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Friday, March 5, 2010

Politics of "Artistic Freedom"

MF Hussain is so "hurt"...it z a "shame" on Indians that he has been forced into an exile...his "artistic liberty" is being "violated". After all our constitution provides for fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression!

But wait, what about Salman Rushdie?

Oh no! what have I done...talking of that person! my God! it is a sin...I might be hurting the religious sentiments of some people...talking about his artistic liberty doesn't make sense.

And talking of that silly catoonist who made a cartoon of...god save me...there might be some "fatwa" waiting to be announced on my head even before I can pronounce the word "fatwa". That cartoonist how did he even think of this "artistic liberty"...no he should not have done this...

Why couldn't Hussain condemn all this, or for that matter why could not even these people who are making such a hue and cry today to bring back hussain condemn such violation of artistic freedom?

I guess that does not bring votes to these political parties (read Congress et al).

And these 'jhola-chhap' pseudo-intellectuals will not be getting media coverage for all that....or perhaps thay feared a fatwa coming their way!

It has become very easy and very fashionable, especially within India to degrade Hindu mythology and hurt their religious sentiments...it brings rewards also...you become an intellectual, you get to be known as sensitive and working towards empowerment of others....poor is the fate of those who oppose all this...they are labelled as "feudals","communal","rightists" and "fascists"...

So I guess I qualify to be called all of this...

I am not any of these....I have friends from other communities and other religion too...i eat with them...live with them...but I have my culture and I can't take this lying down...I don't know about others...

still, perhaps I don't deserve any artistic freedom... and nor does Salman Rushdie...Hey you silly Danish cartoonist! you don't even think about it...

3 comments:

Unknown said...

i found the article interesting...

yamini said...

Nice one!!!It was very very authorly..
But Is religion and art the same thing..I mean is it religious to paint?? or painting pertains to religion..is it?? And if it doesnt...cant ve just stop being religion sensitive and let the brush flow over the canvas and understand and as well appreciate the ART..
After all, we all r humanbeings first..and Hindu or Muslim or Christian etc afterwards...

sam_maxbladerunner said...

@Yamini...rightly said...bt dt has 2 cme 4m al rel...else y cnt artists practice sme self simposed restrictions...see all of us have freedom of expression, but why not exercise our freedom only to the extent dt it does not humiliate others' sentiments...as has been famously said by Marx- Religion is the opium of masses....1 humiliating other religion will always have adverse effect...
however, i dnt mean that negative influences should not be challenged...dt z y i and mst of Hindus oppose practices like -child marriage, dowry, etc...superstitions shd be challenged...but dnt demean sth wch z revered by other rel...be it Hinduism or Muslim or christian....