Maqbool Fida Hussain lived life large. And his works portrayed that inclination towards scale. Like the 13 meter (45 foot) long mural at TIFR. I remember, standing stunned and humbled, as I filed past this work, like a pilgrim. I had never seen anything like this before. Done in 1962, Husain-saab already showed the unmatched genius that we came expect from him, and which took him to the top of Indian contemporary art. I must admit that only the raw power of a Tyeb Mehta work could ever impress me as much...And today, just like that, he is no more. Dead, in exile, far from the land that was his soul, his identity. Husain-saab legacy cannot be the narrow, bigoted, politically-motivated rubbish some of our esteemed leaders have come to preach. To me, and to countless other adoring fans, it will be the mural in south Bombay, or the magnificent and bold brush-strokes that spoke more than words ever could have.
R.I.P., finally. India is poorer without you. History will forever remind us of that...
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