Naked Mother India Sparks Protest
Interesting StuffHe envisioned Mother India as a naked, voluptuous woman, with full breasts, rounded hips and a gracious smile. As a leading artist, he painted his love and devotion for his motherland by depicting a nude woman in front of a wheel resembling the logo in the national flag. The names of some Indian states are erotically scribbled across her ripe body. But 91-year-old M. F. Hussain, living in self-exile in Dubai and London, faces public protests and charges in court. His properties might forcibly be taken away from him if he continues to ignore the court summons. His home had also been attacked by radicals.
A watercolour by Husain depicting an Indian woman and a European woman in a palanquin.
This is Hussain’s artistic and erotic reinterpretation of a more common painting depicting Mother India as a sari-clad woman with the Buddhist wheel or dharma chakra in other publications. Hussain had also painted Hindu god and goddesses in various sexy poses, including in the nude. Art has a price, especially when it exploits religion and patriotism. But it is not difficult to understand and appreciate Hussain’s art. Mother India has always been associated with fertility and a nurturing quality. It embraces its children with warmth and love. Besides, Bollywood suggests that all of India is sexy, erotic and obsessed with sex. Viewed from this perspective, Hussain must be a truly great artist who captures the essence of Mother India in all its beauty and eroticism.