[Reader-list] Husain Exhibition Attacked in Delhi

inder salim indersalim at gmail.com
Tue Aug 26 01:04:21 IST 2008 

Dear Rohan

Artist M.F. Hussain is not the exception, Yes, a studet of Art,
Mr.ChandraMohan was attacked and his professor suspened by Narender
Modi in Gujarat.

about the legal proceedings, Justice Sanjay Kishen Kaul has lucidly
described these protests as ' vandalism by hooligans, and exonarated
the artists from such charges,

Theoritically, artists can do what they want to do, but how how to
handle this self-appointed moral police, who unfortunately come to
power through such un-aesthetic actions.

inder slaim

On Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 12:54 AM, rohan saha <rohansaha at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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