[Reader-list] Husain Exhibition Attacked in Delhi

Shuddhabrata Sengupta shuddha at sarai.net
Mon Aug 25 23:42:37 IST 2008 

Dear Aditya,

I have stated many times, that I stand for the freedom of expression  
of the Danish cartoonists. Exactly on the same grounds as I stand for  
the freedom of expression of M.F. Husain, Salman Rushdie, Taslima  
Nasrin and Aditya Raj Kaul.

The work of the danish cartoonists were instances of art that I do  
not admire. I think they were in poor taste.
I think Husain is a mediocre painter. I think he is grossly overrated  
as an artist.
I have mixed feelings about Taslima Nasrin. I think she says  
important things some times, and sometimes she writes things that I  
don't care for all. I think her statements about Islam are serious  
and deserve to be read and discussed in all seriousness.
I think you write rubbish most of the time.

But I categorically state that the move to ban the publication of the  
Danish cartoons is wrong. The move to ban the publication of Taslima  
Nasrin's books is wrong. And any effort to silence you would be wrong.

And just as there are those who call for bans on Husain in the wide  
world, there have been many on this list, who have asked for a ban on  
you, because of what has been perceived as the violence and  
disingenousness of your posts. This list has resisted these calls.  
And I am one of those who has defended your right to say whatever  
nonsense you may wish, both on the list and off the list, however  
much it offends me (and it does, deeply, because you rarely use any  
language other than slander and abuse) because I am passionately  
committed to your right to publicly disagree with me, and with  
everyone else. I think your expressions need to be criticized,  
ruthlessly criticized if necessary. But they must be listened to.  
Everyone must be listened to. And anyone who speaks, if they expect  
to be heard, must learn to listen to things that are not pleasant or  
palatable to them.

if you value the freedom that this list offers you to spread what I  
consider to be your inanities, then you must learn also to value the  
freedom that people must have to view M.F. Husain, and for M.F.Husain  
to work, and to exhibit his work, as he sees fit.

Do not make the mistake of assuming that the only people who have  
sensitivities are the ones who display the ornaments of their faith  
conspicuously on their sleeves. Even doubters, sceptics and the  
godless can get very touchy, and very angry, when it comes to anyone  
trying to interfere with their freedom to celebrate their doubt.  
Everyone has some things that are sacred to them.

I hope I have made myself abundantly clear.

regards,

Shuddha









I am actually committed to the defence of all kinds of imagination,  
because I think that only
On 25-Aug-08, at 9:15 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul wrote:

> Art - It cannot be called a work of Art for sure.
>
> Wonder why the Danish cartoonist abused, maligned and mis- 
> represented. Even
> his was a work of pure art. Amd, wasn't that his job too...
>
> Its quite unfortunate to see some ultra-liberals (chappal & Jholla  
> fame)
> defending such mindless imagination. There isn't any justification  
> for it.
>
> Had something of this scale been done in some other country such as
> Pakistan, Saudia Arabia, China etc.; the person would't have been  
> alive by
> now.
>
> Aditya Raj Kaul
>
>
> On 8/25/08, S. Jabbar <sonia.jabbar at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> You are welcome to critique the works of the artist and what you  
>> perceive
>> to
>> be the motives that drive her/his art.
>>
>> But why is it that you feel the need to defend the right to  
>> destroy that
>> art?
>>
>>
>>
>> On 8/25/08 8:44 PM, "Prabhakar Singh" <prabhakardelhi at yahoo.com>  
>> wrote:
>>
>>> The work of art is for the consumption of people but it should not
>> consume the
>>> consumer itself.The artist should know it very well.He should not  
>>> try to
>> play
>>> with their faith just for his/her cheap fun.An artist who is not
>> sensitive to
>>> emotions and faith of the people at large is not an artist at  
>>> all.Art is
>> not
>>> an end in itself.It is for the people and for the good of the  
>>> society.
>>> Prabhakar
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----
>>> From: S. Jabbar <sonia.jabbar at gmail.com>
>>> To: Prabhakar Singh <prabhakardelhi at yahoo.com>; Shuddhabrata  
>>> Sengupta
>>> <shuddha at sarai.net>; Sarai <reader-list at sarai.net>
>>> Sent: Monday, 25 August, 2008 8:25:17 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Husain Exhibition Attacked in Delhi
>>>
>>> People have become rather emotional and touchy of late.  Everyone  
>>> seems
>> to
>>> have become hypersensitive and quick to take offense-- of course  
>>> it helps
>> if
>>> there are TV cameras to record one's display of piety.
>>>
>>> Is one's faith so fragile that a drawing or a piece of poetry or  
>>> writing
>> and
>>> can shake it?  Evidently so and mores the pity.  Why tear down  
>>> works of
>> art
>>> when it is faith that is crumbling?  My prescription is twenty  
>>> years of
>>> solitary meditation in a cave in the Himalayas.
>>>
>>> Do you know the story of Swami Vivekanand who stood in front of the
>> goddess
>>> at Khir Bhavani? Look it up.  It's instructive.  And humbling.
>>>
>>>
>>> On 8/25/08 7:52 PM, "Prabhakar Singh" <prabhakardelhi at yahoo.com>  
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Artists should be careful about the cultural or religious  
>>>> sensitivities
>> of
>>>> the
>>>> people.Art can flourish even without delving on such sensitive and
>> touchy
>>>> issues which may have emotional importance for some
>>>> people.
>>> Prabhakar
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----
>>> From: Shuddhabrata Sengupta
>>>> <shuddha at sarai.net>
>>> To: sarai list <reader-list at sarai.net>
>>> Sent: Monday, 25
>>>> August, 2008 6:30:19 PM
>>> Subject: [Reader-list] Husain Exhibition Attacked in
>>>> Delhi
>>>
>>> Dear all,
>>>
>>> Once again, with depressing, monotonous and disgusting
>>>>
>>> predictability, a group of hooligans affiliated to the Hindutva
>>> (Hindu
>>>> Fundamentalist) agenda who call themselves the 'Shri Ram Sena'
>>> have attacked
>>>> and ransacked a small exhibition in Delhi of images by
>>> and about the
>>>> nonegarian painter M. F. Husain, The exhibition was
>>> held on the premises of
>>>> the office of the Safdar Hashmi Memorial
>>> Trust (SAHMAT) in Delhi, to protest
>>>> against the decision by the
>>> orgnaizers of an Art Summit in Delhi to exclude
>>>> work by Husain citing
>>> reasons of security. This incident demonstrates, yet
>>>> again, how
>>> inimical the forces of Hindutva are to an open society and to
>>>> the
>>> freedom of expression.
>>>
>>> See -
>>>> http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Husain-photo-
>>>>
>>> exhibition-vandalised-yet-again/352835/ for a report in the Indian
>>> Express
>>>> that carries details of the incident.
>>>
>>> This list has discussed such attacks on
>>>> freedom of expression before,
>>> and just as we have had forthright criticism
>>>> of Muslim
>>> fundamentalists attacking Taslima Nasrin, and the CPI (M) led
>>>> West
>>> Bengal government making it impossible for her to stay in  
>>> Kolkata, so
>>>>
>>> too, we must take into account this latest assault on cultural
>>> liberty.  I
>>>> appeal to all to condemn this attack on the freedom of
>>>>
>>> expression.
>>>
>>> regards
>>>
>>> Shuddha
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net

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