On Monday 12 May 2008 10:16:56 am Gautam John wrote: > [1] http://www.indianexpress.com/story/307248.html
Quote from the above: >“In a free and democratic society, tolerance is vital. This is true >especially in large and complex societies like ours where people with varied >beliefs and interests mingle,” said the single-judge bench of Justice Sanjay >Kishan Kaul. I believe societies have ways of putting fingers into sensitive places in a way that judges and governments cannot do. Here is a photo of a painting by MF Husain: The photo is entitled "Goddess Durga in sexual union with a Tiger" or some such thing "http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/cybersurg/?action=view¤t=goddessdurgainsexualunionwithtiger.jpg It certainly looks like a work of art, but its title and characters can survive only so long as Hindus in society can tolerate them. It matters little if people who are not Hindus can tolerate them. A sudden decision by some Hindus to not tolerate an old painting tells a story by itself (IMO). The climate of tolerance must not be one sided. India is a country in which a Muslim politician can make a speech offering a Rs 1 Crore (about $250,000) for killing a Danish cartoonist. Allowing this man to remain free is tolerance. This tolerance of intolerance needs to be contrasted against the perceived intolerance of the painting of a revered religious icon being depicted "in sexual union" with an animal. In the case of MFHusain's paintings, the judge's opinion is very interesting because it sets the stage for a further confrontation some time down the line. In fact the judge's call for tolerance has been accepted without much protest because his judgement is now a tool to judge others who appear to show intolerance. To my mind it is important to read between the lines and not to miss the particular target that is being aimed at in this MF Husain paintings issue. You can be dead sure that the issue and this High Court ruling will get raked up again the next time there is a protest about a Danish cartoonist, or Taslima Nasreen or similar artist. shiv
