M.F. Hussain and the Danish cartoonists

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 M.F.Hussain and the Danish cartoonists Artistic freedom should mean both the artist's freedom (everybody and anybody can be considered to be an artist) and the freedom to produce artistic works without any bar whatsoever. (Here again, everybody and anybody’s work can be considered an artistic work, for beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.) So does artistic freedom mean freedom to anybody and everybody to do anything and everything he or she pleases? Absolutely not. We should classify people and activities that cause violence as being unfit for freedom and put them behind bars till they sober down. (Or hang them if they are incorrigible.) The question is, has M.F. Hussain caused violence? He has not. Nor had the Danish cartoonists. Whatever violence followed or is threatened is due to psychological reasons. This we must distinguish from physical violence caused directly by the artist or his work. My contention is that psychological violence is the result of a spiritual lack and the cause cannot be anywhere else other than in the perpetrators of the violence itself, not in an artist or his art. [I intended to post this as comment on Jumbo Jumbo’s blog on the subject but could not. Is NDTV purposely fouling things up because Jumbo Jumbo is an unabashed Hindutvavadi?} 9:00:05 PM Posted By Venu Gopal Comments (0) Uncategorized Comments amused Tuesday, December 12, 2006 9:27:54 PM Its simple. Its an accepted norm that nobody should play with the sentiments of religion. But in India, there is double standard for this. If something offensive against Hinduism is commited its seen as the Intellectual or individual freedome choice. If the same is done on other religions, its seen as Heinous crime and from intellectuals to Politicians stand first in criticizing it, taking credit of banning it first in the whole world. jumbo_jumbo Wednesday, December 13, 2006 11:33:27 PM dear venu bhaithanx for your compliment. i am proud to be communal if that means standing up for my religion and my culturewhat was hussain's intentions behind the paintings? what would have gone wroong had he clothed sita. why the muslim and christian paintings are shown as fully clothed, while only the hindu paintings are portrayed in a vulgar mannerhindus look upon sita as a goddess and hanuman as a divine being. we have tolerated this thing for too long now K.Venugopal Friday, December 15, 2006 9:39:35 AM Dear Amused, You are right. It is the double standards that is the biggest threat to freedom. We have to first expose the secular brigade who practise double standards. If M.F. Hussain's nude Sita is artistic freedom, then so are the Satanic Verses and the Danish cartoons. We can't have selective freedom. Dear Jumbo Jumbo, I agree with you that the sacred should not be tampered with. Still, we should always allow the broadening of perspectives. This has always been the Hindu tradition - whatever can be argued to be true, its opposite too can be argued to be true. However, I would not be able to morally defend M.F. Hussain if I am not able to similarly defend Salman Rushdie and the Danish cartoonists. We are losing our freedom because of secular hypocrisy. kknath Friday, December 15, 2006 11:20:54 PM artistic freedom does not mean that you con do any thing, just like freedom of expression does not mean you can say any thing or for that matter the journalist can write what-ever he pleases. a moral responsibility is attached to all things that you do more if you are a public figure ie. you have recognition in public.there is some limitation imposed by the Govt. in all fields which have public domain or where public unrest is expected.that is the reason why the Satanic versus was banned. if this is correct then the paintings of mf hussain who has hurt the feelings of the majority population by repeatedly doing the same inspite the protests and (threats about his well being are extreme and deserve condemnation) acts not involving him physically has to follow suite in the same logic.its only here in india that you can play with the religious sentiments of the majority and still get away with it scot free. why this differentiation when the minority like christians and muslims are not on the same footing.let our jouranlist friends also understand that there actions are under scnnaer of the public.