MF Husain Family Tree: The Story Behind India's Most-Famous Modern Painter

Maqbool Fida Husain, known as M. F. Husain, born 17 September 1915 in Pandharpur, Bombay Presidency (now Maharashtra), India, was the most-prominent Indian modern painter of the 20th century — a co-founder of the Progressive Artists Group (1947) alongside F. N. Souza and S. H. Raza; produced thousands of paintings over a 60-year career; Bharat Mata (2006), the painting that caused his self-exile from India in 2006 after right-wing protests. He died 9 June 2011 in London at age 95 — having taken Qatari citizenship in 2010, never returning to India.

The Family's Roots: A Suleimani Bohra Muslim Family

The Husain family was Suleimani Bohra Muslim, a small Shia sub-sect with roots in Yemen and historically settled in the western Maharashtra-Gujarat region.

His Parents

Father: Fida Husain — textile-mill worker in Pandharpur; later moved the family to Indore; remarried after Husain's mother's early death.

Mother: died when Husain was just 18 months old — a defining early loss; her name and details are not widely recorded.

His Stepmother and Half-Siblings

After his mother's death, Husain's father remarried. Husain had multiple half-siblings from his father's second marriage.

His Wife: Nuzhat Bibi (Fazila Bibi)

Nuzhat Bibi (also recorded as Fazila Bibi) married Husain in 1941 in Indore. The marriage produced six children.

Their Children

Shamshad Husain (1946–2015) — painter (continued the family's artistic tradition); died at 69.

Owais Husain, born 1959 — filmmaker, painter, and photographer.

Mustafa Husain — son.

Aqeel Husain — son.

Raisa Husain — daughter.

Khanam Husain — daughter.

The Husain Family Tree at a Glance

Family Origins: Suleimani Bohra Muslim; Pandharpur, Maharashtra; later Indore, MP; Bombay; Doha; Dubai; London.

Father: Fida Husain — textile mill worker; remarried after first wife's death.

Mother: Died when Husain was 18 months old.

Stepmother: Husain's father's second wife.

Wife: Nuzhat Bibi (Fazila Bibi) (m. 1941).

Children: Shamshad Husain (1946–2015) — painter; Owais Husain (b. 1959); Mustafa; Aqeel; Raisa; Khanam.

M. F. Husain:

  • Born 17 September 1915, Pandharpur
  • Raised in Indore
  • J. J. School of Art, Bombay: 1934 (briefly)
  • Worked as a cinema billboard painter in Bombay (1930s–40s) — at one point getting just 4 annas a square foot
  • Co-founder of the Progressive Artists' Group (1947) — with F. N. Souza, S. H. Raza, K. H. Ara, S. K. Bakre, H. A. Gade
  • First major painting: Zameen (1955) — won the National Award in the Lalit Kala Akademi exhibition
  • Painted his famous Mother Teresa series (1979–80)
  • Gaja Gamini (2000) — directed his own film starring Madhuri Dixit
  • Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (2004) — directed; starred Tabu
  • Padma Shri (1966); Padma Bhushan (1973); Padma Vibhushan (1991)
  • Right-wing controversy over nude paintings of Hindu goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi, Sita, and Bharat Mata: from 1996 onwards — multiple cases filed; threats from Hindu nationalist groups
  • Self-exile from India: 2006 — settled in Doha and London
  • Accepted Qatari citizenship: 2010 — renounced Indian citizenship
  • Died 9 June 2011, London, age 95

What the Husain Family Story Teaches Us

A textile-mill-worker father. A mother who died when Husain was 18 months old. A stepmother and half-siblings from his father's second marriage. A wife of 60+ years (until her death). Six children, including two who continued the artistic tradition. A career that began painting cinema billboards in Bombay and ended with self-exile from India.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the M. F. Husain story carries the same lesson. Some careers end in exile from the country they shaped. Husain's 2006 self-exile and 2010 Qatari citizenship is on the Husain family record alongside every Padma award. Write down which family members left the country and why. The migration is itself a family chapter.

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