06-04-2008, 10:13 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->AN OPEN LETTER TO SRI SASHI THAROOR
Dear Mr. Tharoor,
     This letter has reference to your article written in support of the judgment passed in favour of MF Hussain.
     I am an unknown Indian whose heart's every throb is meant for her mother-land and her culture. I feel myself extremely fortunate because I am born in India, the spiritual and divine land where even gods aspire to be born as human beings, our scriptures certify. It is my earnest wish to be born in this land birth after birth. I would rather prefer to be born as a blade of grass in this country than take birth in any other country as the most affluent person of the land. My love for my mother-land and my culture makes my heart bleed whenever any disrespect is caused to my country or my culture.
     I had the misfortune of seeing the paintings of M F Hussain in which he has painted Sita, Saraswati, Durga, Ganga, Yamuna and Bharata Mata etc. in awfully vulgar and obscene poses. A person is pained when the personalities he worships are disregarded, disrespected or ridiculed that too publicly. So I was pained and felt humiliated when I saw the paintings.
     Of course you might not have felt similar pain to see the same and Hussain's paintings might have amused you. That is very natural. One feels the pain only when he has respect for the personality who is disrespected.
     From your writing it never appeared to me that you have any motherly regards for Ganga, Yamuna, Durga, Sita or Bharat Mata. Therefore you have no problem whether they are worshipped or dishonoured. Because, having respect for some body and praising his or her public humiliation do not go hand in hand. Applauding the humiliation or dishonour of somebody is possible only when you have no regards for the person who is being dishonoured. Can you tolerate if your mother is painted in the nude in a vulgar pose and the painting is auctioned publicly? Certainly not- if you are a worthy son. But if you join the offenders who offend your mother you certainly do not deserve to be called a 'son'. Because a son will prefer to die than to see his mother offended that too publicly. What to speak of praising the offenders!
     My statement may appear like a personal attack. But I found no other way to convince you. One should talk to a person in the language he understands. And I think this is the only language you might understand.
     You may have no respect for Bharat Mata and other goddesses and you may take pleasure in seeing them offended, but how do you qualify to ask us to tolerate the public dishonour of our mothers? I do not understand what kind of tolerance it is when a mother is offended before a son and the son, in stead of protecting the mother's honour should applaud the offender ?
          Now a few questions about your tolerance and your advice for tolerance. Did you write any article in support of Salaman Rushdie when he was issued a death fatwa? Did you write in favour of the Danish cartoonist? Did you condemn the fundamentalism when Taslima was hackled? To my knowledge you did not. And I am sure you can never do it. BECAUSE, YOU FEAR FOR YOUR LIFE. You know what will happen to you if you write such an article in favour of the offenders of Islam and advise the offended to tolerate the assault.
     But for you our case is different. You can rub salt to our injuries. Because we are Hindus. You can teach us to tolerate the insults of our mothers because you know no fatwa will be issued in your name. Your behaviour, in plain words is called "hypocrisy".
     With every passing day we are inflicted with a newer insult, a newer assault, a newer injury on our hearts. And people like you flay us if we make the smallest complaint and wince a little out of pain. Will you and your group please let us rest in peace?
     Time is the only witness to certify that Hindus are the worst sufferers who have suffered unthinkable tortures and humiliations for centuries after centuries in the hands of aliens. Now the same is being repeated in newer forms in which our own brethren are proud accomplices.
     But remember there is a limit to every thing.
Yours truly
Indulata Das<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Dear Mr. Tharoor,
     This letter has reference to your article written in support of the judgment passed in favour of MF Hussain.
     I am an unknown Indian whose heart's every throb is meant for her mother-land and her culture. I feel myself extremely fortunate because I am born in India, the spiritual and divine land where even gods aspire to be born as human beings, our scriptures certify. It is my earnest wish to be born in this land birth after birth. I would rather prefer to be born as a blade of grass in this country than take birth in any other country as the most affluent person of the land. My love for my mother-land and my culture makes my heart bleed whenever any disrespect is caused to my country or my culture.
     I had the misfortune of seeing the paintings of M F Hussain in which he has painted Sita, Saraswati, Durga, Ganga, Yamuna and Bharata Mata etc. in awfully vulgar and obscene poses. A person is pained when the personalities he worships are disregarded, disrespected or ridiculed that too publicly. So I was pained and felt humiliated when I saw the paintings.
     Of course you might not have felt similar pain to see the same and Hussain's paintings might have amused you. That is very natural. One feels the pain only when he has respect for the personality who is disrespected.
     From your writing it never appeared to me that you have any motherly regards for Ganga, Yamuna, Durga, Sita or Bharat Mata. Therefore you have no problem whether they are worshipped or dishonoured. Because, having respect for some body and praising his or her public humiliation do not go hand in hand. Applauding the humiliation or dishonour of somebody is possible only when you have no regards for the person who is being dishonoured. Can you tolerate if your mother is painted in the nude in a vulgar pose and the painting is auctioned publicly? Certainly not- if you are a worthy son. But if you join the offenders who offend your mother you certainly do not deserve to be called a 'son'. Because a son will prefer to die than to see his mother offended that too publicly. What to speak of praising the offenders!
     My statement may appear like a personal attack. But I found no other way to convince you. One should talk to a person in the language he understands. And I think this is the only language you might understand.
     You may have no respect for Bharat Mata and other goddesses and you may take pleasure in seeing them offended, but how do you qualify to ask us to tolerate the public dishonour of our mothers? I do not understand what kind of tolerance it is when a mother is offended before a son and the son, in stead of protecting the mother's honour should applaud the offender ?
          Now a few questions about your tolerance and your advice for tolerance. Did you write any article in support of Salaman Rushdie when he was issued a death fatwa? Did you write in favour of the Danish cartoonist? Did you condemn the fundamentalism when Taslima was hackled? To my knowledge you did not. And I am sure you can never do it. BECAUSE, YOU FEAR FOR YOUR LIFE. You know what will happen to you if you write such an article in favour of the offenders of Islam and advise the offended to tolerate the assault.
     But for you our case is different. You can rub salt to our injuries. Because we are Hindus. You can teach us to tolerate the insults of our mothers because you know no fatwa will be issued in your name. Your behaviour, in plain words is called "hypocrisy".
     With every passing day we are inflicted with a newer insult, a newer assault, a newer injury on our hearts. And people like you flay us if we make the smallest complaint and wince a little out of pain. Will you and your group please let us rest in peace?
     Time is the only witness to certify that Hindus are the worst sufferers who have suffered unthinkable tortures and humiliations for centuries after centuries in the hands of aliens. Now the same is being repeated in newer forms in which our own brethren are proud accomplices.
     But remember there is a limit to every thing.
Yours truly
Indulata Das<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->