[Reader-list] Absence of Husain at Art Summit
Shuddhabrata Sengupta
shuddha at sarai.net
Sat Aug 15 16:31:09 IST 2009
Murali,
I am surprised to see you equate artists with serial killers. On what
grounds do you make this equation? An artist or a writer or a
filmmaker offers something to our intelligence and our imagination
(whether well or badly is a different question, and we are free,
always not to engage with whatever it is that they offer if we choose
not to). A serial killer takes life, and that is irreversable.
The victim of a serial killer does not have the choice of
disengagement, which the audience or viewer of an artist, or a reader
of a book always has. If you dont want to see the work of M.F.
Husain, or, if someone is offended by the sight of the so called
'Danish Cartoons' no one is forcing you, or them, to see what
disturbs you. The matter should end there.
However, I see no reason why you, or those who cried themselves
hoarse against the Danish cartoons should choose to obstruct the
liberty of all other people from seeing what they want to see and
making up their mind afterwards.
We are all perfectly capable as individuals of deciding for ourselves
what we want to see and to show. I don't see how your discomfort (or
the discomfort of others like you) should be of any consequence to
anyone else at all. I am not forcing you to see what I want to see, I
am not forcing you not to see what I dont want to see. What makes you
so important that your desires and anxieties should govern the
choices I make in my life. Who the hell are you anyway to try and
govern my behaviour.
If you think you have the right to do so, you have a highly
exaggerated sense of your own importance. Please stop deciding for
the rest of us what we should be free to see or not see.
I personally have always opposed the censorship of films, and feel
that while certiying films as being suitable or unsuitable for minors
may have some logic, the censor board for films should be scrapped.
it should have been scrapped long ago.
Shuddha
On 15-Aug-09, at 4:03 PM, Murali V wrote:
> Dear Mr. Inder Salim,
>
> Why restrict freedom of expression to artists alone? To a serial
> killer also it is a freedom of expression. Why do we have a censor
> board for films?
>
> Regards,
> V Murali
>
> On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 11:11 PM, Inder Salim<indersalim at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>> Dear Murali ji
>>
>> fine, if you want to a Hindu face of Muslim Fundamentalism, fine,
>> i wont touch you, as both are more dangerous than swine flue to
>> Freedom of Expression.
>>
>> about suggesting what Artists should do or what they should not.
>> what do you think if they listen to each and every body about their
>> inner drives to choose their subject matters.
>> will there be art and poetry.
>>
>> imagine, Ghalib composing his verses after listening to a Maulana ji
>> at the mosque
>>
>> let us laugh, and let the artistic freedom thrive in a society which
>> is already reeling under threat from various other factors.
>>
>> with love
>> is
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 11:04 PM, Murali
>> V<murali.chalam at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Fine. I hope you would recall the Danish cartoon and its aftermath.
>>> Then why doesnt M F Hussain represent similar artistic thoughts
>>> to his
>>> faith.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> V Murali
>>>
>>> On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 10:58 PM, Inder
>>> Salim<indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> well, we are told to believe ( in Hinduism as well ) that God is
>>>> one,
>>>> has no gender, colour texuture or name, so no question depiting
>>>> GOD
>>>> with or without garments
>>>>
>>>> and if God exists in multiples, in all the faces of all the human
>>>> beings, animals, plants, mountains seas, air and sunlight, then the
>>>> question of depicting this way or that does alter very little since
>>>> the surface is vast and endless.
>>>>
>>>> Art is fun, and strangely liberates those who look into eye of it
>>>> constatnly. that is another matter, which needs a cool and patient
>>>> listening.......... But, right now
>>>>
>>>> let us re-read what Justice Sanjay Kishan. Kaul said is his land
>>>> mark2007 judgement in support of freedom of expresion, thus
>>>> exonarating Artist MF Hussain from the so called indecent
>>>> deptiction
>>>> of Hindu Goddess, and simultaneously questioined the Right Wing
>>>> Hindu
>>>> intolarant and ingnorant face of our polity, who have nothing
>>>> but an
>>>> axe to grind.
>>>>
>>>> with love
>>>> is
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 10:34 PM, Murali
>>>> V<murali.chalam at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Well who is the next hindu godess to be depicted nude by M F
>>>>> Hussain.
