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M F Husain termed his detractors ‘Nazis’

M F Husain hit back at his detractors,<br />calling them worse than Nazis.” title=”M F Husain hit back at his detractors,<br />calling them worse than Nazis.” /><br /> <br />M F Husain hit back at his detractors,<br />calling them worse than Nazis. </div> <p>Dubai :</strong> Iconic Indian painter Maqbool Fida Husain has finally broken his silence over a controversial nude drawing which caused an uproar in India and forced him to relocate to Dubai.</p> <p>In an exclusive interview with XPRESS, the grand old man of Indian art, who walks barefoot, hit back at his detractors in grand style, calling them worse than Nazis. </p> <p>"Hitler cracked down on artists when he came to power in Germany. And this is precisely what the right wing forces are doing in India. These people are worse than Nazis and should be persecuted," said the 91-year-old maverick maestro whose works have consistently been the most sought after by art connoisseurs and buyers.</p> <p>Recently, his single canvasses fetched over Dh6.5 million at Christie’s. But the prolific artist, who’s referred to as the modern age Picasso and feted all over the world, invariably finds himself out of favour in his own country. Husain’s paintings have often depicted revered Hindu gods and goddesses in the nude, sparking criticism. A decade ago, radicals attacked his Mumbai home.</p> <p>Ironically, this time it’s a nude painting, Mother India that’s led him to a self-imposed exile away from his motherland. <br />The painting which depicts India as a naked woman has got hardliners baying for his blood and filing lawsuits demanding his arrest. Faced with death threats, Husain sought refuge in Dubai.</p> <p>But his peace was short-lived. Early this month a district court in India declared him absconding and ordered the police to attach his property when he failed to respond to summons.</p> <p>A higher court has stayed the proceedings and several moderate groups have come out in his support. But Husain feels more needs to be done.</p> <p>"More than the brutality of the bad people, it’s the ominous silence of the good that’s got me worried. How long will the Indian government at the centre continue to remain a mute spectator to this witch hunting? </p> <p>"It seems that it doesn’t have the political will to take action against these belligerent blimps who know nothing about art," said Husain, whose works adorn the walls of several important buildings in India, including the Prime Minister’s official residence.</p> <p>"I have never meant to offend anyone. In any case, an artist’s imagination is open to interpretation but it must remain unfettered," he said, adding that it was high time that social organisations, journalists, industrialists and other like-minded groups came on a common platform and took joint legal action against the moral brigade who harass artists in the name of protecting their culture.</p> <p>Does he feel he’s being victimised because he’s a Muslim? "Possibly. If my name was not MF Husain, things would have been certainly different."</p> <p>The contentious Mother India painting has been donated by Husain to the Mumbai police. It will be auctioned to raise money for the families of policemen who died in Mumbai’s train bombings last year. Two of Husain’s sons, Mustapha and Owais, live in Dubai because of business interests. Of late, the painter has also bought property in the city, but despite the warmth of family and friends, the painter misses India and longs for the good times he has had there.</p> <p>"I want to go back, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. So I keep myself busy. "I am doing a series of 99 paintings on the history of Arab civilisation. I met a member of the Qatari royal family a few days back. She has shown a keen interest in it and offered me a villa."I will be travelling to Doha more often, but right now I am off to London. It’s getting too hot in Dubai."</p> <p><a href=http://www.xpress4me.com/news/uae/dubai/20000998.html

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