India's eminent artist M.F. Husain, who has been under legal attack from Hindu fundamentalists for his paintings of Hindu goddesses/Bharatmaata and has been living in Dubai and London, has been given Qatar nationality....... Now he has 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. India does not allow dual citizenship........Is he no more a Indian now ?
Secularists :
Many sympathisers, including politicians, artists, media, etc of Hussain have expressed grievances over this news. Government has even offered security to Hussain if he is willing to come back.
- Will the same Government allow the publication and selling of Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" ?
- Will the so called secular society of india support if some one paints a picture(in the same manner Hussain painted) of the prophets of all other Indian religions, including Hussain's religion, in the name of artistic freedom and creative expression ?
- Does only certain sections of this country have sentiments and others don't ?
Cultural Policing :
I am neither a patron of Bajrang Dal/RSS/VHP/Sangh Parivar nor a Theist, but still i do have sentiments regarding my culture and the way i live. Both the so called secularists and the so called Hindu religion protectors are using the issue to meet their vested interests.
- The so called Hindu religion protectors never answer to the portrayal of eroticism of Goddesses in Hindu scriptures and paintings.
- Is the issue really about Artistic freedom/Creative expression or is it just a Vote bank politics?
- Is it fine if some Hindu artist paints the Hindu Goddesses nudely ?
- Is it all about the religious identity of the artist?
- Sir, I think Indian culture also talks about Tolerance too.
