DLF dedicates annual report to ex-employee MF Husain

In a rare tribute, realty giant DLF has dedicated its latest Annual Report to the late world renowned painter MF Husain, its 'ex-employee'.

Husain, who died last month of heart attack in London, remained an employee of DLF till September 1993.

Earlier, Husain did not know what a 'tax return' was and never expected to make enough money to face the taxman. Even after becoming a celebrity, he used to record all his transactions in a pocket diary and in his head, DLF Chairman KP Singh said in the company's annual report.

The company has dedicated its first two pages to Husain, with the first having a picture of Husain working on a painting and the second being a note by KP Singh on his association with the artist.

Recalling his association, Singh wrote that he first met Husain by chance at a railway station in early 60s, when he was travelling by train from Hyderabad to Delhi and "a scraggy looking man with an unkempt beard and dressed in pyjama kurta" wanted to enter the AC coupe of the train.

Singh said that he let Husain come inside the AC coupe, where he started sketching him, but he was not "impressed" with the drawing.

A few years later, Hussain came to Singh's house with a guest and after some more days the painter came again asking for a loan of Rs 600.

After Husain sought another loan a few months later, Singh offered him a job at DLF to do some paintings with a monthly salary of Rs 800. He was elevated to the position of Art Advisor at DLF in May 1986 at a salary of Rs 2,500 per month plus accommodation.

Singh said he met Husain later towards the end of 2010 in Dubai, when he "came all the way from Qatar just to meet me, picked me up from my hotel in his Bentley and drove me to his museum in Dubai."

Singh said when he "kidded him about his wealth, asking who kept track of it, he laughed and replied that he recorded all transactions in a pocket diary and somewhere in his head."