[Reader-list] More from Baroda: from Indrapramit Roy

[Harsh Kapoor]

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=235916
Indian Express
May 12, 2007

BLACK FRIDAY: CHANDRAMOHAN'S CLASSMATES PUT UP EXHIBITION OF INDIAN 
EROTICA TO PROTEST HIS ARREST; CHANCELLOR SAYS CAN'T INTERVENE 
WITHOUT KNOWING FACTS
MSU V-C seals Fine Arts dept
Express News Service

Vadodara, May 11: Taking moral policing to a new level, 
Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious Maharaja Sayajirao University 
(MSU), Manoj Soni, today ordered the fine arts department to be 
sealed after defiant students put up an exhibition of Indian erotica 
to protest the arrest of one of their fellow classmates on Wednesday. 
The fine arts department, known the world over as a cradle for art 
expression, has never seen interference from any quarters. This is 
the first time in its 55 years of existence that it finds the BJP and 
VHP moral police brigade telling it what to do.

Vice-Chancellor Manoj Soni, living up to his reputation as an RSS 
stooge, took the decision to seal the department after BJP municipal 
councillors complained about the erotica exhibition. On Wednesday, 
the BJP and VHP activists roughed up Chandramohan, a fine arts 
student, as they found his exam works put on display, objectionable. 
Chandramohan was later arrested by police.

Marking a "black friday" in M S University's history, the V-C sealed 
the Fine Arts department's Regional Documentation Centre, and joined 
the saffron brigade in removing the exhibition comprising sculptures 
and photos.

After gagging the faculty, Soni himself ducked all criticism and 
questions raised about his action by remaining confined to his cabin 
and not taking any calls.

MSU's Chancellor Mrinalinini Devi Puar, grand daughter of Sir Sayaji 
Rao Gaekwad who founded the university, said she was out of town and 
could not intervene without knowing the facts.

On Friday, instead of students, teachers and MSU senate members, it 
was BJP councillors and senate members (owing to their saffron 
affiliations) were the ones who called the shots both at MSU main 
office and Fine Arts department. Meanwhile, Chandramohan continued to 
be in judicial custody for the third consecutive day, with no one 
officially coming to his aid from MSU. Additional Senior Civil Judge 
M J Parashar on Friday deferred the decision on his bail till Monday 
in a hearing held in Vadodara local court, where Chandramohan is 
facing serious offences registered by BJP leader Niraj Jain.

Fresh trouble began on Friday when Fine Arts students were putting up 
an art exhibition on Indian art erotica around 4.30 pm.

"We are seeing people affiliated to certain political ideology, 
entering the campus and imposing their narrow viewpoint without 
knowing that the erotica/shringara/copulation as a part of the 
nava-rasas exist in traditional practices," said the Fine Arts 
student exhibition note. Sculptures, copies of erotica art in the 
department, photographs of erotica art from Khajuraho and from Geet 
Govinda were put up by the students.

The news of the art exhibition had BJP councillors like Girish 
Parekh, Kishen Sheth, Ashok Pandya, Balu Shukla, Kishen Sheth and 
others trooping down into the University, but before that they had a 
meeting with the MSU V-C. While abuses were being hurled at the 
students and female lecturers by BJP councilors, MSU authorities 
ordered the removal of exhibition, which Shivaji Panikkar, incharge 
fine arts dean refused, asking for orders in writing.

"We have received representations from several organisations and also 
society, which has requested us to intervene. It's a matter of 
prestige for MSU and Vadodara," said MSU pro V-C S M Joshi, who with 
university engineer N N Ojha, syndicate members Mukesh Pandya, S K 
Agrawal, technology faculty dean Bhuvan Parekh personally removed 
exhibits and sealed the department.

In a late night development Panikkar was suspended from all the 
positions with immediate effect for three months. The suspension will 
be in effect till an inquiry committee, which is yet to be formed 
does not complete its inquiry, said the notice which was pasted at 
his residence around 10 pm on Friday. He has been also directed not 
to enter the campus.


