Reclaiming the Public Sphere-Husain s Portrayals of Saraswati and Draupadi

Explanation for why a particular work of art done 10 years ago gets singled out for an act of vandalism must be sought in the specificities of the present historical moment. Targeting M F Husain for his nude portrayals of Hindu goddesses can be read as a continuation of the upper caste Hindu preoccupation with the policing of female sexuality in order to build a masculine nation out of homogenised hindutva.