I started this post with

There are nutjobs everywhere. Every religion has them. Hindu right-wing nutjobs, Muslim right-wing nutjobs and Christian right-wing nutjobs…

and went on to talk of a Christian University which expelled a student for making a gay film

The poor Hindu nutjobs were feeling left out. So they upped the ante – significantly. Forget expulsion – a BJP leader storms into an exhibit of student works at Fine Arts Faculty, M.S. University, in Baroda and has a student arrested. Final year Masters student Chandramohan was arrested for offending the religious sensibilities of both Hinduism and Christianity.

So, the rest of the students protested brilliantly – by holding an exhibition on the history of erotica in Hindu and Western art. I mean, come on people, have you not seen temple sculpture?? Devas are happily copulating – it is fantastic!!! A celebration of life, for god’s sake (or for God’s sake?) It is one of the things that I think is so cool about temple architecture – that it deals with real life. Of course this exhibit is shut down as well.

Artists around the country are showing their solidarity with Chandramohan and the Dean of the college, who refused to back down (you go, Dean!).

• The chronology is detailed here.
• Read Ranjit Hoskote and Gulammohammed Sheikh’s thoughts here.
• And the images that caused all of this are here and here.

Here’s my way of giving these right-wing nutjobs the bird – an image by another beleaguered artist – M. F. Husain.