[Reader-list] Art Exhibition forced to shut down by Govt.

Shuddhabrata Sengupta shuddha at sarai.net
Wed Sep 8 15:57:45 IST 2010 

Dear Tara Prakah, Dear Inder,

I think the incident of Mr. Joseph's hands being cut off was truly  
horrifying, and worthy of condemnation. I rarely see reason to agree  
with a CPI(M) leader, but when M.A. Baby, Kerala's minister of  
education called the incident an act of terrorism, (yesterday evening  
on the News Hour Debate on Times Now) I have to say that I agreed  
with him. It was an act intended to intimidate and terrorise a  
person, that too, a teacher, from exercising their right to free  
speech. In any case, Mr. Joseph in no way intended the reference that  
he made to a fictional character in a screenplay while setting a  
question paper to be confused with the person of the propher Mohammad.

Mohammad, happens also to be a personal name, exactly as Ram,  
Krishna, Durga, Siddharth, Jesus or Moses. The expectation that we  
must give way to the sentiments of religious zealots every time we  
invoke such names is totally unreasonable.

Further, I believe that the right to free speech is actually  
meaningless without the right to blasphemous speech (intentional or  
otherwise). I may or may not agree with such blasphemous speech, but  
I think we need to defend the right to blasphemy if we are to want to  
live in a free and open society.

A lot of religious statements are personally deeply offensive to me.  
I do not, on that basis, go out and ask for the hands of believers to  
be chopped off, or for them to be killed. Likewise, I would expect,  
the same conduct from those who are religious and may be offended by  
what they may see, or choose to see, as my blasphemy.

Islamic fundamentalism, (which was responsible for the attack on Mr.  
Joseph) like all forms of fundamentalism (in every religion) is truly  
antithetical to all our liberties.

best,

Shuddha


On 08-Sep-10, at 3:45 PM, Inder Salim wrote:

> Dear Taraprakash ji
> thanks for this comment
> we  all certainly need to be reminded about all those ugly things that
> threaten to engulf our stock of sensibilites.
> I have yet to see a sensible person justifiying the chopping of  
> hands tragedy.
> The list of sad things is long, sadly
>
> regards
> love
> is
>
>
> On 9/8/10, TaraPrakash <taraprakash at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Yes we are hollow men, we are follow men,
>> shallow men and mellow men. The artist concerned, and Taslima  
>> Nasreen and MF
>> Hussain are so much luckier than Mr. Joseph a Malayalam teacher  
>> whose hands
>> were chopped off by some terrorists for calling a mad man Mohammed.
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Inder Salim"  
>> <indersalim at gmail.com>
>> To: "reader-list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
>> Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 2010 10:50 AM
>>
>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Art Exhibition forced to shut down by  
>> Govt.
>>
>>
>>> Dear Kshmendra ji
>>>
>>> In a sense, you are right, who care about Art, let it go to dogs,
>>> anyway, if we are actually so insensitive to corruption ( CWG),  
>>> decay
>>> of food grains etc,
>>> how does it matter that art exhibitions are closed for the safety of
>>> society. ( mostly middle class TV soap serial watchers) ,
>>>
>>> we should actually close down all the Art institutions in India and
>>> hand over to religious preachers or some corporate houses which can
>>> give them some money for buying properties abroad.
>>>
>>> we have perhaps lost our aesthetic sense, i am wondering even why i
>>> posted it on the list. We have lot of anger against Hussain  
>>> paintings,
>>> but none against poor people who live under bridges. We have no  
>>> desire
>>> to engage our thinking with our 40 percent below poverty line
>>> population. "We are hallow men, we are shallow men, head piece  
>>> filled
>>> with straw."
>>>
>>> This country has no desire to love its own heritage ( khajuraho  
>>> etc ),
>>> its own culture, its own text on free flight ( as all ancient  
>>> text ),
>>> but what we love is territory, flag, army and tight disciplined
>>> bureaucracy.
>>>
>>> We actually love ladoos, and grow pot belied, but desire for lean
>>> blonde girls for sexual fantasy , but dont yearn to liberate ...
>>>
>>> Mera Bharat Mahaan
>>>
>>> love
>>> is
>>>
>>> On Mon, Sep 6, 2010 at 4:24 PM, Kshmendra Kaul  
>>> <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Dear Inder
>>>>
>>>> It would have been appreciable if you had accepted that there is no
>> reference to Govt in the report and you made a mistake.
>>>>
>>>> The 'centre' referred to is the Nehru Centre.
>>>>
>>>> On the face of it, as per mentioned details, I personally see no  
>>>> great
>> reason justifying the action taken but it would be understandable  
>> if Nehru
>> Centre being conscious of the fragile 'communal' environment did  
>> not want to
>> risk violence and maybe even consulted the "Govt" before taking  
>> the action
>> though that is not alluded to. That is sensible.
>>>>
>>>> Your comment about "Govt directly playing in the hands of saffron
>> brigade" would have been worthwhile if you did not confine it to  
>> "saffron".
>> In its current form it becomes worthless one-sided propaganda.
>>>>
>>>> If you put great value of your own imagination as compared to
>> "unimaginative people " running the country, then please step  
>> forward and
>> give some concrete and imaginative proposals instead of these  
>> whines about
>> "impotency" and "mint money from CWG" and "decaying institutions" and
>> "decaying food grains"
>>>>
>>>> You can see your "imaginative" proposals for rectifying things  
>>>> addressed
>> by your own participation in the political processes or interventions
>> through RTI and Courts of Law.
>>>>
>>>> Kshmendra
>>>>
>>>> PS. Do you have anything other than whines?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --- On Mon, 9/6/10, Inder Salim <indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> From: Inder Salim <indersalim at gmail.com>
>>>> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Art Exhibition forced to shut down by  
>>>> Govt.
>>>> To: "reader-list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
>>>> Date: Monday, September 6, 2010, 3:35 PM
>>>>
>>>> Thanks dear Kshmendra
>>>>
>>>> "This is the
>>>> first time the centre has abruptly stopped an art show."
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> well, i too would not like to see Govt directly playing in the  
>>>> hands
>>>> of saffron brigade
>>>> but that is unlikely. given the 'napusukta' ( impotency ) of our
>>>> politicians who only think about how to mint money from things like
>>>> CWG
>>>>
>>>> This is a country run by most unimaginative people, i am not  
>>>> mincing
>> words
>>>> it is not only ' aesthetic' sector which is suffering, all other
>>>> sensibile institutions are decaying, akin to food grains  
>>>> storage. sad
>>>>
>>>> best
>>>> is
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 9/6/10, Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Nowhere does it say that the Govt played any part.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --- On Sun, 9/5/10, Inder Salim <indersalim at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> From: Inder Salim <indersalim at gmail.com>
>>>>> Subject: [Reader-list] Art Exhibition forced to shut down by Govt.
>>>>> To: "reader-list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
>>>>> Date: Sunday, September 5, 2010, 10:14 PM
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Provocative-work- 
>> forces-gallery-to-call-off-art-show/articleshow/6494012.cms
>>>>> --
>>>>> MUMBAI: Two "provocative" paintings by an Aurangabad-based artist
>>>>> forced the Nehru Centre at Worli in Mumbai to discontinue the
>>>>> exhibition on Saturday, after running it for three days. This  
>>>>> is the
>>>>> first time the centre has abruptly stopped an art show.
>>>>>
>>>>> Artist Nandkumar Jogdand (43) has lodged a complaint with the  
>>>>> Worli
>>>>> police. He said this was a violation of his right to express  
>>>>> himself,
>>>>> and that the trust-owned Nehru Centre had succumbed to pressure  
>>>>> from a
>>>>> saffron group, a claim denied by the management. Assistant  
>>>>> director of
>>>>> the Nehru Centre Art Gallery Nina Rege said the exhibits "were  
>>>>> in bad
>>>>> taste and created controversy".
>>>>>
>>>>> The two paintings in question are titled 'Gandhi (After Pune  
>>>>> Karar)'
>>>>> and 'Blind Faith'. The former depicts a dhoti clad Mahatma Gandhi
>>>>> striking a victim with a Trishul. The artist said he got the
>>>>> inspiration for this piece after reading the 'Pune Karar' or  
>>>>> the Pune
>>>>> Pact, which happened after an agreement between Gandhi and Dr
>>>>> Babasaheb Ambedkar. In the second painting, 'Blind Faith', a nude
>>>>> Hindu goddess is depicted in a provocative position.
>>>>>
>>>>> "When the gallery took objection to my exhibits, I was prepared to
>>>>> remove 'Blind Faith' but not 'Gandhi (After Pune Karar)'," said
>>>>> Nandkumar, adding that the latter is based on a type of puja  
>>>>> prevalent
>>>>> in parts of Karnataka, and that the woman was not a goddess.
>>>>>
>>>>> The exhibition was allowed from September 1 to 3 without any
>>>>> controversy. But after complaints from an "anonymous caller",  
>>>>> Nehru
>>>>> Centre on Saturday issued a notification to Nandkumar. "The  
>>>>> paintings
>>>>> were of a nature that could give rise to controversy leading to
>>>>> undesirable situation," read the letter. "Therefore, in the  
>>>>> light on
>>>>> Rule no. 3 under Conduct of Nehru Centre's Art Gallery Rules and
>>>>> Regulations, we hereby direct you to remove these two paintings  
>>>>> and
>>>>> continue with your exhibition with the remaining paintings. If  
>>>>> you do
>>>>> not remove these paintings, the art gallery will be closed for  
>>>>> public
>>>>> viewing forthwith," said Rege in the letter.
>>>>>
>>>>> When asked why it took the management three days to discontinue  
>>>>> the
>>>>> exhibition, Rege said: "The exhibition began only on September  
>>>>> 1 as
>>>>> Nandkumar put up his art work by late evening on August 31. At the
>>>>> time, I was visiting a sick colleague and returned to work on
>>>>> September 2. I then got a call from a person who said the exhibits
>>>>> were objectionable. I took a round of the gallery and found 'Blind
>>>>> Faith' to be controversial."
>>>>>
>>>>> Meanwhile, Nandkumar has sought police protection and has demanded
>>>>> that the exhibition should run its course till September 6.
>>>>>
>>>>> Read more: 'Provocative' work forces gallery to call off art  
>>>>> show -
>>>>> Mumbai - City - The Times of India
>>>>>
>> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Provocative-work- 
>> forces-gallery-to-call-off-art-show/articleshow/ 
>> 6494012.cms#ixzz0yfraM43q
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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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