>>>>>
>>>>> Regards,
>>>>> V Murali
>>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 7:01 PM, Inder
>>>>> Salim<indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Dear all
>>>>>>
>>>>>> please click to see
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pllHvmNB5GI/Sn7kVWsGT2I/AAAAAAAAAPE/
>>>>>> lF_BbjckUgg/s1600-h/sraswati+with+text1.jpg
>>>>>>
>>>>>> image in solidarity with MF Hussain
>>>>>>
>>>>>> with love
>>>>>> inder salim
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 2:36 PM, ashok
>>>>>> kumari<sahmat8 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> we are submitting a memo to the home minister on Husain not
>>>>>>> being included
>>>>>>> in the Art Summit. Please send your endorsement as soon as
>>>>>>> possible.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Minister of Home Affairs
>>>>>>> Government of India
>>>>>>> North Block
>>>>>>> New Delhi
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Dear Shri Chidambaram,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We - artists, gallerists and critics, are approaching you on
>>>>>>> behalf of the
>>>>>>> artists community on the long standing issue of attempts by
>>>>>>> Hindu right-wing
>>>>>>> groups to effectively impose a ban on exhibiting any work by
>>>>>>> our greatest
>>>>>>> living artist, 94 year old MF Husain, through threats of
>>>>>>> assault and
>>>>>>> violence. These groups, including the BJP, Bajrang Dal, Sri
>>>>>>> Ram Sena, the
>>>>>>> VHP, and the Shiv Sena have led a concerted communal campaign
>>>>>>> against Husain
>>>>>>> accusing him of blasphemy since 1996. This campaign has taken
>>>>>>> a violent form
>>>>>>> on many occasions and has also led to cases being filed
>>>>>>> against the artist
>>>>>>> in courts across India, and has led to Husain's self-imposed
>>>>>>> exile.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In a landmark judgement dismissing three such cases in the
>>>>>>> Delhi High Court
>>>>>>> in 2007, Justice Sanjay Kishen Kaul defended the right of
>>>>>>> freedom of
>>>>>>> expression under the Constitution of India. The Union
>>>>>>> Ministry of Culture,
>>>>>>> during the previous Art Summit held in 2008 had categorically
>>>>>>> stated “Shri
>>>>>>> M. F. Husain is one of the most prominent artist of the
>>>>>>> country and the
>>>>>>> absence of his works at the India Art Summit will not reflect
>>>>>>> the true art
>>>>>>> scenario of India.”
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We are very disturbed by reports that the upcoming
>>>>>>> International India Art
>>>>>>> Summit taking place at Pragati Maidan from August 19-24th has
>>>>>>> asked
>>>>>>> participating galleries for the second year running to not
>>>>>>> display the work
>>>>>>> of Husain citing fear of attacks. We enclose a report from
>>>>>>> the Telegraph
>>>>>>> which quotes them as saying that the Home Ministry has
>>>>>>> offered no assurance
>>>>>>> of security.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We find it shocking that the work of the most famous artist
>>>>>>> cannot be shown
>>>>>>> in the country of his birth, even though he is not a
>>>>>>> criminal, nor is his
>>>>>>> work proscribed or banned. The Art Summit is being attended
>>>>>>> by luminaries
>>>>>>> from around the world, and it is a sad state of affairs that
>>>>>>> we, who
>>>>>>> justifiably pride ourselves as a great democracy, cannot
>>>>>>> resist threats from
>>>>>>> these groups who we see as no less than other terrorists who
>>>>>>> threaten our
>>>>>>> daily lives.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We request a meeting with you to apprise you of the art
>>>>>>> community's anguish
>>>>>>> and concern.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Yours Sincerely,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Vivan Sundaram, Ram Rahman, Parthiv Shah, Shireen Gandhi,
>>>>>>> Dadiba Pundole,
>>>>>>> Geetha Mehra, Gayatri Sinha, Arun Vadhera, Renu Modi, Ashish
>>>>>>> Anand, Devika
>>>>>>> Daulet Singh, Geeta Kapur, Peter Nagy
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> ________________________________
>>>>>>> See the Web's breaking stories, chosen by people like you.
>>>>>>> Check out Yahoo!
>>>>>>> Buzz.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
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>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>> http://indersalim.livejournal.com
>>>> _________________________________________
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>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> http://indersalim.livejournal.com
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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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