Tears well up in the eyes of 86-year old Khudabuddin Sharifoddin, cousin of M.F. Husain, as he remembers his association with the iconic artist, who spent his formative years in this town in western Maharashtra.
Husain’s last visit here was in 1995, when he received the Pandhari Bhushan Puraskar instituted by a local organisation. “Then, he came to my house, had lunch and rested for a couple of hours,” Khudabuddin said.
“He asked me how did his mother, my mother’s sister, look like as he had lost her at an early age. He asked me where was the ‘kabr’ (resting place) of his mother located,” he said, talking to reporters at his house at Kalikadevi Chowk, in the vicinity of the famous Vitthal temple, which attracts lakhs of devotees. However, not all old-timers here have tales to tell about Husain. Shivaji Kalekar, 76, who runs a tailoring shop here, says, “1915 is a long time ago. I was born in 1935, but I don’t remember anyone by that name from my younger days.” Husain is supposed to have spent his formative years at Zaariwada, a 100-year-old “wada” (house) located along a narrow lane in the heart of the town.
During the 1995 visit here, Husain had reiterated his bond with his birthplace. And the visit, unlike Husain’s roots, is clearly etched in the minds of many of the residents. Then, to the delight of the nearly 10,000 people who crowded to watch him, Husain drew a sketch of a beautiful woman, in 10 minutes, on a bull!
Not difficult to guess that the drawing was of his muse — Bollywood’s then reigning queen Madhuri Dixit. For days, the locals paraded the bull around the town.
A local painter S. Pataskar, recalled Husain’s last visit here. “It was as if Pandharpur had come to a standstill. Around 10,000 people gathered to see the master at work. Husain mingled freely, shook hands with people and spoke in chaste Marathi.”