On Husain, Religion and India
M F Husain, one of India’s most decorated painters surrenders his citizenship. Is this the price of majority?
M F Husain with his paintings.
Besides, meeting and knowing a little bit of the man himself, the very closest I have come to M F Husain’s work was at Azad Hind Dhaba in Kolkata. It is said that Husain frequented there and gifted the eatery one of his paintings. The painting proudly continues to hang there today. Also, as of today, there are a slew of cases, over 1200 by some accounts, all over India for depicting Hindu goddesses in the nude against M F Husain.
In his early years, M F Husain has been said to be virtually brought up on the steps of the Vithobha temple in Pandharpur, the place of his birth. He later moved to Mumbai, during a time when the political atmosphere was charged on account of the freedom struggle. An alumni of Sir J J School of Arts, he started his career with painting cinema hoardings. From humble and modest beginnings, his creativity, talent and passion to express himself with the brush carried him through.
Known more for his paintings, M F Husain also made films. His first film (circa 1967), “Through the eyes of a painter” made it to Berlin Film Festival and even won a Golden Bear. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan and was also a member of the Rajya Sabha for some time.
Since 2006, M F Husain has been living in Dubai and spending his summers in London as the Hindutva hate-campaign against him had considerably escalated. He travels freely except to India. Though the Supreme Court intervened on the right side, it was too little, a little too late. The Congress and the BJP governments, along with the very state and institutions that decorated him as a citizen have failed to protect him, and his right to express himself.
Qatar, known for rarely conferring citizenships, conferred it’s citizenship on M F Husain. At 95, Husain has duly accepted the Qatari citizenship with this letter. There, he will continue work on two of his main projects, the history of Indian civilization and the history of Arab civilization.
All in all, it is a sad day for India. I’ll always remember February 25, 2010 as the day when the very idea of India failed. A day when the world’s largest secular democracy couldn’t protect one of its prized jewels, from itself.
Update: M F Husain died of a heart-attack in London on June 9, 2011.