MS Dhoni's cameo in vain as five-time champions dealt thrid loss but hold on to third place in the standings
India's most famous artist died in London on June 9, 2011, at the age of 95. "He symbolised the general public's perception of a modern artist in post-Independence India," artist Jitish Kallat explains. Anil Relia, a gallerist and friend, reckons that it was his growing fame that was ultimately responsible for his exile from India. "If Husain was a lesser known artist, this may not have happened," Relia rues. Fleeing persecution from extremists upset at his controversial suite of paintings depicting Hindu deities, Husain sought refuge in Dubai and London in 2006. Often dubbed as the barefoot Picasso of India in the West (though that label can be misleading, for it is on F.N. Souza's head that the title sits more easily), Husain's tryst with the UAE began in 2006 when he first moved to Sharjah where one of his cousins, Fida, was based although he had been visiting the UAE on and off since 2003. Later, Husain gifted Fida an apartment in Sharjah. "He could come in and go as he pleased. You know how Husain was," Relia laughs. In 2006, back home in India, the hate campaign against Husain had blown out of proportion. Arrest warrants were issued. One of his museums, 'Amdavad ni Gufa', in Ahmedabad where Relia serves as a director, was vandalised by a mob. It was a wake-up call for the ageing (rather, ageless) artist. In this moment of uncertainty, Husain decided to make Dubai his new home. Staying at the upmarket Emaar Tower penthouse near Deira, Husain's new world was every bit as flamboyant as the one he had left behind in hometown Mumbai, a place he reportedly died pining for. One joke went that the itinerant saint had finally pitched his tent, alluding as much to him settling down in dotage as to the Arabic-soaked décor of his apartment in Dubai. Red was its predominant theme. Everything - from upholstery to Persian rugs to even his own suite of paintings - was red. "I call it my red light museum," the maverick artist liked to joke. This is where, according to Relia, he had stored the famous Maria Zourkova collection, a repository of older works that his former Czech lover had returned after five decades saying, "This belongs to India." Husain later sold it to a London-based collector, hoping that the intimate collection stayed together in private hands long after his death.
Munna Javeri remembers that each day with Husain in Dubai was an adventure. When in his beloved Mumbai, the silver-haired artist enjoyed walking the streets, never tied to one place for too long - downing cups of milky tea at Irani cafes or stopping by at a favourite eatery for biryani was a ritual. "Husain brought the same lifestyle to Dubai," Javeri tells WKND. He relished going out with friends, to restaurants such as Kamat for Indian meal and Ashrafi for Mughlai cuisine. "He loved Chinese. Since he had digestion problems, Chinese suited his palate," says Javeri, adding that his favourite hangout was The Noodle House in Jumeirah Emirates Towers. "He used to hang out in the Jumeirah Emirates Towers' lobby. He even received guests there, offering them coffee and khajur in typical Arabic hospitality," says Relia. A movie buff (who can forget his singular obsession with Madhuri Dixit?), the great modern artist was often found catching up on Hindi cinema at Lamcy Plaza. Not to mention the fleet of fancy wheels he owned, including the famous red Ferrari - zipping around in it, painting the town, er..., red. The flashy glitter of Dubai matched his own rakish personality. Talking to Relia and Javeri, it quickly becomes evident that Dubai gave him commercial success at a level he had never imagined. The decision to move there was a game-changer.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com
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