
space of 'The Hindu' as well... A few comments above reflect the narrow
mindedness of this lot. The Hindu should keep up its good work of
calling a spade a spade even if the 'mainstream' nationlistic jingoistic
media keeps pandering to the parochial right "whingers".
lecturing on broad-mindedness and tolerance is good but following is very difficult.
Sir, Rename your newspaper as anti-Hindu. Always your views are hostile to Hindus.
The advice "Don't bend to bigots" should also be heeded by your paper as well. When a newspaper in far away Denmark published a cartoon there was world wide protests, including in destruction of property in some parts of India. Your paper maintained silence. If it is not ok to publish a cartoon of a religious leader why is it ok to publish a nude picture of a godess venerated by millions of Hindus?
I highly object to Mr Sivan's comments - "M.F.Hussain's co-religionists". First of all I would like to clarify that " Mr Hussain is NOT a "Muslim" - (meaning of a Muslim is very clear - the One who obeys Allah's commands - basic commands. I mean " artist ::Mr. Hussain has NOT prayed 5 times a day. As a matter of fact "drawing picture of Human-beings" had been vehemently condemned by our Prophet(Peace be upon him) and Mr Hussain has gone too much against religion - that too painting "Gods of Hindus" which is totally unexpected from a Muslim. We all Muslim condemn Mr. Hussain for his paintings and in the same vein condemn "the hand choppers". Any true Muslim will only and has to leave to Allah on the "Day of judgement" to punish or pardon the "Sinner(s) in the HereafterOR the Sovereign power in this world to punish or pardon the "Criminal".
The IFFI officials have done a correct thing by not buckling under pressure from some lunatics. Everyone in India has a right to freedom of speech and expression
I agree with SivanK and Ramkumar. They have rightly pointed out the double standards by
The Hindu. When 'The Hindu' is coming close to being given the epithet of 'unbiased
newspaper', articles like this show it in the poor light.
Freedom of expression should not be at the cost of hurting other religion's sentiments.
Please respect all religions equally for what they are. It is because of religion that
spirituality thrives among humans.
HJS is Hindu Janajagruti Samiti and not Janajagruti Samiti. Curious why The Hindu missed 'Hindu'. Upanishadhs speak of Universal brotherhood which is the noblest of thoughts. Narrow mindedness is the view of extremists; those who uphold Muslim brotherhood and the like. I request the editor to find the reasons why there is a right wing rather than simply criticizing.
I second you SivanK. I am not a member of any organization but i felt a huge distress and agony when i first saw those paintings drawn by Late M. F. Hussain. They were really pathetic in taste. He would have dared to draw paintings of Muslim or Christians figures in nude. Hindus are whipping platform for all so called Secularists and Progressive people.
It has become a habitual response on the part of some groups to protest against a work of art or a film or a documentary. It is the duty of any administration to thwart such attempts because buckling in will only encourage those groups to go on with their intolerant actions.In fact, differences over cultural artifacts have to be resolved through arguments and counter arguments. Unfortunately, censorship by cultural vigilantes has become a 'natural' response to any unorthodox interpretation.People need not emulate dogmatic attitudes of other religious groups as it doesn't develop reason.
The use of word "broad mindedness" may not apply to M F Hussian. His approach to potray hindu goddess in unacceptable way was not in the same line of his approach to other religions.
The Hindu seems to be immune to insults Hindu deities.Why Hussain did not paint muslim deity
pictures in the same way he did of Hindu Gods. Why he did not face the courts in India?Why the book Satanic verses banned? You support muslim sentiments ,but not those of Hindus?Why this discrimination?And why you call your paper as The Hindu,and not The Indian.I know that you will not publish this.It is enough if you realise your one sided mind set.
The IFFI's decision to screenig the M.F. Hussaian film is bold step taken by it.It shows IFFI still wants to follow the vision statement which started in 1952 every one year in Goa, despite the HJS withdrawal of the documentary to be screened.
First of all, the HJS did not threaten - it protested. I am sure the right Editor would find a difference between these words. As one of the so called 'intolerant' people who wrote to the IFFI director about M.F.Hussian's art being offensive to many (if not most) Hindus. To draw a comparison, a lecturer's hands were chopped off in Kerala for perceived apostasy by M.F.Hussain's co-religionists. That, may I submit, is intolerance and that is threatening. The decision of IFFI to go ahead with screening the film about the painter's life only shows that it gives two hoots about majority religions sentiments. In the Kerala incident, condemnations notwithstanding, the same newspaper cautioned people against hurting religious sentiments. Why such double standards?
A small correction. It was Hussain who fled the country to avoid legal action. The option is always open to him to come back and face the cases against him. Media seems to go overboard to protect a person accused of hurting hindu sentiments. If it had been the other way The Hindu would not even raise a whimper much less write an editorial on the topic.
I'm a participant for this year's international film festival... and the policies and politics maintained by the IffI team in the M.F. hussain's documentary issue is not at all surprising to me. The IffI has changed to be just another tourism 'hungama' of "incredible India". Now it is fully an upper class event... with shockingly low quality of films, multiplex culture, hugely priced- branded food stalls and beer outlets. This is a tourism event... no want of disturbances, even for the sake of freedom of speech or any other democratic principles. This hugely center funded event, officially organized by govt. is a bitter shame to all of India... it's degenerated to become another process of public money looting by bureaucrats as well as so called 'senior' film men.
Upanishad says, ' The self cannot be attained by study of scriptures, nor by intellectual perception, nor by frequent hearing (of it):He whom the Self chooses, by him alone is it attained. To him the Self reveals its true nature''Katha Upanishad). Also it says ' May he (The Supreme Being)protect us both, teacher and taught. May our study bring us illumination. May there be no enmity among us' Where our HJS lost touch with Upanisahad?
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