It’s been nearly 15 years since MF Husain left his physical sheath. But Ahmedabad continues to feel his presence. A national newspaper has reported that at a modest shop in Saraspur, people still remember the artist’s visits as if they happened yesterday.
Interesting anecdotes shone through the narrative. Husain never wore slippers when he would come visiting. He would first greet them with a handshake, then head into the shop to have tea and a thick roti soaked in ghee. On one visit, he was asked for an autograph. Husain signed on a currency note.
The report mentions that inside the small shop are four white tables with faded laminated tops, cartons of biscuits, bottles of water, and loaves of bread.
This is where Husain often stopped. His primary destination was the mausoleum next door. It’s the resting place of a Sulaimani spiritual leader.
According to a custodian of the shrine, Husain often visited the mausoleum and said he found peace there.
An Ahmedabad-based art curator recalled how he would stop at Saraspur on the way to the shrine. There, a custodian would hand over a long brass key. Husain would turn it seven times, unlocking the wooden door with a series of clicks, before entering alone to pray.
Husain later designed a new door for the mausoleum that replaced the old wooden one. The site is part of the larger Mazar-e-Qutbi complex.
Husain had deep ties with Ahmedabad. In the 1970s, he created a series of black ink drawings on paper. These captured the essence of the old city. The works depict monuments like Teen Darwaza, the pol neighbourhoods, tailoring shops, and the iconic Raipur bhajiya house. The line art includes everyday scenes: a tailor sipping tea from a saucer, sign boards for youth clubs, cricket associations, and ready-made clothing stores.
One drawing, dated November 21, 1976, shows a couple on a bullock cart. Most of the works carry Husain’s signature in Gujarati. Husain had hoped to compile them into a document, but the project was never completed.
By 1992, Husain associated himself with an underground art gallery next to CEPT University. He painted its curved walls and ceilings with vibrant human figures, animal motifs, and horses. He later renamed it Amdavad-ni-Gufa.
Right-wing activists vandalised the gufa in 1996. As was reported then, Husain’s work depicting deities angered them. The report mentions that Husain seemed less concerned about the destruction of his art. He was more worried about the safety of the staff.
Lucky Tea Stall was another place he frequented. Built around a graveyard, the tea shop has tables placed around 26 graves. A neem tree grows through the centre of the space.
Husain, the report added, often came for tea. He gifted the owner a painting in 2004. The artwork still hangs on the wall.
Interestingly, Husain’s maternal family came from Sidhpur in Patan. He began visiting Ahmedabad as a six-year-old and was later sent to a madrassa in Vadodara. And then painting became his calling. He lived in colour, on the canvas and beyond.
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