M.F. Husain paints billboard for anti-terror drive

Mumbai, Feb. 7 (AP): A painting by a renowned Muslim artist pressured out of India by Hindu extremists is being displayed on billboards across Mumbai as part of the city police department’s anti-terrorism drive.

The painting by M.F. Husain depicts a woman’s body in the shape of the country’s map alongside the Himalayas and peace icons such as Buddha and nonviolence advocate Mohandas Gandhi.

Mumbai police chief A.N. Roy said Wednesday that the billboards are part of a yearlong campaign to urge the city’s residents to stay united and maintain communal harmony. The campaign began after bombs ripped apart seven commuter trains last July, killing more than 200 people.

“People driving through the city or walking on roads will look up and see this painting. It tells them citizens must not be cowed by terrorist strikes meant to divide people,” Roy told The Associated Press.

Husain is one of 18 Indian artists whose paintings are being featured on billboards across the city.

Roy said the artists, including Husain, responded enthusiastically when they were asked by Mumbai police to paint different aspects of the country’s heritage and culture.

“We wanted to spread the message in different ways that people must come together to fight terrorism, and artists like Husain have added their unique touch,” Roy said.

The campaign also includes short audiovisual messages on unity that are shown in the city’s cinemas.

Husain, 90, is one of India’s most celebrated painters. He identified the woman in the painting as Bollywood actress Amrita Rao, saying she symbolized the power of women and youth in the country.

“This is what satisfies an artist. My art belongs to the people of India,” Husain said in an interview published in The Times of India on Tuesday. “I’m more concerned about art reaching the common people.”

Husain, who comes from a Muslim family, was forced to leave India several years ago because of threats against his life over paintings in which he portrayed Hindu deities in the nude. He is now in Dubai.

Last year a court in central India issued an arrest warrant for Husain for allegedly causing offense with a painting titled “Mother India” that depicted a nude woman in the shape of India’s map.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200702071860.htm