Bengaluru: At a time when religious intolerance is refusing to subside in India, a devout Muslim artist named Syed Huseni from Bangalore, with his paper-cutting expertise, loves to cut out sculptures of Hindu god Ganesha.
His love for Ganesha is as deep as his love for Islam. For Huseni, art has no religion. He says that art should not be seen from the viewpoint of religion.
Speaking to DC, Syed Huseni said: “I hail from a remote village in Shivanasamudra in the Mandya district. Since my childhood I felt an attraction for lord Ganesha. I would make Ganesha idols out of clay and give them free of cost to my friends in school and in my village. I used to decorate the pandals with my paper cuttings.”
Huseni says that he was not reprimanded by his family for his love for a Hindu god. “My family is my backbone. I did not face any restrictions from my family, instead they encouraged my work.”
He continues, “Lord Ganesha, who has an elephant head on a human body, always fascinated me as an artist. The elation which we feel while cutting out Ganesha cannot be seen while working on any other god,” Huseni said.
At times when the lakes and other water bodies are getting polluted by Ganesha idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP), the artist also pitches to promote eco-friendly Ganeshas.
“PoP idols and chemical paints are hazardous to nature. Every year I tour various parts of Karnataka (especially villages) to create awareness on the dangers of PoP Ganeshas and promote eco-friendly idols.”
He also spreads his art to places he visits by conducting workshops. Huseni makes a living out of the bare minimum amount he charges for the workshops. Huseni has over 5,000 works to his credit. He says that most of it is based on the elephant god.
He is one of the few artists who specialize in paper-cutting art like Sanjhi (Indian art), Kirigami (Japanese art) and he has successfully adapted these methods for contemporary themes on subjects concerning the common man. In addition to his paper work, Huseni is an expert in single line drawing. He wants to set up a paper-cutting institute to spread his art to future generations.
