MF Husain R.I.P.

Sisters Shireen and Behroze Gandhy of the well-known Gallery Chemould, speak from Basel (Switzerland) where Mumbai-based Shireen is currently, and London where Behroze lives, about the maestro

I awoke this morning in another part of the world to hear the news of M F Husain. In fact got a hint of his failing health on my last day in London from Shobhaa De.


M F HUSAIN with his painting, which was gifted by former President K R Narayanan to Bill Clinton in
New Delhi

She told us of his lucidity of mind despite the failing oxygen to his brain. My sister Behroze who lives in London was keen to visit him after speaking to the family. Alas... it was too late.

The death of Husainsaab despite the inevitability of mortality comes as a shock. Husain, "the grand-old man of contemporary art in India" was a child at heart. He seemed infallible with the spring in his step there till the last.

At this point my feelings about my country are looming large. When it came to Husain, the government and people of India made a mockery of democracy. We all know the soft target Husain was made of by Hindu fundamentalists.


Husain at a red-light area in Mumbai

The government of India simply played into the hands of this dangerous force giving false credence to their extremely suspect cause.

We who grew up with the art of M F Husain knew well, that for him his knowledge of religion was deep, sustaining and the way he translated it into a visual language was completely misunderstood and misinterpreted.

There are scholarly theories on his understanding of this aspect by historians like Geeta Kapur. Unfortunately the voices of Hindu fundamentalists were shrill in comparison to those of us who knew MFH's art.

Husain not only studied world religion as part of his practice, but was also deeply respectful of it. The fact was that he did not consider himself to be a "devout Muslim", but instead a "devout human being".

It shames me as an Indian that his beloved country did not give him his final resting place and that a sickening war was won. My family, particularly my father Kekoo Gandhy grew up in the contemporary art world with MFH as his comrade.


MF Husain with actress Tabu

The art of MFH defined the history of what we now call modern art in India. We his children grew up with Husain as part of the family. Always unpredictable, playful and one that could never be pinned down to the norms of society, Husain was a unique force in our world.

The family of Kekoo and Khorshed Gandhy deeply mourn the loss of the father of modern and contemporary art in India.

Behroze Gandhy says from London: I interviewed Husainsaheb in London in July 2009 at the Nehru Centre which was the first time he spoke at a Government of India platform, since the troubles began.

We spoke predominantly about cinema and the talk was called Art in Motion and his engagement with the film medium from his award-winning documentary, "Through the Eyes of a Painter" to Gaja Gamini and Meenaxi.u00a0

One theme that emerged from that talk was how much Hindu mythology was central to his influence as an artist growing up in India, and he was always actively engaged in exploring its traditions.

He was very articulate and upbeat and still passionately engaged in his work and continued exploring different mediums.

During the Q&A the inevitable question about his desire to return to India was posed, where he said of course he would love to return, but he was not sitting around and waiting as life was full and rich and he was a global citizen.

I feel its a very sad day for India when an artist like M F Husain who was crucial in contributing to the visual idiom of the modern nation state of Independent India from 1947, should pass away 7000 miles away from home.