Thursday, May 24, 2007

Calling for answers


This is an "infamous" M.F. Hussain painting's The question I have is simple and straight.

"Why is Sita naked here?"

I can possibly find a fairly simple and straight explanation for Hanuman's nakedness. He is a monkey. He is great, strong, cool, adorable and admirable monkey. Clothing him up may be just euphemism on our part. But I don't understand Sita's nakedness.

I made a quick, short search and was flooded with opinions tangential to my question.. like "freedom of expression" and "naked goddesses in Hindu temples" and "nakedness implies purity" and all that. So, just gave up. I just want to know the answers, I would hope, from M.F. since he has created this and he is the only one who can come up with the *real* reason. But anybody's direct, unprejudiced view is invited.

5 comments:

Driver said...

My perception: "This guy likes to keep himself in the limelight."

Every few years MFH releases "controversial" artwork - remember the Madhuri Dixit episode... He is a person who knows how to stay in the news.

Badhri said...

Well..that's one possibility!

PasserBy said...

That's the only possibility!!

PasserBy said...

On second thoughts, I think Hanuman never lifted Sita in Ramayana!!!! Which story is this? If this is Not Ramayana, then how come people call the characters Sita and Hanuman?!

Anonymous said...

sir,
leaving aside the EPIC & Gods for a moment(say a fraction of a second-as any serious devotee may not tolerate this depiction), the artist was worried that the clothes may aid fire and destroy them first before Lanka?

anon