Maqbool Fida Hussain in more trouble

Fast on the heels of the attack on his paintings in London, Hussain finds himself in another controversy back home.

BY A CORRESPONDENT

19 June 2006
MUMBAI, INDIA

Renowned Indian painter Maqbool Fida Hussain, 90, has landed himself in yet another controversy. This time the feud rages around the inclusion of a chapter about the painter in Class XI textbooks by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

A new Hindi textbook, called Antaraal, has an autobiographical sketch of the painter.

According to a CNN-IBN report, the former NCERT director JS Rajput has been quoted as saying "Such a controversial man should not figure, should not find a place in text books. Textbooks have a certain set of philosophy, a certain approach and they are meant for developing children at a very sensitive stage." 

Many believe that the inclusion of a chapter on the painter is part of a initiative by the government to undo the changes made by the NDA when it was in power. Many textbooks had been re-written to be in sync with the Hindutva beliefs. 

In the CNN-IBN report, Ram Janam Sharma, the Head of Languages, NCERT, has said that when the NCERT includes a great artist in the textbooks, they don't consider what others will say about it. They only consider what children will get from it and what will they learn from it.

Recently Hussain was in the news when two of his paintings of naked Hindu goddesses was defaced in Britain. As a result, the his exhibition of work at Asia House, in London, was cancelled. The exhibition, called M F Hussain: Early Masterpieces 1950s-70s, included 16 of his works. The exhibition was to be held until August 5. 

Hussain had gone to London seeking a more tolerant artistic climate. But, it doesn't look like there is any respite for much-feted artist either at home or abroad.