Months back.. A painter ! Depicts the symbol of a nation naked..
Had it been a south western nation, it would have executed him right there.
Had it been a western nation, it would have jailed him forever.
Had it been China, it would have put him in prison and our children might be playing with the toys made by him.
But it so happened that the nation was a sovereign secular democratic republic state called India...
And surprising things did happen...
A clarification.. The symbol of the nation is not Taj Mahal – some valentines of India assume it to be so... It was Bharat Matha who was depicted naked...
Objections and agitations did spark (There are still some sensible Indians left on this soil) and the usual procedure starting from the raising of Murdabad slogans to burning of the effigies of the painter was clinically followed. (Even those sensible Indians have to follow these insensible practices to grab the attention of the people concerned)
The media came to the rescue of this eminent painter.(Disclaimer: All adjectives used to describe the painter are those claimed by the long living national newspapers and nascent 24x7 news channels. The author does not share similar views and burning of the author’s effigies for the same is strictly not advisable) The names of the painter, newspapers and channels are not being mentioned with the assumption that they are evidently known to the readers.
May be you think the media wanted to safeguard the life of this painter who was worth a national treasure and may be they employed the usual tricks to divert the attention of the people from the topic! There you are taken by surprise. This part of the Indian Media is gutsy and straight forward, especially when supporting the wrong notions and people.
So what they do is – Fight for the Freedom of Expression of this gifted artist who can draw and depict anything in any way he wants. (Other than those hurting the Christian/Muslim emotions! WHY? – Minorities ! – Vote bank ! –Elections ! Indian politicians ! Government!)
Even Bharat Matha doesn’t escape his appetite for creativity(!) that she is stripped naked in his “ART WORK” ! And a chunk of the fourth pillar of the nation calls that as the artist’s freedom to express his skill and talent with the brush.
I wonder... If the artist was so hungry for naked paintings, why not depict his own family that way! Would his wife or daughter say a NO to it? After all, he is a great artist and to be part of his painting (forget being naked) is a boon nevertheless.
Or why not depict those media people (who willingly digest this work arising out of the Freedom of Expression) and their families! It wouldn’t bother them either. They are the upholders of the torch of this Freedom!
Why Bharat Matha ??? What wrong did she commit, to be so depicted by the hands of this mindless maniac?
Are you still wondering what is making me go mad against this incident?
It is this recent happening in Punjab.
Few days back...
“Objectionable” posters containing Jesus Christ were published in Punjab.
Was he naked in it? No.
Was he in an ugly shape or pose? No.
Was it vulgar? No.
Then what sort of depiction has triggered so much of violence?
Depiction with a beer can and a chicken’s leg!
Oh my god! That’s gross! How objectionable !! Media is fuming. How can this happen in a secular nation? It is Jesus Christ ! The God... How can you hurt the Christian sentiments? (When Indian sentiments are there to be beaten up and buried !)
The police get into the action. A special team is formed! It finds the people who printed these posters; Arrests them. Interrogates them to find out their motive behind such a depiction ! Tries to establish their links with people in other states ! And who knows... More drama is surely to get unveiled!
What do the poster printers think of themselves? Are they scholars like the one mentioned in the former case?
With what freedom in hand do they do all this ?
When such depictions are made, it is obvious that people will protest against it ! The only difference being...
When Christians take it to the streets (on account of religion) ... Those responsible for such shameful acts will be arrested ! Curfew will be declared ! Safety of the Christians is important !
When Indians take it to the streets (on account of the nation) ... The artist will escape unscathed, rather with lot of praise and pomp! Protesting Indians will be arrested ! Safety of the rest of the people is important !
WHAT A NATION !!!
The Final Surprise : The artist was to be awarded RAJA RAVI VARMA AWARD by the Government of Kerala ! Thanks to the Kerala High Court, it was stopped. And his name has been recommended for BHARAT RATNA several times!
Funny Fact : The artist is on a self imposed exile to United Arab Emirates and says he misses India tremendously !! Why wouldn’t he ? Which other country would give him freedom and protection to hurt its own sentiments, pride and dignity !!!
P. S.: (Please do read it to avoid all possible misunderstandings that have arisen in you)
1. It is not a measure to separate the Christians from Indians. I respect Christians, their emotions, religion, etc. and agree that any act that hurts their beliefs and sentiments are to be strictly punished. This is just a measure to differentiate and show, how biased a treatment the minorities get, on similar or less important issues and how shameless the authorities are, on such sensitive issues concerning the decorum of a nation.
2. I am certainly not a Hindutva activist ! Just a dutiful citizen of this country who gets agitated at such acts, but is just left with a blog to write down his opinions and feelings about any such incident.
