Nobody realises the meaning of freedom more that 92-year-old M F Hussain who is living in exile, between London and Dubai.
If there is one Indian who is yearning for freedom during the country’s 60th year of Independence, it is that maverick artist Maqbool Fida Husain.
Husain is in hiding, running between London and Dubai to avoid death threats, court cases, arrest and maybe even a jail term back home. His crime? He painted Bharatmata as a nude woman across the map of India with the names of the states written across her body.
There was an uproar, of course, which resulted in Husain fleeing the country. This was in February 2006.
The Hindu fundamentalists are still baying for his blood, but Husain will not be a braveheart and return, and he says from London on Independence eve, "Things are so legally complicated back home that I have been advised not to return. Yeh to do-chaar din ki judaai hain .
However, he is missing Mumbai terribly, the city his heart beats for. "But people misunderstand me there," he says in a sad voice. "I am a public figure, what to do, I have to pay some price." But what is he missing most?
"Mujhe Bambai ki baarish yaad aati hai," replies Husain. "I used to walk barefoot from Grant Road to Kala Ghoda in the rain. I have been doing this since 1936.
I would stop at Dhobi Talao to have tea. I love sipping on some garam chai at Irani restaurants there." And of his forced separation from the motherland, the famous artist says, " Jab raat ho aisi matwaali toh subah ka aalam kya hoga? To me, zindagi isi ka naam hai .
Talking about Independence Day, he reveals that his first exhibition was held in 1947. It was called Sunhera Sansaar and was held at the Bombay Art Society. "I depicted the Quit India Movement on my canvas. I still feel as if the freedom struggle happened yesterday. The memories are so fresh in my mind. Our culture is over 5000 years old. How can someone wipe it away?
Nobody can ever shake us away from our land. And that’s why we fought for freedom, he says.
But today, he is virtually alone in his battle for freedom even though he has well-wishers around the world. Is he missing the 60th Independence Day celebrations in India? "Of course, I am. I want to come home.
Had I been there, I would have been jumping all around the Red Fort and painting the town and country red. I am 92, but I am energy-plus, what to do!
