My mason/electrician broke the wall to reach the concealed innards of pipes and electric wires. As one would expect, he/they left the wall in a mess, but not before my discovery that, beyond the holes that they had made in the wall, the sides and the top had chipped paint which instantly made me see none other than the maestro, M. F. Hussain. I kept on deferring the repair until I found out that I should take a picture and show the accidental and incredible similitude that, by happenstance, had happened. So, here is the Before and After.
I was fortunate to meet him when he came to Madras for the first time in 1971/72, and had an exchange, which did not contain the promise of world fame that he embodied at that time. It is ironic that my only memory from that one-hour chat with him at the art gallery at Connemara Hotel, now Taj Vivanta, was that he was so proud of not wearing any footwear. He told me stories about how he travelled barefooted on airport tarmacs and wherever he went, and that if he went to the moon also, he would be without even sandals.
To the abundance of tributes which filled Hussain's life, here is mine.
The Inspirational Wall
2 comments:
Bhai,
Wow! I would have liked to see his real face in a photograph or in person.
Kindness seems to come through...
charu
My friend Farhan thought this picture is beautiful and added the following to his facebook page along with this picture to register his appreciation:
Now there is that look in your eyes, Like black holes in the sky!
Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!
Shine on you crazy diamond! - Pink Floyd
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