Mahabharat by MF Husain

MF Husain’s Mahabharat serigraph unfolds the epic in one frame where every symbol breathes history and meaning. At the centre sits Ganesha, the divine scribe, inscribing Mahabharat as Sage Vyasa dictates, turning war into memory and text.

On the left, Gandhari sits blindfolded, her covered eyes a lasting image of sacrifice and silence. Above her, Bhishma lies on a bed of arrows, endurance and wisdom suspended between life and death. Beside them, the restless white horse gallops, echoing the turmoil of Kurukshetra.

To the right, Arjun raises his Gandiva, the bow of destiny, torn between compassion and duty. Beside him stands Draupadi in white, her flowing presence a reminder of dignity and the trial that reshaped the course of war. Below, Krishna lifts the wheel, divine force breaking into human battle. Across the red expanse, armies clash in waves of colour, their forms locked in rhythm and motion.

Husain binds these fragments with vivid blocks of red, green, blue, and ochre, where colour itself becomes narrative. The painting becomes a way of preserving the Mahabharat for future generations, passing on its moral message of dharma, sacrifice, and the eternal struggle between good and evil.