Monday, May 14, 2007

'Freedom of art'

People taking law into their hands is inexcusable at any cost. That, beating up someone because his creative work was offensive to others, is undemocratic and uncivilized is inarguable. But when this rule is not applied uniformly, then that's what annoys more.

News channels showed a group of angry men, allegedly from the VHP, barging into a student art exhibition in Vadodara and beat up a student there in protest against the obscene paintings, which depicted Hindu Gods nude, that were on display. Now this type of muscle-flexing is indefensible. But why do these 'artists' always find Hindu Gods and Goddesses as the objects of their mischievous artistic endeavours. Its as if it has now become a fashion among the 'artists' to paint Hindu Gods and Godesses nude following in the footsteps of that 'great soul who has suffered immensely for his freedom of expression' M F Hussein. Why don't they use such creativity to paint Gods of other religions nude? Wont those Gods fit into their artistic scheme? Its simply because they do not have the guts to do so. Now, although beaten up, they survived to see another day. If, say, the sentiments of minorities were the victims of their artistic freedom, no God could have saved their lives.

The media, which prefers to put all men belonging to VHP behind bars so that minorities are 'safe' in this country, is making a big issue out of this 'attack on artistic freedom'. A motley group of protestors in Vadodara was sufficient for them to proclaim that the entire nation is enraged at this 'attack on artistic freedom'. Left-leaning 'liberal intellectuals' use whatever soundbites they get to offer to assert how only they and their allied secularists can save the country's art fraternity. They and the media did not have a word to say when there were violent protests everywhere against Prophet Mohammed cartoons that were published in some other country. A state minister of UP, then, had also declared a prize-money for the head of the cartoonist who was not an Indian at all in the first place. The media then did not talk about freedom of art. They instead harped on how minority sentiments should be respected.

Don't we Hindus have sentiments? Should we Hindus not feel hurt when our Gods are painted in whatever ways the depraved minds of these 'artists' can think of? Why doesn't the media, the 'liberals', the 'intellectuals' understand this? If these issues aren't addressed, then it might lead to a feeling amongst the generally peaceful Hindu community, that what happened to the art exhibitors in Vadodara was right. O God!, what's happening in this country?

10 comments:

Parisarapremi said...

ಆ ಹುಡುಗ ಬರೆದಿರೋದು ತಪ್ಪೆಂದರೆ ಬೇಲೂರು, ಹಳೇಬೀಡು, ಕೊನಾರ್ಕ್ ಇಂಥಾ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನಗಳನ್ನು ಕೆಡವಿ ಹಾಕ್ಬಿಡಬೇಕು ಅಂತ ಕಲಾವಿದರ ವಾದ..

ಈ ಕೊಂಡಿಯನ್ನು ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ಕಿಸಿ... "ನಮ್ಮ" ಹಿಂದು ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿರುವುದನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ಆನಂದಿಸಿ..
http://motugode.blogspot.com/2007/05/blog-post_07.html

Harish said...

antha vaadavannu vittanDa vaada endu heLabeku ashte. aa ella devastaanagaLalli poojisalpaDuva vigrahagaLu aa reeti kettalpaTTilla andu nanna nambike. horagaDe anthaha kettanegaLiruvudu bere vishaya. adannu yaaroo poojisuvudilla.
Devara kalpane bere-bereyavaralli bere-bere iddaroo, heege nude aagi paint maaDuvudu eshto janarige novu unTu maaDuva sangati.
But you might argue that a piece of art can hurt some sections some times. But hurting certain religious sentiments is not correct and its also dangerous in the long run.
Even if we say people have to learn to be more tolerant, then why were some other sections of society not tolerant when certain cartoons were released which was also an expression of art? Why were some sections angry and were baying for the head of the author of a controversial book for a decade? Why weren't the same liberals not liberal enough to tell those sections to show restraint then?

Parisarapremi said...

ಇರಬಹುದು. ಆದರೆ ಚಿತ್ರ ಬರೆದರೆ ಬೇಸರವಾಗುವ ಜನಕ್ಕೆ ಶಿಲ್ಪಕಲೆಯಿಂದ ಯಾಕೆ ಬೇಸರವಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ? ನಮ್ಮ ಹೊಯ್ಸಳರ ಯಾವುದೇ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಿ ನೋಡಿ, ಹೆಣ್ಣು ದೇವತೆಗಳು ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದ ಒಳಗಿರಲಿ, ಹೊರಗಿರಲಿ ಬೆತ್ತಲೆಯಾಗೇ ಇರೋದು. ಶಿವನ ಪಕ್ಕದ ಪಾರ್ವತಿ ಕೂಡ!

