M. F. Hussain is one of India's most celebrated artists. His art is auctioned at prestigious venues across the world for considerable sums of money. At the same time, he has always had a precarious reputation with many Hindus. His work has always pushed the boundaries of what is considered artistically sensible.

Hussain's art often takes a Hindu theme. Nothing wrong with that, most of the time. But it gets a bit pushy when we see paintings that show Sita masturbating on the tail of Hanuman. Or Parvati fornicating with a bull while husband Shiva looks on. Or Goddess Durga in union with her lion. Up until now, Hindus have (with the exception of the odd murmur) refused to be provoked by such paintings of Mr Hussain.

However, recently the celebrated artist showcased another work in the same genre as the above-mentioned paintings. The painting, titled "Mother India", personifies India as a nude woman in distress. Some have hailed the painting as a great work of artistic expression. But most of the Hindu public have seen it as the last straw in a string of provocative paintings by the artist, each further pushing the patience of Hindus regarding the abuse of their sacred art.

"Mother India" has caused a considerable reaction amongst the worldwide Hindu community. In the last month there have been at least 150 protests seeking to stop the display of such paintings by M. F. Hussain. Most of the protests have taken place in India, but have also occurred in several other countries. For example, American Hindus held a protest in New York, outside a gallery where the paintings were to be auctioned. The 'Mother India' painting has also led to hundreds of complaints to the Indian judiciary, resulting in a warrant being issued against Hussain, in the city of Indore, on the grounds of 'religious provocation' (a criminal offence in Indian law).

M. F. Hussain on his part has expressed regret for the offence caused to Hindus, but has so far ruled out withdrawal of any paintings, saying that it is ultimately the right of any artist to play with religious imagery as he or she pleases.

Hindu Voice comment:
Hindus have always been a very 'pro-art' people, and have therefore produced a massive amount of spiritual and sacred art, which is a form of devotional expression. It is natural that modern day artists may want to use this as a starting point for some of their own work. It is not in our nature to stop people expressing themselves as they desire. The question arises as to when, if at all, the line should be drawn as to what is acceptable and what is not. The answer to this question is an individual one, and different views towards it will naturally exist within our community. The current protests over M. F. Hussain's paintings indicate that many Hindus feel quite strongly that artistic license should respect the sensibilities of people who hold the art as sacred. It is also hard not to take a cynical view of the fact that for years M. F. Hussain has experimented with controversial depictions of revered Hindu figures, but has studiously avoided controversial art on the theme of his own religion, being fully aware the repercussions would have been of an entirely different nature.

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