Oh! That was M F Husain in his car, as it drove past me on a 1st January some years back in Bombay's Fountain area.
I went almost running behind the car much to the amusement of my children 😃!
Just as he had alighted, I was beside him, children in tow.
He looked at us, and smiled 😊
I was speechless with excitement and I am sure he understood because he stood there calmly and waited as I searched my bag for something suitable to get his signature.
What a classic view it was.
Hutatma Chowk soaked in the quiet morning sun after what must have been a night of dazzling celebrations all around
Imagine an aerial view of this meeting.
No less than a page out of vintage literature.
I remember very well Husain Saheb was wearing an off-white kurta pajama, and a maroon muffler loosely hung around his neck, but don't quite remember his footwear, the absence of which was such a big news those days.
He spoke to the children in a very soft voice ... And then he signed his mega-million dollar name on a one rupee envelope (I did not have any other plain paper in my bag at that time!), and bidding goodbye smiled again ...
This was like a Dream ... A Dream that I had never seen ... 😘😘😘
It is hard to accept that such a composed, simple and serene person can insult religious sentiment. As far as I can understand, he never took his Muslim identity too seriously.
The backlash against Husain can be compared to the anger Muslims expressed when a Danish cartoonist "insulted" the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him).
Neither of the two groups can lay claim to religions they so fiercely defend and represent, because it is not religion, but dubious vested interests that encourage vandalism and violence.
So Husain driven away from his own Motherland, lived in Qatar and passed away in London, but his work continues to live in the heart of India, and not surprisingly so, because Husain had India in his heart.
He took the liberty that was apparently not supposed to be his, not only because of his Muslim name, but also because religious sentiment is, since times immemorial, a wild fire that has never been doused ...
Some relief though to hear sane voices even in times that don't necessarily support logic and reason
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/A-national-shame-if-we-cannot-say-he-belongs-to-us-Sharmila/article16817016.ece
But all said and done India has lost a legend, which is very sad.
I went almost running behind the car much to the amusement of my children 😃!
Just as he had alighted, I was beside him, children in tow.
He looked at us, and smiled 😊
I was speechless with excitement and I am sure he understood because he stood there calmly and waited as I searched my bag for something suitable to get his signature.
What a classic view it was.
Hutatma Chowk soaked in the quiet morning sun after what must have been a night of dazzling celebrations all around
Imagine an aerial view of this meeting.
No less than a page out of vintage literature.
I remember very well Husain Saheb was wearing an off-white kurta pajama, and a maroon muffler loosely hung around his neck, but don't quite remember his footwear, the absence of which was such a big news those days.
He spoke to the children in a very soft voice ... And then he signed his mega-million dollar name on a one rupee envelope (I did not have any other plain paper in my bag at that time!), and bidding goodbye smiled again ...
This was like a Dream ... A Dream that I had never seen ... 😘😘😘
It is hard to accept that such a composed, simple and serene person can insult religious sentiment. As far as I can understand, he never took his Muslim identity too seriously.
The backlash against Husain can be compared to the anger Muslims expressed when a Danish cartoonist "insulted" the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him).
Neither of the two groups can lay claim to religions they so fiercely defend and represent, because it is not religion, but dubious vested interests that encourage vandalism and violence.
So Husain driven away from his own Motherland, lived in Qatar and passed away in London, but his work continues to live in the heart of India, and not surprisingly so, because Husain had India in his heart.
He took the liberty that was apparently not supposed to be his, not only because of his Muslim name, but also because religious sentiment is, since times immemorial, a wild fire that has never been doused ...
Some relief though to hear sane voices even in times that don't necessarily support logic and reason
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/A-national-shame-if-we-cannot-say-he-belongs-to-us-Sharmila/article16817016.ece
But all said and done India has lost a legend, which is very sad.
1 comment:
Post a Comment