ಅದನ್ನು ನಾವು ಕಲೆಯೆಂದೇ ಆರಾಧಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ.

ಮತಕ್ಕೂ ಇದಕ್ಕೂ ಸಂಬಂಧವಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು ನನ್ನ ಅನಿಸಿಕೆ.

ಪೂಜಿಸುವ ದೇವರನ್ನು ಬೆತ್ತಲಾಗಿ ಬರೆದಿರೋದು ಅನೇಕರಿಗೆ ನೋವಾಗಿರಬಹುದು. ಆದರೆ, ಹಾಗೆ ಬರೆಯುವುದೇ ಅಪರಾಧವೆನ್ನುವುದು ತಪ್ಪು ಎಂದು ನನ್ನ ಅನಿಸಿಕೆ. ತಲತಲಾಂತರದ ಕಲಾವಿದರೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಬೆತ್ತಲಾಗಿಸಿಯೇ ಬರೆಯುತ್ತಿರೋದನ್ನು ಇತಿಹಾಸ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಮುಜುಗರ ಆದರೆ ಅದನ್ನು ಒಪ್ಪಿಕೊಳ್ಳದಿದ್ದರಾಯ್ತು. ಅದನ್ನು ನೋಡದಿದ್ದರಾಯ್ತು. ಹಾಗಂತ ಆ ಕಲಾವಿದನನ್ನು ಅಪರಾಧಿಯನ್ನಾಗಿಸಬಾರದು. ಕಲಾವಿದನಿಗೆ ಅವನ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯವುಂಟಲ್ಲವೇ?

Arjun Sharma said...

Idara bagge ninge mail kalsidini.

Kalsirodara bagge message kalsidini.

Harish said...

naanu kanDiruva keLiruva yaavude devasthaanadalli poojisalpaDuva devarannu bettalaagi kettalpaTTilla. devasthaanada suttalina goDegaLA mele kettalpaTTiruva kettanegaLa bagge naanu illi maatanaaDilla.

devarannu bettaleyaagi torisi, adu kaleyendu karedu, adakko matakko yaava sambanda illa ennuvudu yaava reetiyalloo logical alla.

bareyali, bettalaagiye bareyali. ella devaranno bettalaaagi bareyali. namma devarugaLe yaake. bere devarugaLannu baLesikonDare adu kaleyallave?

Harish said...

[Arjun]Message, tadanantara mail - eradanno odide. Reply noDi santosha aytu.

Parisarapremi said...

ಹೌದು.. ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮಾತು ಸಮ್ಮತಪಡಿಸುವಂಥದ್ದು. ಬೆತ್ತಲಾದ ದೇವತೆಯನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಪೂಜಿಸುವ ದೇವರನ್ನು ಬೆತ್ತಲಾಗಿ ಬರೆದಿಲ್ಲ. ನಾನು ಒಂದೆರಡು ಸಂಗತಿಗಳಲ್ಲೆಡವಿದೆ.. ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ.

ಈ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯವನ್ನು ದುರ್ಬಳಕೆ ಮಾದಿಕೊಳ್ಳದೇ ಕಲೆಯನ್ನಾರಾಧಿಸುವಂತಾಗಲಿ ಕಲಾವಿದರು. ಕಲೆಗೆ, ಜನ-ಮನದ ಭಾವನೆಯ ಪರಿಧಿಯಲ್ಲಿರಲಿ ಕಲೆಯು. ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದಾಗಲಿ.

ಬೇರೇ ದೇವರುಗಳನ್ನು ಬರೆಯಲು ಇರುವ ಸಾಧ್ಯ ಬಹಳ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಬಿಡಿ. ಜೈನರ ದೇವರುಗಳಿಗೆ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಹಾಕಿ ಚಿತ್ರ ಬರೆದು ವಿವಾದ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು ಅಷ್ಟೆ. :-)

S.. Diva said...

absolutely right argument...
btw is there any chance i can get to see that controversial painting anywhere?

neevu music blog nalli yenu baritane illa ee naduve

Harish said...

[Sneha]
Gottilla.

aa music blog update maaDtivi shortly. adu namma somaari-tanakke target aagbiTTide.ashte.

Anonymous said...

very valid point raised. secularism is just another name for hindubashing.