Author: M.S.N. Menon
Publication: Organiser
Date: June 12, 2005
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=82&page=15
We don't know. Perhaps, we don't
care?
India had a long tradition of painting.
It was one of the 64 kalas (arts). In his commentary on the Kamasutra,
Yasodhar gives a detailed exposition on paintings. It shows that the art
of painting and murals was already well advanced in India. Paintings are
mentioned in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Kings, who were patrons
of painters, also had chitrashalas in their palaces. Ellora and Ajanta
paintings mark the highest perfection of this art.
What happened to all these priceless
paintings? They were destroyed by the Muslim invaders. They forced the
Hindu kings to destroy the chitrashalas. Never had bigotry and ignorance
combined to wreak such great destruction.
Islam was opposed to reasoning as
also to arts. For example, to painting, sculpting, music, dance and drama.
Thus, it blocked the intellectual and aesthetic development of its followers,
which is reflected in its civilisation. It is said of music that it disturbs
their preoccupation with God. Indeed very strange, when every other religion
considers music an aid to devotion! Why, even the Sufis, a Muslim sect,
say that music is a bridge between man and God.
During the 700-800 years of Muslim
rule in India, the painters were a despised lot. It was a major setback
to the development of Hindu art. It meant centuries lost to the Hindus.
The leading painter of India today-M.F.
Hussain-is a Muslim. And Muslims occupy high ranks in all other arts like
music, dance and acting. But the mischief has been done. India lost priceless
paintings to religious bigotry. In the opinion of Vincent Smith, the historian,
(Akbar, the Great Mughal) Indian paintings "have perished almost without
exception, and but for Abul Fazl's express testimony, the continued existence
of Hindu schools of paintings throughout the ages would have been a matter
of faith and inference rather than of positive certainty."
During the Mughal period, there
was an effort to revive Indian painting. But why? Because, although the
Mughals were Muslims, they chose to follow a different tradition. They
drew their inspiration from Bukhara-Samarkhand, where there was a flourishing
colony of painters of Iranian, Chinese and Indian origin. The Mughals invited
them to Delhi to do court paintings-especially of court events, including
shikharas.
Mughal art reached its glory under
Jehangir. According to Prof. A.M.R. Shustari, miniature paintings had their
origin in Buddhist Central Asia and were developed in Iran before they
were introduced into India. Akbar promoted these miniatures.
Aurangzeb, the bigot, personally
destroyed many paintings. He even ordered a whitewash of Akbar's tomb to
conceal some of the paintings on it. He also banned music, and asked his
spies to raid houses to destroy the musical instruments. He also disliked
dancing, although he used to sneak into harem quarters to see the dancing
girls.
It is said that the Prophet of Islam
had an intense dislike for music. But, then, he disliked poetry too. According
to Prof. P.K. Hitti (History of the Arabs) Mohammed declared the musical
instrument the 'devil's muezzin'. Compare this with the Hindu tradition.
The Hindus consider Shiva the supreme patron of arts and Saraswati, the
goddess of learning, is associated with the veena.
Today, Muslims are reconciled to
the arts-to music, dance, painting, poetry and so on. But not one word
of regret has come from any enlightened Muslim quarter for what the Muslim
invaders had done. Nor is there an awareness among them of the need to
prevent such vandalism in the future. Which is why a cabal of terrorists
was able to destroy the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan. The vandal's spirit
is not dead. In fact, M.F. Hussain pours scorn and ridicule over Hindus,
as his ancestors had done, by drawing Hindu goddesses in the nude! One
may well ask: Who is to pay for Islam's historical follies?
This is why any sign of bigotry
and intolerance should be stamped out in any civilised society. Let us
not assume that the vandals are dead and gone. They are not. Not long ago,
the Islamists in Indonesia threatened to blow up the Temple of Borobudur,
one of the wonders of the world. We cannot allow these demented creatures
to assume that they know better than God how the world is to be constructed.