At the age of 95, and away from the land that inspires his art, painter M.F. Husain has lost none of his legendary flamboyance and passion for life. Here, in an intimate, freewheeling interview with Parvez Ahmed in Dubai, he bares his heart. The artist talks about his early years, his decision to take up Qatari citizenship, his likes and dislikes, and the many things that still keep him going
You have been out of India for a long time. Don't you miss your friends, fans, the alleys and the neighbourhoods, the bazaars?
Memories have their own ways of touching your heart…I have spent the best part of my life in India. But cell phones and computers have made the world smaller. I can talk to anybody whenever I feel like. I keep in touch. Distance does not matter anymore. I can say that I don’t miss anything… (Smiles)
So, are you cutting yourself off?
How can I? I am an Indian and I will remain an Indian. Just because I've become a Qatari citizen doesn't mean I will lose my Indianness. I'm getting NRI status, which means a lifelong visa and I can buy property anywhere in India.
When do you hope to return?
I will. I don't know when, but certainly in the near future. At the moment, I have two big projects in Qatar. I am doing a series on Arab civilisation. Then in England, I will be working on a series on India. I can never get away from India.
What pushed you towards painting?
I was fond of drawing since childhood. I never threw tantrums for anything else apart from eraser, pencil, paint and brush. I used to draw on every possible empty space. My relatives gave up on me. They often said I would neither land a decent job nor find a girl to marry. They were right. I never had a job in that sense and the girl I loved was not allowed by her parents to marry me. In Indore, there were two large portraits of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar and his queen. I used to look at them for hours. I was later told it was painted by the French painter Brancusi who had stayed for two years in Indore on the invitation of the Maharaja. I used to think that had they given me just two days, I would have produced better work. As I grew up, I began participating in events. I used to closely study the paintings of great painters of that era and before.
It is generally believed that your iconic horse was also born in Indore?
During Muharram, people used to make huge taziyas and decorate horses. I got attracted to them since my childhood. In fact, I used to visit Imambaras to see horses. And then, as time passed, I started to incorporate them in my paintings. I did a lot of experiments. I saw horses of different breeds—Chinese, Japanese, Turkish and Arabian. From them, my horse took birth. It is altogether different. If you watch closely, the hips of my horses have a feminine touch, and that is why they look so attractive.
You were nominated to the Rajya Sabha but never showed any inclination towards politics…
My personal belief is that every person should be politically aware, must have an ideology, a point of view and should have political street smartness. But, having said that, I also maintain that an artist must detach himself from all these. He should be away from active politics. During my growing days, I heard the speeches of several people, Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah and Hitler, to name a few. However, I did not get carried away. I supported whom I thought to be prudent. But I never became a part of their politics.
You also saw the days of the Raj…
I hated them. I used to be furious at people who were hangers-on. In many of my initial paintings, I protested against their policies. Way back in 1930, I made a painting where I showed a British lying on the road with a dog beside him. They used to hate us and the same hate I reciprocated in my paintings.
And when Partition happened, did you think of migrating to Pakistan?
Never. I was always against the Partition. Leave alone going there, I barred the letters of one of my brothers-in-law who had migrated there.
You have been out of India for a long time. Don't you miss your friends, fans, the alleys and the neighbourhoods, the bazaars?
Memories have their own ways of touching your heart…I have spent the best part of my life in India. But cell phones and computers have made the world smaller. I can talk to anybody whenever I feel like. I keep in touch. Distance does not matter anymore. I can say that I don’t miss anything… (Smiles)
So, are you cutting yourself off?
How can I? I am an Indian and I will remain an Indian. Just because I've become a Qatari citizen doesn't mean I will lose my Indianness. I'm getting NRI status, which means a lifelong visa and I can buy property anywhere in India.
When do you hope to return?
I will. I don't know when, but certainly in the near future. At the moment, I have two big projects in Qatar. I am doing a series on Arab civilisation. Then in England, I will be working on a series on India. I can never get away from India.
What pushed you towards painting?
I was fond of drawing since childhood. I never threw tantrums for anything else apart from eraser, pencil, paint and brush. I used to draw on every possible empty space. My relatives gave up on me. They often said I would neither land a decent job nor find a girl to marry. They were right. I never had a job in that sense and the girl I loved was not allowed by her parents to marry me. In Indore, there were two large portraits of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar and his queen. I used to look at them for hours. I was later told it was painted by the French painter Brancusi who had stayed for two years in Indore on the invitation of the Maharaja. I used to think that had they given me just two days, I would have produced better work. As I grew up, I began participating in events. I used to closely study the paintings of great painters of that era and before.
It is generally believed that your iconic horse was also born in Indore?
During Muharram, people used to make huge taziyas and decorate horses. I got attracted to them since my childhood. In fact, I used to visit Imambaras to see horses. And then, as time passed, I started to incorporate them in my paintings. I did a lot of experiments. I saw horses of different breeds—Chinese, Japanese, Turkish and Arabian. From them, my horse took birth. It is altogether different. If you watch closely, the hips of my horses have a feminine touch, and that is why they look so attractive.
You were nominated to the Rajya Sabha but never showed any inclination towards politics…
My personal belief is that every person should be politically aware, must have an ideology, a point of view and should have political street smartness. But, having said that, I also maintain that an artist must detach himself from all these. He should be away from active politics. During my growing days, I heard the speeches of several people, Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah and Hitler, to name a few. However, I did not get carried away. I supported whom I thought to be prudent. But I never became a part of their politics.
You also saw the days of the Raj…
I hated them. I used to be furious at people who were hangers-on. In many of my initial paintings, I protested against their policies. Way back in 1930, I made a painting where I showed a British lying on the road with a dog beside him. They used to hate us and the same hate I reciprocated in my paintings.
And when Partition happened, did you think of migrating to Pakistan?
Never. I was always against the Partition. Leave alone going there, I barred the letters of one of my brothers-in-law who had migrated there.
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