M.F. Husain laid to rest in U.K.

PTI

London, 11 June 2011: The body of India’s most acclaimed painter Maqbool Fida Husain was on Friday laid to rest with full Muslim religious rites at Brookwood cemetery in honouring his last wishes.

 

Husain was laid to rest at the cemetery, one of the biggest in Europe, at Woking in Surrey. The 97-year-old Husain died of lung congestion at the Royal Brompton hospital on Thursday.

 

Earlier, the Namaza-e-janaza was performed at Idara-e-Jaaferiya, a funeral parlour at Tooting, to enable the public to pay their last respects to the renowned painter.

 

His four sons, Shafad, Shamshad, Mustafa and Owais and two daughters, Aqeela and Raisa, were also present at the burial ground. Over 50 people were present to pay their respects to the artist, including Lord Gulam Noon, NRI and chairman of Noon Products.

 

People offer prayers as flowers placed by mourners are seen, at a funeral parlour in south London. M.F. Husain was buried at the Brookwood cemetery on Friday.

 

Indian High Commissioner Nalin Surie, leading NRI industrialist Lakshmi Mittal, vice-chairman of the Hinduja Group G.P. Hinduja, leading hotelier and chairman of Bharatiya Bidya Bhawan, U.K. Joginder Sangar, Minister Coordination in the Indian High Commission Asif Ibrahim, were present to pay their homage to the artist. Alan Munnary, the grave digger, said the 460-acre graveyard was one of the biggest cemeteries in Europe.

 

Husain had expressed a wish to be buried wherever he breathed his last. The burial was delayed for an hour because the coffin was too big and a new grave had to be dug.

 

Husain also wanted to be buried under the shade of a tree, family sources said. Husain, India’s biggest grosser as a painter, whose works fetched astronomical sums in auctions in London and New York, he moved away from India in 2006 following a series of legal cases and death threats over his depiction of Hindu goddesses in the nude. He accepted Qatari citizenship in 2010 after surrendering his Indian passport.