[Reader-list] Husain Exhibition Attacked in Delhi

rohan saha rohansaha at gmail.com
Tue Aug 26 00:54:16 IST 2008 

Dear All,

I am new to this list and was added recently.

I had a couple of observations about the ongoing debate.

As regards the definition of "art"; it is an extremely subjective definition
and will vary from person to person. But one's is free to express what he
wants whether it qualifies as art or not and just because a painter puts
forth one offensive painting does not mean that every painting prepared by
him should be branded as offensive.

Also, I understand the outrage directed against an artist for the manner in
which he has depicted a religious deity or a religious symbol but I can't
comprehend how that outrage sanctions hooliganism  and vandalism. There are
legal channels which can be employed to prosecute a person whose expression
/ "art" outrages the sentiments of a community. Every country has them, as
does India under Chapter XV of the Penal Code.

I do understand that a country such as Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia etc
would tend to punish such actions more severely, maybe even with death,
therefore I tend to be thankful that I'm in India and *not *one of those
countries.

Finally, would the same controversy have occurred if these paintings were
rendered a Hindu artist? By a Menon or Maity or Sen rather than a Husain?

Regards,

Rohan


On Mon, Aug 25, 2008 at 9:37 PM, S. Jabbar <sonia.jabbar at gmail.com> wrote:

> What, dear Aditya are you referring to and pronouncing on now?  Is this too
> to be labeled under Muslim art and anti-Muslim art, one to denounced and
> the
> other to be defended? What a terrible bore!
>
>
> On 8/25/08 9:15 PM, "Aditya Raj Kaul" <kauladityaraj at gmail.com> 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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-- 
Rohan Saha
Student,
B.A., LL.B. (Hons.)
NALSAR University of Law,
Hyderabad,
India.
Phone: +91 9989190134

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