HJS protests exhibition of Mahabharata series by MF Husain

||Sree||
Date: 25-October-2006

To,

1.Donna Desrochers
Public Relations Manager
The Peabody Essex Museum
[email protected]

2. Colette Randall
Public Relations Associate
The Peabody Essex Museum
[email protected]

Subject: Request to withdraw the exhibition of M.F.Husain at the Peabody Essex Museum

Dear Sir/Madam,

We recently came across your press release about the solo exhibition by M. F. Husain to be held at your museum from 4th November 2006 to 3rd June 2007. It will exhibit Husain’s paintings on the Hindu Holy Epic, Mahabharata. In your press release, Husain has been glorified as India’s ‘greatest living artist’.

It appears that you are not fully aware of the nature of Husain’s paintings and the worldwide ongoing protests against them. We invite you to take a look at some of the denigrating paintings by Husain and the worldwide protest campaign, spearheaded by our organization in alliance with Sanatan.org, at www.sanatan.org/hussaincampaign and at www.hindujagruti.org/petition. Here you will see that Mr. Husain has a history of repeatedly and callously hurting Hindu sentiments by depicting Hindu Deities in lewd, compromising positions and is currently under Indian Government scrutiny for treason for depicting the Indian Motherland (Bharatmata) as a nude woman. You can see that over 29,000 people around the world have registered their protest against M. F. Husain, demanding a stop to all public display and auction of his works.

Since the inception of this protest campaign in November 2005, India and various parts of the world are witnessing intense agitations against M. F. Husain. Agitations that include over 1250 formal police complaints, 7 court cases, burning of Husain effigies, citywide strikes, rasta bunds (road blocking), as well as several protest demonstrations in the US and UK. At times, the inaction and passivity of the Indian media and government forced the agitators to lose patience and take a violent turn, as in the case of an attack on the Husain-Doshi art gallery, mob destruction of public property in some cities in India, and public announcements of rewards for maiming or killing M. F. Husain, as well as the closing of the Husain paintings exhibition in Asia House gallery in Oxford Street London after protest demonstrations and a vandal attack.

Husain has also invited the displeasure of Muslim leaders and various Government officials from around the world. For example, Ruth Bennett, Acting Public Affairs Officer of the US State Government responded to our protests outside Christie’s in NY: Thank you for alerting us to your concerns over the auction of paintings by artist M. F. Husain in New York. I appreciate that his work is controversial and has angered many. Ms. Bennett advised us to make our views known to auction houses perpetrating Husain’s paintings. Muslim religious leaders, too, have condemned Husain (a so-called Muslim) and put up prize money for maiming him, for his denigrating paintings, which are considered as essentially against Islamic principles. The honorable courts of India have already summoned and issued warrants against Mr. Husain in various cities like Indore, Delhi, etc., since mid-March 2006, for hurting religious sentiments and creating communal disharmony. That is why, M. F. Husain has been cited as absconding to UK. The details of all these news can be seen at www.sanatan.org/hussaincampaign/#news.

If there is anything that the worldwide violence over Prophet Mohammed’s caricatures has taught us, it is that religious sentiments are the most sacred of all to those who follow any religion. Denigrating them as the likes of Husain and the Danish cartoonists have done, or disregarding them as the likes of the Danish press and or art galleries perpetrating Husain’s paintings have done, can incite communal disharmony if not widespread violence. That is why, the UN ex-Secretary General, Kofi Annan in view of the crisis over caricatures of Prophet Mohammad has advocated that, "We must stress that rights carry with them an inherent responsibility, and should not be used to degrade, humiliate or insult any group or individual.’

As one can plainly see, M. F. Husain has abused his freedom of expression. Allowing his paintings on display and sale at your esteemed auction would be as good as disregarding religious sentiments, thus abetting the perpetration of communal disharmony and violence. Should he be allowed to enjoy elite status and fortune, when even the Indian courts and the government are holding him guilty for hurting Hindus’ religious sentiments?

We urge you to follow in the footsteps of the esteemed ‘Bombay Art Gallery’, in Mumbai (India) that, in response to the protests of Hindus, cancelled the Lifetime Achievement (Roopdhar) felicitation of M. F. Husain at the hands of the Maharashtra Governor, who too, declined to felicitate Husain. Withdrawing the paintings of M. F. Husain in light of the above will go a long way in setting yourself as an organization that upholds ethics in art and not just art for the sake of commercial gain. It would also help prevent ill will and agitations of Hindus against not only Husain, but also your esteemed institution that must have a substantial patronage from Hindus.

We expect your prompt reply and action in this regard.

Sincerely,
Spokesperson
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (Hindu Awareness Forum)
Goa, India