Kalakshetra (Temple of Arts), the only institution of its kind in the country and funded by the Government of India’s Ministry of Culture is in a state of chaos, according to students and the faculty. Only discordant notes are coming out from the Margazhi Festival hosted by Kalakshetra, a sprawling campus along the shore of the Bay of Bengal. Persons associated with Kalakshetra have approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi pleading for his immediate intervention to save the institution from total destruction.
A copy of the letter addressed to the Prime Minister accessed by The Pioneer is full of shocking revelations. Everything associated with Kalakshetra is enmeshed in corruption, nepotism and violation of all norms specified in rule books. "laws and rules governing appointment of director and faculty members are being blatantly violated by those in charge of Kalakshetra," said a senior faculty member. The present director Priyadarshini Govind was appointed as per the recommendations from leela Samson against whom the Comptroller and Auditor General has passed severe strictures.
A Paranthaman, senior associate of India Against Corruption movement, said the appointment of Priyadarshini Govind as the director was illegal and was in violation of all laws of the land. "Govind has no administrative experience and has not worked in the Government service. Moreover, there is no provision for direct recruitment in the rules of Kalakshetra. She was selected and appointed by former chairman Gopalakrishna Gandhi purely on caste basis," said Paranthaman, who is well versed in laws and rules of Kalakshetra.
He further pointed out that Govind has appointed two of her relations, Apoorva Jayaraman and Madhumita as coordinator and theatre manager respectively. "There are no provisions for such posts in Kalaksetra. But these two were appointed to help Govind with administrative responsibilities," said Paranthaman.
Prof CS Thomas, who waged a legal battle against former director leela Samson for her dictatorial attitudes, said rules are flouted repeatedly by Govind. "The governing body of Kalakshetra is being filled on caste basis," he said. Gopalakrishna Gandhi, chairman of the governing council, quit in May 2014 after authoring an article in a leftist newspaper which questioned the legality and propriety of Narendra Modi's appointment as the country's Prime Minister.
The Koothambalam (traditional auditorium) for staging dances, operas and music concerts, built as per specifications of Guru Rukminidevi, the legendary danseuse and founder of Kalakshetra, has been demolished by Samson during her tenure from 2005 to 2012. The statue of Rukminidevi, at entrance to the Koothambalam was removed and dumped into the store room. "Rukmini Amma is a living goddess for us. The removal of her statue from the campus and the demolition of the Koothambalam has shocked and upset the Kalakshetra fraternity," said Thomas, a disciple of the late Guru.
The "operation destruction" of Kalakshetra was initiated by leela Samson, who was brought in as director by the previous UPA regime at the instance of the then Union Minister whose daughter was getting private tuitions from the former. Kalakshetra was not the same after the entry of Samson as the director," pointed out Thomas who dedicated his life to the institution spurning off many offers from India and abroad.
The Comptroller and Auditor General came out with a scathing comment on the state of affairs. The CAG has found that all appointments made by leela Samson in Kalakshetra were in violation of norms, rules and precedence. It has also found a scam to the tune of Rs10 crore in the demolition of Koothambalam. "The speed with which they derail rules and subvert the institution has cast a shadow on the future of Kalakshetra. It seems they want to shut down Kalakshetra and sell the property to land sharks," said Thomas and some among the faculty members.