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Tribune News Network
Doha
Until he met him, he had never tasted tea infused with lemongrass and milk, says Said Alavi Elanthical, legendary Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain’s driver.
“But that was what Husain preferred. And it had to be made using the leaves from the shrub in his garden in Doha planted by me at his request,” he remarked.
When Husain decided to stay in Doha on a long-term basis, to complete the artwork commissioned by Qatar Foundation, the organisation searched for someone who could assist the artist on a day-to-day basis – a driver who could also double as a caretaker for the artist.
Husain was clear on what he was looking for: the driver had to be from India, preferably from Kerala, and speak both English and Arabic. Elanthical was equally clear about what he wanted: a dependable job. So, the two found their paths converging.
Husain’s driver recounts the first time he was introduced to the artist. All he had been told prior to their first meeting was that Husain was a renowned 95-year-old painter.
“I was pleasantly surprised when I first met Husain at Qatar Foundation’s office,” says Elanthical.
“He had none of the physical limitations that you might associate with a man who was in his 90s. His movements were youthful, energetic and focused. His faculties were sharp, his speech was clear, yet soft. In that first week, I remember feeling amazed to discover that he could create fine brush strokes on canvas without his glasses on.”
Over the next few months, the driver and caretaker got to know Husain’s habits and his quirks.
Elanthical says that one of the very first things he noticed about the artist’s personality was that he always seemed to have a sense of clarity about what he wanted, whether it was a cup of tea or the choice of car – there were no ifs or buts or maybes.
“Husain preferred driving with his windows down than using the air-conditioning in cars,” recalls Elanthical. “He told me he felt suffocated. So when I accompanied him to select a car for his personal use, he insisted that it be a convertible.
“He told me he wanted to feel the breeze on his face, especially when we drove around the Corniche in Doha. That was his only criteria – the price or the aesthetics of the car didn’t seem to concern him.”
A few weeks into his new role, Elanthical was in for a surprise. “I slept on the same floor as Husain,” he says, “and I woke up one night, puzzled at the faint noises coming from across the house.
“Husain had woken up in the middle of the night to paint. I realised then that this was something else I had to get used to – the moment he was inspired by an idea, irrespective of whether it was day or night, he would start painting. So, on the occasions that he woke up, I used to wake too, serve him tea if he wanted, and quietly leave.”
Husain seemed to relish Doha’s pace of life, especially the drives on the Corniche. “Once, while driving through the city, he told me that Doha was one of the most peaceful cities he had ever lived in; that he always felt inspired to paint while he was here,” says Elanthical.
“He then pointed at the Sheraton hotel in the distance, saying that the silhouette reminded him of his first exhibition in the country.
“As much as he loved the outdoors, he spent a great deal of time at home too. It was in West Bay and had a view of the lagoon. I’d often find him in his garden in the evenings, his face turned into the breeze.”
Elanthical says Husain would try to make his visits to malls and public places as discreet as possible. But the artist’s appearance, especially his white hair and trademark glasses, couldn’t go unnoticed. His mild-mannered nature often saw him indulge members of the public who were keen to get their photographs taken with the famous painter.
Something else that struck Elanthical during his initial interactions with Husain was that the artist treated everyone with grace and gentleness. Celebrity or grocer, Husain was always soft-spoken, respectful of the person and, often, spontaneous in his responses.
His personal touch extended to his driver. Once, when driving the artist home, Elanthical took a call saying that his daughter had secured excellent grades in her final high school exams. Seeing the joy on his driver’s face, Husain asked what the call was about. When Elanthical shared the news, Husain was initially quiet. Upon reaching home, he whipped out a small piece of canvas, painted on it, signed his name with a flourish and handed it over to Elanthical and asked him to send to his daughter.
“On another occasion,” says Elanthical, “he was watching TV when he heard the news that the Indian musician AR Rahman, who composed the music score for the movie Slumdog Millionaire, had won an award in the UK. Just as he did for my daughter, he immediately painted a picture, signed it, had me take a photo of it and email it to Rahman. The musician wrote back immediately, saying he was thrilled at the spontaneous gesture of Husain.”
