Page 12 - M F Husain The Eternal Master
P. 12

beginning was ephemeral as the spectre of financial hardship
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            descended upon him. The loss of his father’s employment
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            compelled Husain to return to Indore. But this was only a

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            brief interlude in his relationship with Bombay. In 1936,
                                                                                                                                                                            Husain with his portrait of revered singer M. S. Subbulakshmi   Husain returned to the vibrant heart of the “maximum city,”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            setting foot on its bustling streets once more and beginning
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            a transformative journey that would shape him, both as a

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            person and an artist. Bombay, a city teeming with life, became
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            the crucible in which Husain’s creative spirit would forge its
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            early identity.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Husain’s humble  beginnings in  the city saw him
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            living on the pavements near Grant Road Station. This was
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            a vibrant neighbourhood with cinema halls, including the

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Majestic, Dreamland, and Apsara, intermingling with a
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            nearby red-light district. Despite his youth and his inability
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            to earn a living through any skill other than painting, Husain’s
                               A profile of Husain in Sunday Mirror supplement published on December 10th, 2006                                                                                                                             determination and innate talent were his only assets.



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