New Delhi: An atmosphere of unease still hangs heavy over the campus of the Kalakshetra Foundation’s Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts in Chennai. One year has passed since the premier Bharatnatyam and Carnatic music academy was jolted by accusations of sexual harassment by multiple students, and it has left behind a fractured institution.
On 21 March 2023, ThePrint first reported on the allegations against four Kalakshetra staff members, including Hari Padman, an assistant professor described by students and faculty alike as “the most influential man on campus”. This report brought widespread attention to the issue and eventually resulted in the suspension or dismissal of the accused.
In the aftermath of the outcry, the campus has gone through radical changes. It deferred admission to its postgraduation programme last year, citing the need to form new standard operating procedures. But this decision has primarily impacted fourth-year students, many of whom led the protests against Kalakshetra’s management in March 2023, leaving them no avenues for higher studies at the institution.
Further, the Justice Kannan Committee, an independent inquiry panel established by Kalakshetra, asked the institution to focus on dance instruction over performances. As a result, senior students have been restricted from performing in the repertoire, a decision that is not popular on campus.
The controversy has also polarised the campus into management apologists and detractors. On one side are faculty members who sympathise with Padman, the main accused, and on the other are those who protested against the widespread culture of harassment and silencing on the campus.
Sources within the campus allege that students who protested are either being “targeted” explicitly or subjected to subtle undermining.
“Senior PG students and fourth year students were asked to produce apology notes for protesting if they wanted to perform in the February festival,” a source claimed, adding that the students refused and were thus not allowed to perform.
The source added that the classroom environment had become hostile for students who had protested. “Students are often dismissed by senior teachers through passive aggressive remarks like, ‘Why are you asking me for advice? You should go sit in protest against us!’” they alleged.
With the Kalakshetra management not accepting any new admissions to the postgraduate programme, the brunt has largely been borne by the final year students who participated in the protests last year, leaving their education hanging. “We have left Kalakshetra behind, and don’t wish to discuss it anymore. We have moved on,” a former student told ThePrint.
ThePrint attempted to reach Suresh Chikkala, who took over as Kalakshetra director last December, via phone calls and email, but no response was received.
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Ripple effects
Anita Ratnam, publisher of the magazine Narthaki, who took a vocal stance against the harassment issues at Kalakshetra, and came out in support of students, said that she has lost many friends since last year. “What I am shocked about is that many female friends of mine chose to stop talking to me. Many didn’t expect me to side with the students. But it wasn’t left wing or right wing for me, I just wanted to stand for the safety of students,” Ratnam told ThePrint.
A positive consequence of the controversy, Ratnam noted, was increased awareness among students about the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act and the safeguards it offers against harassment.
“Many online conferences on the POSH Act were conducted in private dance schools across the country after the issues at Kalakshetra came to the fore,” Ratnam said. “A lot of teachers from private dance schools were also let go of after students in these colleges spoke up about the harassment they were facing. They were now empowered with the knowledge they had gained about the POSH Act.”
But the harassment allegations at Kalakshetra sharply divided the classical arts world. While many stood by students, others contended that publicising the issue was malicious and intended to destroy the institute’s image.
A “JNU kind of polarised environment” has taken over the campus, said G Narendra, a senior dancer and alumnus of Kalakshetra, who took a stand in favour of the students. “I want to be clear, I haven’t gone to the campus since the controversy. But what I get to hear is that the faculty itself is divided, where teachers don’t talk among themselves. The campus has become politicised, which it earlier was not,” he added.
Accused and accuser
Last April, Padman was arrested based on a student’s sexual harassment complaint in Chennai, but was granted bail a few weeks later. He has been suspended from Kalakshetra, but other than that, his social rehabilitation appears to be on track.
Narendra claimed that at a wedding some months ago he spotted Padman socialising with the who’s who of classical arts in Chennai. “Looking at him smiling and socialising confidently, I really wondered if I was dreaming. He behaved as if nothing had happened earlier in the year! His acceptance in social circles hasn’t been affected at all,” he said.
The woman who filed a police complaint against Hari Padman, and whom ThePrint had first interviewed in March 2023, said things have settled down now. Some dancers in Chennai don’t engage with her, but her career hasn’t suffered, she said.
“Some classmates, some other dancers who support him (Padman) are not speaking to me. But I don’t feel as overwhelmed as I did earlier. What really hurt me is that on some YouTube channels, my photo was used and I was character assassinated. But now I don’t engage with these things, I wish to move on,” she added.
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Student demands met?
Last year, Kalakshetra’s administration agreed to four key demands from protesting students: dismissal of accused staff, immediate measures against verbal and sexual harassment, formation and recognition of a student union, and assurances regarding student safety and privacy in the hostel. But progress on these promises has been uneven, according to campus sources.
Despite efforts to strengthen the POSH committee in Kalakshetra, it remains imperfect. The college has included external and impartial members in the panel, but there’s still no student representative.
University Grants Commission guidelines state that college internal committees need to have three student representatives, democratically elected through a transparent process. But there is no mention of any students in Kalakshetra’s current internal committee.
An enchanting day celebrating the spirit of Women's Day at Kalakshetra Foundation's Rukmini Arangam as we honour Ms. L. Maithili Mehta, Advocate, Member of IC committee and Ms. Neeraja Gopalakrishnan, https://t.co/y0ZdLononN. (Counselling Psychology). pic.twitter.com/72XqQ2NE50
— Kalakshetra India (@kalakshetrafdn) March 12, 2024
On the student union front, a council was formed, but management has not approved it. Additionally, the administration allegedly restricts the council from holding student meetings. “The students conducted elections and shared the list of elected representatives with the principal, but no response was received,” said a source. “The students later went to meet the concerned authorities, including the director, but nobody approved of the list.”
The hostel, meanwhile, has seen some reforms. Students are now allowed to go out on weekends, and the food menu is slated for improvement. However, complaints regarding wardens persist. Sources also claim there is a CCTV in front of the complaints box on campus, compromising the privacy of those expressing grievances.
Hope for change now rests with the new leadership. The previous director Revathi Ramachandran’s tenure ended in November, and all eyes are on her successor, Suresh Chikkala.
A former officer in the Indian Ordnance Factories Services, Chikkala is the first director in the institute’s history who doesn’t belong to the performing arts world. In another departure from tradition, sources added, Chikkala has so far been accessible and approachable for staffers and students. This openness, they said, offers a glimmer of hope as the college charts a new path after the controversy that dented its image. “Chikkala is good, unbiased,” said a source on the campus. “We are placing a lot of faith in him.”
(Edited by Asavari Singh)