The artist was keen to keep updated on what was happening around the world. He watched the news segment on NDTV every morning, and would diligently read the newspapers too – one of Elanthical’s daily tasks was to buy a copy of the International Herald Tribune, a newspaper that was in circulation at the time.
“As with most artists, a majority of Husain’s pieces were a result of sudden inspiration,” says Elanthical. “But I did notice that he created a couple of paintings after thoroughly researching a topic.
“His painting depicting Yemen’s history and culture was one such work – I watched him read up on country’s the history, culture and latest news, before he began work on it.”
Elanthical smiles as he narrates Husain’s love for anything and everything related to Bollywood, India’s film industry. The artist was keen to watch every single Hindi movie as soon as it was released in cinema theatres in Doha. The driver would accompany Husain to the theatre, where the artist would either sit through the entire movie if he liked the plot – or walk out after 20 minutes if he didn’t.
As months passed, Elanthical built a personal rapport with the painter, to the point where he could anticipate his needs. What he couldn’t anticipate was his sudden death.
“Husain always spent his summer in London,” he remembers. “The summer of 2011 was no different. While there, he called me to say that he had admitted himself into a hospital for a medical checkup. And he directed me to send a few of his paintings with his youngest son, who would be visiting Doha on his way to London.
“That was the last conversation I had with Husain. Two days later, I received the news that he had passed away.”
As Elanthical sifts through the memories of his days with the artist, he says that the ones he cherishes most have nothing to do with Husain the artist, and everything to do with Husain the human being.
“Most of our trips across Doha would end up in me driving him to the Old Salata neighbourhood, to get a cup of tea from a little Keralite tea shop there,” says Elanthical. “The size and lack of sophistication of the shop hardly bothered him. He seemed to love the little joint and its unpretentiousness. And each time, he would insist that I join him.
“It is those quiet moments, when nothing much was said or discussed, that stand out in my mind. Looking back, I feel he was savouring those moments. I could see him relax. Perhaps his mind was searching for inspiration.
“Or, perhaps, he was just enjoying one of life’s simple pleasures.”The legendary artist decided to stay in Doha to complete the artwork commissioned by QF
Doha
Until he met him, he had never tasted tea infused with lemongrass and milk, says Said Alavi Elanthical, legendary Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain’s driver.
“But that was what Husain preferred. And it had to be made using the leaves from the shrub in his garden in Doha planted by me at his request,” he remarked.
When Husain decided to stay in Doha on a long-term basis, to complete the artwork commissioned by Qatar Foundation, the organisation searched for someone who could assist the artist on a day-to-day basis – a driver who could also double as a caretaker for the artist.
Husain was clear on what he was looking for: the driver had to be from India, preferably from Kerala, and speak both English and Arabic. Elanthical was equally clear about what he wanted: a dependable job. So, the two found their paths converging.
Husain’s driver recounts the first time he was introduced to the artist. All he had been told prior to their first meeting was that Husain was a renowned 95-year-old painter.
“I was pleasantly surprised when I first met Husain at Qatar Foundation’s office,” says Elanthical.
“He had none of the physical limitations that you might associate with a man who was in his 90s. His movements were youthful, energetic and focused. His faculties were sharp, his speech was clear, yet soft. In that first week, I remember feeling amazed to discover that he could create fine brush strokes on canvas without his glasses on.”
Over the next few months, the driver and caretaker got to know Husain’s habits and his quirks.
Elanthical says that one of the very first things he noticed about the artist’s personality was that he always seemed to have a sense of clarity about what he wanted, whether it was a cup of tea or the choice of car – there were no ifs or buts or maybes.
“Husain preferred driving with his windows down than using the air-conditioning in cars,” recalls Elanthical. “He told me he felt suffocated. So when I accompanied him to select a car for his personal use, he insisted that it be a convertible.
“He told me he wanted to feel the breeze on his face, especially when we drove around the Corniche in Doha. That was his only criteria – the price or the aesthetics of the car didn’t seem to concern him.”
A few weeks into his new role, Elanthical was in for a surprise. “I slept on the same floor as Husain,” he says, “and I woke up one night, puzzled at the faint noises coming from across the house.
