My only comment on Husains going to Qatar is :
GOOD RIDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH.
Thank you M.F.

Dear Bhagwad, the answer to your point is simple: Let MFH paint the Prophet entirely as per his own inspiration, no holds barred.If he survives the holocaust which is sure to follow,I shall be the first to garland him for his artistic conscience.

SM Singru, why do you want him to paint what you like to see. His apintings reflect his inspiration and not yours. You are welcome to live and paint your inspirations and if I don't like the them I won't bother seeing the. Do you get it?

Dev, enough of this ego-centrism.Obviously,you are not a know all, so stop pretending to be one.

Dear Bakshi,

if you want to paint the prophet in nude who stops you..go ahead...don't force a painter what to paint and what to think. Does anyone ever go demolish all those nasty idols of hindu gods and goddesses in nude at Khajuraho and many other temples and historical sites...do you break or demolish a Kali Maata who always bares her breasts...if everyone is attacking MFH for being a muslim then think twice he is just a human being like the ones who created the bare idol of Kaali and the other thousands of nude idols across the country.

Dear Bhagwad, what about an idea of his imaginations going further wild and his thoughts crossing the geographical boundaries and one day we witness his wild strokes going wilder on females like : Khadija, Ayesha, Hafsah ,Zainab, Umm Salamah, Zainab bint jahsh, Juwairiyah, Umm Habibah. Yes, for that to happen he needs to reside in Katar and get the inspirations.

According to your view if someone's obscene MMS is being circulated , he should not watch it and should not oppose it.Very ridiculous.

Come, be reasonable. An obscene MMS of a person is violating that person's privacy, and using his or her image without permission. To my knowledge, M F Hussain didn't paint the image of a particular person.

So where is the comparison?

M F Hussain didn't paint the image of a particular person....n in case he wud have done that he wud have dented the feeling of a single person....but he has painted....godess n that to on the name of creativty....if u consider this to b valid...then everything..even moral policing,mms,divide and rule policy,retaliation against women's quota,bribery can be considered valid on the name of creativity..imagination...n right to expression..including TERRORISM...

Rightly Said!!!!!!

Well! asomeone please ask the Goddess in question to give her stand on it...may be a Godman...

Well, Bhagwad, if we have to go by what u say, then there should be no reason why anyone should complain about anything anywhere in this world.If that happens to be the case,God forbid, u never get to know people's perspective on any issue for that matter. Arguments, Discussions and debates will cease to exist which, according to me, is not healthy for the functioning of any democracy. And by the way, what was the need to name the so called 'creative' nude paintings with those of Hindu godesses???

mr bhagwad, does then "complete freedom" u r talking about give a person like osama bin laden to blow up buildings? after all this is wot he believes in, thinks and wants. really its an absurd line of thought.

Bhagwad Park
You said why do they go see it if they dont like it?
Can you tell us the method by which we do or do not like his paintings without going and SEEING it?
You mean, by using our sixth sense or intuition?
I think you SEE ONLY objects or things projected on the sky or shown in ads on TV.
Yeah, I can "accidentally" walk into an art gallery or "accidentally" see a movie that "offends my sensibilities".
Same as accidentally I read your comment, and you are accidentally reading my reply.
If I choose to watch Shahrukh Khans movie and if it turns out to be a porn flick, then according to you I should not complain, but Bhagwad before that I must know the content of the movie, because SRK is known for making very clean and family oriented movies.
How can you determine the content before watching it?
Sixth sense, isnt it?
Bhagwad, my thoughts say that I should roam around in this city completely nude, but If I translate it in action then police will arrest me and charge me for obscenity. Please correct me if I am wrong.
You are right in saying that Learn to take responsibility.
Husain had learnt to take responsibility and fled from India and became a citizen of Qatar.
I am sure you are not saying all these things which you wrote, in front of hindu fanatic group, because you know that moment you say this face to face, you will be forced to join Husain in Qatar.

You make some valid points. But even so, are you so fragile that you're irrevocably harmed by viewing a painting, so matter how offensive?

Moreover, in most cases a painter's reputation precedes him so you usually have a pretty good idea of what you're going to see before you actually see it. If SRK's movie was full of porn, you can be sure you would have heard of it before you went to see it.

In fact, if a person's painting offends you, your best response is simply not to buy it - thereby dealing a monetary blow to the painter. Or you can express your dissatisfaction in an article - not by threatening to burn down his house! I'm sure SRK's movie would have flopped at the box office if it was full of porn - so the free market tends to auto regulate such things.

And finally, comparing Hussain's freedom of expression by painting to blowing up buildings is ridiculous. Hussain never actually hurt anyone by drawing imaginary paintings and he's easily ignored. How can you ignore a bomb? Please find some real examples!

