Bharat Bhagya Vidhata

It’s not difficult to fathom why and how M. F. Husain became the most well-known of all Indian artists across generations. It was due to his unmistakable ability to present complex subjects through paintings that were direct and simple, and spoke straight to the viewer. Bharat Bhagya Vidhata, an ode to the dispenser of India’s destiny, borrows the verse from the country’s national anthem penned by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and encapsulates the idea of India very succinctly. Through symbols, it creates a vision of a modern nation beautifully, the masterstroke being the way a female figure—presumably Mother India in a dance pose with anklet bells—orients herself along the country’s coastline on the map.