“Husain had woken up in the middle of the night to paint. I realised then that this was something else I had to get used to – the moment he was inspired by an idea, irrespective of whether it was day or night, he would start painting. So, on the occasions that he woke up, I used to wake too, serve him tea if he wanted, and quietly leave.”
Husain seemed to relish Doha’s pace of life, especially the drives on the Corniche. “Once, while driving through the city, he told me that Doha was one of the most peaceful cities he had ever lived in; that he always felt inspired to paint while he was here,” says Elanthical.
“He then pointed at the Sheraton hotel in the distance, saying that the silhouette reminded him of his first exhibition in the country.
“As much as he loved the outdoors, he spent a great deal of time at home too. It was in West Bay and had a view of the lagoon. I’d often find him in his garden in the evenings, his face turned into the breeze.”
Elanthical says Husain would try to make his visits to malls and public places as discreet as possible. But the artist’s appearance, especially his white hair and trademark glasses, couldn’t go unnoticed. His mild-mannered nature often saw him indulge members of the public who were keen to get their photographs taken with the famous painter.
Something else that struck Elanthical during his initial interactions with Husain was that the artist treated everyone with grace and gentleness. Celebrity or grocer, Husain was always soft-spoken, respectful of the person and, often, spontaneous in his responses.
His personal touch extended to his driver. Once, when driving the artist home, Elanthical took a call saying that his daughter had secured excellent grades in her final high school exams. Seeing the joy on his driver’s face, Husain asked what the call was about. When Elanthical shared the news, Husain was initially quiet. Upon reaching home, he whipped out a small piece of canvas, painted on it, signed his name with a flourish and handed it over to Elanthical and asked him to send to his daughter.
“On another occasion,” says Elanthical, “he was watching TV when he heard the news that the Indian musician AR Rahman, who composed the music score for the movie Slumdog Millionaire, had won an award in the UK. Just as he did for my daughter, he immediately painted a picture, signed it, had me take a photo of it and email it to Rahman. The musician wrote back immediately, saying he was thrilled at the spontaneous gesture of Husain.”
The artist was keen to keep updated on what was happening around the world. He watched the news segment on NDTV every morning, and would diligently read the newspapers too – one of Elanthical’s daily tasks was to buy a copy of the International Herald Tribune, a newspaper that was in circulation at the time.
“As with most artists, a majority of Husain’s pieces were a result of sudden inspiration,” says Elanthical. “But I did notice that he created a couple of paintings after thoroughly researching a topic.
“His painting depicting Yemen’s history and culture was one such work – I watched him read up on country’s the history, culture and latest news, before he began work on it.”
Elanthical smiles as he narrates Husain’s love for anything and everything related to Bollywood, India’s film industry. The artist was keen to watch every single Hindi movie as soon as it was released in cinema theatres in Doha. The driver would accompany Husain to the theatre, where the artist would either sit through the entire movie if he liked the plot – or walk out after 20 minutes if he didn’t.
As months passed, Elanthical built a personal rapport with the painter, to the point where he could anticipate his needs. What he couldn’t anticipate was his sudden death.
“Husain always spent his summer in London,” he remembers. “The summer of 2011 was no different. While there, he called me to say that he had admitted himself into a hospital for a medical checkup. And he directed me to send a few of his paintings with his youngest son, who would be visiting Doha on his way to London.
“That was the last conversation I had with Husain. Two days later, I received the news that he had passed away.”
As Elanthical sifts through the memories of his days with the artist, he says that the ones he cherishes most have nothing to do with Husain the artist, and everything to do with Husain the human being.
“Most of our trips across Doha would end up in me driving him to the Old Salata neighbourhood, to get a cup of tea from a little Keralite tea shop there,” says Elanthical. “The size and lack of sophistication of the shop hardly bothered him. He seemed to love the little joint and its unpretentiousness. And each time, he would insist that I join him.
“It is those quiet moments, when nothing much was said or discussed, that stand out in my mind. Looking back, I feel he was savouring those moments. I could see him relax. Perhaps his mind was searching for inspiration.
“Or, perhaps, he was just enjoying one of life’s simple pleasures.”The legendary artist decided to stay in Doha to complete the artwork commissioned by QF