Bhagwad Park
I may or may not be so fragile that I am irrevocably harmed by viewing a offensive painting, but Husain is irrevocably scared by the thought to come back to India, that is for sure.
What do you mean by painters reputation?
Is Husains reputation is such that we are expected to see nude hindu god and goddesses in his paintings?
If it is so then he must be pervert not artist.
Secondly, if SRKs movie is full of porn, who is going to tell me before I watch that movie?
SRK himself or members of society?
If not SRK then logic says that somebody else must watch that movie and tell me that it is a porn, and during the course, that somebody elses sensibilities will definitely get offended.
Do you think SRK himself will come forward and say that come and watch my new movie, it is a porn.
What if that painter just exhibits his offending paintings to public free of charge and not for sale?
Should we accept it with folded hands just because it is free?
Will you drink poison if I give it to you free of charge?
Do you judge everything in life in terms of monetary consideration?
Comparing Hussains freedom of expression by painting to blowing up buildings is meghas reply not my.

then it is merely a question of not banning taslima nor da vinci code as it is a matter of choice too and even more for a lesser number of people .. neither if i remember correctly was a part of something mandatory say class X syllabus of CBSE was it ?

what is imp is equality and principle of fairness ... it can be applied only when applied across board and not selectively

As for speaking in front of a hindu fanatic group, I don't go and talk to a rabid dog either! What's the point of your comment?

Bhagwad
Thanks for indirectly accepting the fact that you dont have guts to speak in front of hindu fanatic group, comparing them with rabid dog is just a silly excuse to camouflage your cowardice.
Your line of thinking is similar to that of husain who first painted hindu god and goddesses nude and then ran away from India like a coward.
You have chosen very safe place of interaction with public, that is this blog.
Relax, nobody can harm you here, all of us are aware of your bravery??!!

MFH could give vent to his creativity in privcy of his home. But a gallery is a public place. One can be naked in Hamam but not please not in a public view. even if it is the verandah of his own house.
All freedoms are subject to reasonable limits. Those limits are not rigid and will be differently placed in different societies and in the same society at different times.
One suspects that MMF is a marketing genious and has found an ingenieous way for brand building. Otherwise, minimum he could have done is to express his regrets when some people even with liberal views felt offended.

Dear mr.bhagwad, yes everyone has right to freedom, but there are some moral responsibilities of an individual. like if you are married you have to maintain the relation by being dedicated to the bond of marriage. one can astray from the commitmet hurting others in the relation..
similarly, the same implies here if you are living in a community of peoples with different religions one has some moral responsibilities towards all the religions. so why paint such things which you know will hurt sentiments of other persons. all for publicity.

Dear Bhagwad,
I do not understand your argument. Please ask the Indian Government to allow prostitution and Gambling as it may not harm the common public as no one will go there knowingly and only those people who need to enjoy it will go. What about, if he start abusing your family just outside your house and I advise you to close the window and you will not hear him. This man has become insane and the right place for him is is the mental asylum.However he hasn't lost his balance in toto otherwise he would have started depicting other respectable characters of his own religion.

Mr Bhagwad, freedom of expression doesn't mean of hurting religious sentiments of people. I have two questions for U 1)Can you see your mother or sister's nude paitning. 2)can you openly come up with defending Salman Rushdi and Taslima Nasreen for their works. If you can, please reply

The article is not balanced but the paintings are artistic expressions. Who decides? Freedom of expression is not an absolute concept and it has its limits. If Da Vinci code and Satanic verses can be banned for violating the limits of artistic freedom then Husain's paintings qualify for being banned.

I think there is a law in the country which makes nudity in public, whether physical or pictorial, or showing blue films punishable under the law. So, how come Husaain's paintings be considered just work of art? The blue film maker also can claim that it is his work of art. The Khajuraho or similar sculptures were made over 1500 years ago. Do you want to go back to 1500 years in history?

ya i too agree

What about art? Is reserved for spreading hatred?

Sorry dude religous fundamentalism has no place in art, so chill!!

This is the problem with you elite westernized modern-day freedom fighters(fighters for artistic and journalist freedoms, freedom of expression etc) They call anybody with a different opinion as a fundamentalist. So much for tolerance and others "freedom of expression". I would like to ask these people who are so much agitated by the objections from the Hindu organizations whether they would consider paintings depicting their nude mother, sister or wife sitting on the lap of their nude male friend or they having sex with animals as just works of art? Well, I am not such a modern elite intellectual, but conservative enough to consider those Hussain paintings as obscene, vulgar and blasphemous. Would Hussain dare to paint Sonia, Priyanka or Indira Gandhi or his heart-throbs Madhuri Dikshit, Monisha Koirala or Shilpa Shetty in such postures or would his supporters still consider such paintings as works of art? One should practise some restraint while exercizing one's artistic freedom or freedom of expression for societal harmony. Otherwise, others who find the works objectionable will use their freedom of expression to protest, sometimes violently.

