Indian Artists Fear Intolerance

[Guest guest]

MUMBAI (May 16, 2007): A sudden increase in the number of legal cases

being filed against artists, actors and writers for " offending "

people has caused great concern in India's art community.

 

Last week, a 23-year-old art student spent the weekend in jail in the

western city of Baroda after some of his paintings depicting nude

religious figures upset a lawyer.

 

In April, following a complaint lodged by another lawyer, a court in

Jaipur issued arrest warrants for Hollywood actor Richard Gere and

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty after he repeatedly kissed her on the

cheek during an Aids awareness event in the capital, Delhi.

 

Legal proceedings in this case have now been suspended by the Supreme

Court.

 

Renowned Indian artist MF Husain has also been in the news - he went

to live abroad more than a year ago after he was accused of obscenity

in various court cases over a painting in which he represented the

country as a nude goddess.

 

India is the world's biggest democracy and freedom of expression and

speech are constitutional rights, guarded and implemented with the

greatest zeal.

 

'NOT IN TUNE'

 

However, the art community is coming up against rising intolerance

over how it expresses issues relating to religion and sex.

 

Professor Shalini Bharat, a sociologist at the Tata Institute of

Social Sciences, says this is due to internal dynamics - one section

of the country has moved ahead while another is lagging behind.

 

" Change in India has not been uniform and all pervasive, " she told

the BBC. " While one section of Indian society feels closer to Western

culture, the other is still not quite there.

 

" So when they see artistic expression that is not in tune with their

idea of Indian culture, they feel it is being taken away from them

and they protest against it. "

 

The protests usually involve angry crowds shouting slogans, burning

effigies and demanding the removal of a painting they say is obscene,

or a kissing scene they don't like in a Bollywood film.

 

On some occasions, films and books have even been banned after they

were deemed to have hurt Indian people's feelings.

 

At times, people have become violent and vandalised art galleries, as

well as threatening artists with dire consequences if they do not

withdraw the work of art deemed offensive.

 

Artist Jaideep Mehrotra believes a dialogue needs to be started

between the artists and those who protest against their work to help

them understand each other.

 

" Art and painting have always been seen as for the rich and famous.

The increasing economic disparity between people makes some squirm at

the smallest thing.

 

" We need to start talking to them, make art accessible to them so

they understand it and realise it is for everyone, " he told the BBC.

 

'ABSURD'

 

Some others from the art community believe media reportage, too, has

a role to play in the rise in cases over alleged obscenity being

filed across the country.

 

They say the immediate spotlight that is put on the complainant once

he or she files a case against a high-profile artist or actor and the

extensive coverage given to such cases encourages others to follow

suit.

 

Sociologist Nandini Sardesai says these voices are more vociferous,

more articulate and make their point known loudly and clearly.

 

If the media ignored these cases and did not give them any

prominence, they would surely die down.

 

But legal experts say the real issues are not dealt with when such

cases are taken on by already overburdened courts, further delaying

verdicts in trials that have been going on for years.

 

Supreme Court lawyer Karan Singh said these cases are " absurd " and

higher courts must come down heavily on lower courts that hear them.

 

He said: " The judiciary is already stretched and then we have such

cases that take up more time and energy of the courts.

 

" Other important trials are bound to suffer. For instance, I am

involved in a murder case that began back in 1982 and the hearing in

that matter is still continuing. "

 

He also made a distinction between art and pornography.

 

" Pornographic content in photographs and movies is prohibited and it

should be because they are real life depictions.

 

" Art is subjective and not a real life depiction. For those who claim

they are exercising their freedom of speech, I would say they should

not be curtailing another individual's freedom of expression. "

 

SOURCE: BBC News

URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6659073.stm