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Re: ARTICLE: Weak to the strong, Strong to the weak - An article by Sri Arun Shourie
Shrisha Rao wrote:
>
> In article <ghenDzqLB0.5o3@netcom.com>,
> Ramakrishnan Balasubramanian <rbalasub@ecn.purdue.edu> wrote:
>
> > This is an excellent article by Arun Shourie. This was forwarded by
> > a friend, I do not know the original source.
>
> Thanks for posting the article. The source is probably the Indian Express.
>
> One point about Hussein that doesn't seem to have been made so far is
> that he may have -- or even must have -- done this deliberately. I
> mean, the man is at best a mediocre artist who has over long decades ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Is that why Hussain's paintings were destroyed by BD and SS goons?
> failed to make any decent headway in making a mark for himself. For
> the excellent reason that rather than devote himself to his art, he
> seems to prefer to try one gimmick after another to keep himself in
> the limelight, little realizing that this does nothing to impart worth
> to his work. In the eighties, when the Ram-temple movement started
> gaining ground, and with the Ramayan tele-serial, etc., the feeling of
> devotion was *recognized* as being widespread (it would be wrong to
> say became widespread, because it was already so), Hussein painted
> several watercolor caricatures of Hanuman that looked to me as though
> they had been painted by a child in primary school (all right, so I
> don't appreciate modern art -- never said I did). And proclaimed that
> he was closer in his heart to Hinduism than to Islam.
>
> What that gimmick actually achieved, if anything, is questionable;
> more recently we had our dear artist applying his matchless skill to
> put to canvas the indescribably exotic features of that peerless
> actress, Madhuri Dixit -- as if the poor long-suffering public had not
> already choked in its collective consciousness from a relentless
> exposure to her likenesses everywhere. Needless to say, this too did
> little to enhance Hussein's flagging reputation, although the press
> dutifully recorded the historic event in words and in pictures.
>
> And now comes this, wherein no doubt the "artist" hopes that by
> outraging the sensibilities and sentiments of the majority of Hindus,
> he will gain sufficient notoriety to be able to sell a few more of his
> otherwise-worthless canvases. But he doesn't seem to realize that the
> public is not that stupid. For most people, a painting is an
> expensive, long-term investment, and while they may gawk at and listen
> to all the hoopla, they will be less than eager to part with their
> money for something that doesn't deserve it. Thus, at the end of the
> day, Hussein will be back to square one as a professional, but will
> have done himself the additional disservice of annoying many who might
Just speak for yourself. If you are speaking any other organization, then
say so!
> otherwise have thought well of him. He would indeed be better advised
> to serve his art with humility, rather than hope that these foolish
> exercises in self-aggrandizement will get him anywhere. I believe it
His paintings will now sell like hotcakes because of the BD, SS goons.
> was the late Sir C.V. Raman who noted that science is a hard mistress
> who wants one to serve her for her own sake, with no other reward. No
> doubt something very similar is true of art as well.
>
> Regards,
>
> Shrisha Rao
>
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