Your comments shows how fanatical the so-called secularists can be. They think they are the only people who has the power for logical reasoning and all others are fools. And, for them, anybody who speaks up in favour of Hinduism is a fanatic. What wonderful job Lord Mecaulay has done in killing the heritage of India and in turning generations of Indians a bunch of cultural slaves of the western ideals!!!!!!

Shobha in sanskrit means 'the glory' but Shobha De,the pen pusher has remained inglorious. From Shobha Kila chand she may one day be Shobha Hussain. After all,money makes Shobha De (the mare) go. What she calls as 'National Tragedy' began as a crude comedy when her dear painter was born in this hoary land. If the going away of a rogue constitues national tragedy,let it be. But it is in fact the tragedy of spineless,character-less,english elite who feel orphaned,for whom the best art is that which is naked;and to be modern means to be against the values of this nation

Sekhar, Please learn to differentiate between truth and propaganda. I hope that you are not brainwashed as easilly.

Listen, Dev, you can't possibly take the burden of being the only one who is not brainwashed. Grow up, and see things for what they are, OK?

To@ hortense vaughan
Hindus are the most liberal population in world and so christians and muslims are living in this country. If you feel Art is above religion so pls offer Hussian to paint your gods Mary and jesus in uncomprimising position....it will be a good example of a tolerant christian.

Your support for him will last until he makes such obscene defamatory paintings of your mother, sister or wife.

I dont even see the reason for comparisons. Just because he didnt paint Islamic figures does not make or break the case in hand. That a really juvenile way to look at things.

Do I have the liberty to paint a Muslim women in her veil showing off her bosoms and her derri�re provocatively!! Come on I'll not even mention the Prophet here.. Come on.. do they have the tolerance for even this???!!! Come on Malabari nariyal paani..
you talking about juvenile.. tolerance should be a two way road buddy!!!

Exactly my thoughts too - how come he limits his nude paintings to Hinduism? Why not use some of his own religious icons? Now in Qatar, it seems he is going to paint local arab images with RESPECT. Even ordinary arab women will be shown fully covered! wow! He won't even dare disrespect ordinary arab women but wants freedom to disrespect Hindu Gods! Images that a billion people look at with respect. His double-standards are mind-boggling!

Alamsha -- your equating of a 'dervish' with a 'brahman' is flawed: a 'brahman' is a priest. A saint has no jati - could even have been an 'achhoot'. Ignoramuses like you are a danger to society.

Balanced view, no usage of foul words or unnecessary hatred. Appreciate it.

Tasleema has been kicked out of India officially, and Rushdie's book is banned in India officially. Nothing created by Hussain has been banned and Home minister is inviting him to be in India and promising full security. Who told you that HUssain has been kicked out? He himself has run away and let down all those who supported him.

I agree Keval - he ran away so that he doesn't have to face the court cases. That was understandable when there were thousands of those but these have been clubbed to just 3! He should have stayed & faught those.
What is his reason for fleeing? Is he saying now that he can paint freely whatever he wants? Apparantly he is now going to paint Arab scenes with Arab women fully clothed! Apparently he is going to RESPECT local culture! How nice for the araba, it's just funny that they also happen to be fellow muslims

good one keval.. I'm sure syed maqsood hussain has a big beard and reads an urdu newspaper.. stereotypes.. so predictable these guys!

kritika

it is not religious sentiments only .. i understand hinduism is very liberal far more liberal than what he portrayed ... and yes i have read established translations written by revered philosphers and also the plays and novels based on lives of these gods relegated to heroes , superheroes or even flawed men.... it is a matter of fairness in civic life
it is applying a similar treatment to all alike irrespective of caste creed etc etc .... if da vinci code and satanic verses or taslima are banned for lesser creative license , the same principle needs to be applied by those in power ... nothing more nothing less ... being a majority should not mean reduction in consideration ... it is not an equation i.e. K = number * considerations given to you where K = constant

as for hussain y wud i expect him to think nething .. i never think that talent = good disposition = good nature ... in fact many creative ppl r downright nasty ... vs naipaul is a case in point

it is the executive tht is solely at fault here

as for me as a liberal hindu who is more inspired by bhakti movement than nething else on my part i wud much rather have fellow hindus worry about more relevant things than this. such paintings have no influence either ways on me ... never had never wud .. so personally it is not at all abhorrent to me