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HUSAIN KI KAHANI APNI ZUBANI:
SIGNED AND LIMITED EDITION COPY
HUSAIN KI KAHANI APNI ZUBANI, a folio sized
leather bound book originally hand written by Husain
IN URDU was published in 2010 by Archer Art
gallery, Ahmadabad and printed in highest standards
of lithography, uncut printed on special deluxe
handmadepaper. All drawings in the book have been
engraved in lithography, similar to the limited editions
of great artists published in the finest styles of printing
in the west.
SIGNED and limited edition of 250 copies of which this
is number 145.
The book was published to celebrate Husain's 95th
birthday and was only meant for his family and friends.
184 page book containing 88 drawings with deckled
edged paper and decorated original boards.
Size 20 x 13.5 x 2 in.
THE barefoot artist, M.F. Husain, wrote his
autobiography in Urdu. Titled M.F. Husain ki Kahani
Apni Zubani, it is said to be inspired by Ghalib's
couplets:
By quoting the second couplet, Husain seems to allude
to his passion for walking barefoot. His works show
him to be inspired by the past, and he ever so easily
walked from the present into the past, from where he
embarked on a journey to pre-historic ages. The harsh
realities of the present were not lost to him.
Despite the fame he gained as an artist, and the
transformation into M.F. Husain from Maqbool Fida
Husain, he did not allow the young Maqbool to
disappear. As described in the autobiography, the boy
Maqbool goes on reminding him of the early years
spent in poverty.
M. F. Husain ki Kahani delves deep into Husain's
imagination; there are instances where he talks about
Imam Hussain's horse Duldul as well as Buraq which
carried the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to the
skies. There are references to themythological horse
of Ramchandrji Ashomidh. In these reminiscences the
young Maqbool interrupts the narrative to remind
Husain not to forget Achhan Mian, the horseshoe
maker, and Kalloo Mian, the tonga walla who helped
develop his fascination for horses.
Husain's mother died when he was just a year and a half
and his grandfather, Abdul, filled that role. At the time
of his death, Abdul handed Husain a 10 rupee note
which played a significant part in his life.
Husain never forgot the first sale he made. At a street
corner in Indore, a stranger appeared from nowhere and
paid him 10 rupees for the painting he was working on.
This was how he started off as a painter. The money
reminded him of the 10 rupee note given to him by
hisdying grandfather.
Husain also narrates his dramatic meeting with Madhuri
Dixit at an award function in 1994. Though a stranger
to her status as an award-winning actress, he became
deeply entranced by her persona.
The autobiography summarises how a boy born in
Pandharpur went to Indore and grew up to become
Maqbool, the painter. Bombay conferred on him the
title of M.F. Husain, the artist, while in Delhi he was
awarded the Padma Bhushan.
During his wanderings from city to city and country to
country, Husain met a host of people. Whenever he was
asked about them, his reply was, "If I try to enumerate
them, it will give the impression of name dropping. I can
only say:
Husain's prose style is praiseworthy. The bestexample of
this distinct style is when Husain writes:
"The age of M.F. Husain has not yet come to an end. In
fact, he is in the midst of three periods, the period of
love and beauty, the period of art and film, the period
of worldly worries, gham-i-rozgar....Husain is awake with
colours on his canvas and his devotion to the apsaras of
Bollywood. He has already touched the feet of deities
sitting in Ajanta and Ellora. He has been wondering
all these years in the bazaars of beauty. But he is not
a merchant of beauty. He is there as a distributor of
beauty. But don't forget the Maqbool of yesteryears,
who kept standing in the line for two hours to purchase
a two anna cinema ticket. This is not a film script. This
is a scene from real life, the life story of Maqbool not
known to the people. They only know 'M.F. Husain' as
he now is." - Article from "M.F. Husain: The Life Story",
Dawn, June 18, 2011.
Rs 2,00,000-Rs 2,50,000
$3,080-$3,850