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Fida Husain Apologizes Published on May 03, 2009
The celebrated Indian Artist veteran Moqbul
Fida Husain once again apologized for painting a picture. This time he was
alleged for insulting �Bharatmata� when he painted a naked woman spinning
thread with a charka. The painting was supposed to at auction in a Delhi art
gallery. On the naked body of the woman some names of states were depicted.
The painting infuriated the Hindu
fundamentalists. The Visa Hindu parisat (VHP) and Hindu Janajagruti Samity (HJS)
immediately identified the painting as the picture of �Bharatmata� (Mother
India). The two associations brought charges against the artist that he
deliberately insulted the mythical concept of Bharatmata that was once
symbol of Great India during the swadeshi movement. In nationalist papers
many a times picture of Mother India with spinning Charka appeared in
national dailies in the past. Finding the similarity between the symbol of
Bharatata and the painting of naked woman of Fida Husain HJS brought it to
the notice of the police. The police in its turn made an inquiry
immediately. Sensing public resentment fanned by the VHP and HJS, the
celebrated artist withdrew the painting from the auction. He also
apologized. The officials of the two societies also appealed to the Indian
President APJ Abdul Kalam and PM Manmohan Singh to take appropriate action
against the artist, charging for � antinational and perverse attitude of the
artist�. The HJS arranged demonstration against the artist. One gentleman, a
friend of mine and a man of great understanding only mildly commented that
Fida should think twice before he touches the sensitive issue if he cannot
stick to it. �Why he always choose Hindu gods or goddesses for his subjects,
why couldn�t he do with Bibi Fatema or Amena, daughter and mother of the
great Prophet, my friend commented?
Poet Nazul had the courage to paint Ma Amena
as Jasoda, mother of Krishna, but in a positive sense.
This is secular India. The intellectuals and
secularists did not stand in support of the artist. The freedom of artist
has been sacrificed at the altar of fundamentalism. Fundamentalism has no
religious boundary, be it Islam, Santa or Christianity. A few years back
Gazagamini famed Fida Husain invited resentment and bitter criticism when he
painted an image of Sarasawti Devi in nude.
The curator of the Appaao Gallery said that
she had been receiving threating phone calls, some in abusing languages, to
withhold the painting from the auction.
Litt�rateur Sunil Gangapadhyay was charged
with hurting sentiments of Hindus by a retired police officer when the
writer once uttered that during his puberty he felt sexually excited seeing
Devi's naked body. I did not follow the case proceedings, might be it was
dropped or dismissed.
I thought west Bengal people are more tolerant
� Parashuram wrote many satirical short stories with different Hindu devatas.
But Hindu readers too k the stories in a had insulted their gods. Even to
day a TV serial named �Dhyat Terika� which caricaturized many icons of Hindu
goads. The audience accepted it as pure fan. This should be the spirit. Can
we say same thing about rest of India?
(Source �Anandabazar, Statesman, 8.
02. 06).
Prof. Ajoy K. Roy, is a reputed scientist and human rights activist from Bangladesh, He sent this article from Kolkata.
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