Husain, a name that arouses a feeling of extremes in the minds of ours, extreme love or extreme hatred, extreme praise or extreme denigration. Husain is for painting, what Sachin is for Cricket, what Anand is for Chess, what Federer is for Tennis. There are some people whose charizma makes a profession known to the masses. Husain falls somewhat into that category. He is the person who made painting a profession for many. He is the one who gave a budding artist a hope that he can pursue painting not as a mere hobby but as a profession.
From a humble beginnings in 1930s when he used to paint cinema hoardings, he came a long way to become one of the most admired artists of our era, an artist whose one single painting fetched a cool $2 million (9.1 crore rupee as per current exchange rate) in an auction. He recently joined the exclusive billion dollar club by signing a 100 cr deal for churning out paintings for next few years. He was the first painter of his times to being adorned with the national honors like Padma Shree (1955), Padma Bhushan (1973) and Padma Vibhushan (1991). Notice the years, too. Once a strong contender for India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, he is now a fugitive (Forgive me for chosing this word, but I couldn't think of a better word for his current situation.) So, what transpired in between? What made him spend the last few years of his life in a self imposed exile?
It all started in 1996 when few of his paintings he made in 1970s were published in a Hindi monthly magazine. The paintings he made reportedly portrayed Hindu deities in nude or sexual manner. Paintings were no doubt provocative in nature, on which even a non-believer like me would take umbrage. Hindu groups took offence on it and several criminal cases were registered against him. Right wing activists and political parties started fierce offensive against him. They vandalized the painting exhibitions where he displayed his creations. Most of these agitaions were led mainly to score a few political points by evoking public sentiments over religion. But, there is no denying the fact that those controversies were totally uncalled for.
Very few would deny that Husain is one of the most talented artists of our generation. But, very few would also deny that he is the most controversial painter of our times. Most of the controversies created by him tend to look very artificial, a product of a very thoughtful proocess. Husain is a public figure. His paintings are highly praised the world over. There is a large audience who awaits for his creations and value them highly. Didn't he know beforehand that nude paintings of Hindu gods will evoke strong reactions from a large chunk of population? Even if the affected population be a small minority, or a single person, shouldn't he had shown some prudence while making his paintings? What was the need to name the nude paitings after revered Hindu gods? Couldn't he find other issues where he could have expressed his creativity?
But then the point arises, India is a free country and everyone has a right to express his will. Freedom of expression is enshrined in our constitution and no one can snatch it away from us. Husain as a free citizen of a sovereign, secular, democratic republic is free to paint whatever he likes to.
Before proceeding further, it would be proper if we define what freedom actually is in a true sense.
Freedom is not merely an opportunity to do as one pleases; neither is it merely an opportunity to choose between a set of alternatives. Freedom of expression is a right which is meant to empower us to say a right thing RIGHT, and a wrong WRONG. It is not meant to be used to instigate a feeling of intolerance or disharmony among any section of a society. So, if someone's expression of free will hurts the sentiments of any segment of society then the freedom should be controlled. The control must come from within and not be imposed by external agents. Limiting freedom of expression in such situations is something that Husain must have thought well before.
PS: I wrote this piece some time back. Just happen to see it lying in my draft folder. Thought to publish it.