At 11:19 AM +0530 5/12/07, Shuddhabrata Sengupta wrote:
>Dear All,
>
>This came to me earlier in the day from Indrapramit Roy, Senior Lecturer
>in the Department of Painting, MS University, Baroda.
>
>best
>
>Shuddha
>
>-----------
>
>Dear All,
>
>The latest news from Baroda is that the University has suspended the
>acting Dean Prof.Shivaji Panikkar from his job and there is also
>pressure to make him a co-accused along with Chandramohan.
>Chandramohan is still not able to get out on bail because the BJP-VHP
>is creating furore at the court and forcing it to adjourn. Tomorrow
>and the day after being  court holidays(Saturday & Sunday) the plan is
>to impart exemplary punishment to Chandu and terrorise the faculty who
>are accused of indecency and harboring anti-Gujarat sentiments!!!
>The local press along with The Univ authority is cahoots with the
>BJP/VHP and portraying all of us as public enemies who not only allow
>display of indecent pictures but condone such behavior!
>
>In the caredfully orchestrated melee no one is raising the real
>question that how come the police in uniform walk into the faculty
>premises without anybody's permission and take away a student without
>even bothering to inform the In-charge Dean. For that matter the
>University is not only refusing to take legal action against Mr Nirav
>Jain for trespassing and using abusive language and threats in the
>Faculty premises but no one from the University has appointed a lawyer
>to fight Chandu's case. Dr Narendra Parmar,the advocate who is
>fighting on our behalf is approached through the good offices of Mr
>Rahul Amin(Industrialist and patron of art).
>
>The students put up a small display of plates from the archive today
>to highlight the point that art always dealt with themes that are
>controversial and non-conformist but that was sealed by the Pro-VC who
>marched into the faculty along with 4 Syndicate members and ordered
>Prof Panikkar to shut it. When Prof Panikkar refused point blank he
>not only braught the exhibition down but also sealed  the archive of
>the Art History department. A police complaint was also logded by Mr
>Jain to arrest Shivaji and make him a co-accused in the Chandramohan
>case.Mr Jain who happens to be the head of VHP's legal cell is also
>reprted (as published in The Indian Express today) to have openly
>dared anybody to lodge an FIR as he would bring the whole city to a
>stand still. There are also reports of burning of Shivaji's effigy in
>Manjalpur area of the city yesterday. Sveral students have also
>reported intimidation outside the Faculty premises.It is also brought
>to our notice that several faculty members are to be targetted by the
>University. Later in the evening news reached us that in an emergency
>meeting the VC has taken the decision to suspend Prof Panikkar.
>
>Yours sincerely
>
>Indrapramit Roy
>Sr Lecturer
>Department of painting
>faculty of Fine Arts
>MSU of Baroda
>
>
>
>On 11/05/07, Art India Magazine <artindia at gmail.com> wrote:
>>  The Free Chandramohan Committee: Public Meeting, 12 May 2007
>>
>>
>>  The Free Chandramohan Committee will hold a public meeting on
>>  Saturday,  12 May 2007, at 6 pm at Gallery Chemould Prescott Road, to
>>  protest against the arrest of the young artist Chandramohan by the
>>  Baroda police earlier this week.
>>
>>  The meeting will be addressed by a number of speakers, among them
>>  noted cultural activists, commentators, film-makers, lawyers and
>>  artists, who will express solidarity with Chandramohan and draw up
>>  practical measures to secure his release.
>>
>>  Among other issues, the meeting will discuss the ways by which the
>>  constitutional  safeguards can be implemented, as well as legal
>>  redress by which the onus in cases of alleged incitement of communal
>>  disharmony can be placed squarely on demagogues who distort artworks
>>  for their own political ends. More significantly, a lunatic fringe
>>  cannot claim monopoly over public space. Let us resolve not to cede
>>  public space to the forces of intolerance.
>>
>>  Date: 12 May 2007 (Saturday)
>>  Time: 6 pm
>>  Place: Gallery   Chemould Prescott Road
>>           Queens  Mansion (3rd Floor)
>>           A K Naik Marg
>  >          Fort, Mumbai 400 001
>>          Phones: 91 22 22000211, 91 22 22000212, 91 22 22000213
>>           Email: gallerychemould at gmail.com
>>
>>
>>  An Outrage in Baroda
>>
>>  An intolerable violation of cultural and academic freedom by communal
>>  forces took place in Baroda on Wednesday, 9 May 2007, when a group of
>>  Vishwa Hindu Parishad goons led by local BJP leader Niraj Jain stormed
>>  into the campus of the Faculty of Fine Arts, M S  University, Baroda.
>>  Breaking into the annual display of the final year students, the goons
>>  abused and attacked a student, Chandramohan, claiming that they found
>>  his works obscene and offensive to religious sentiments.
>>
>>  The police, entering the campus, arrested Chandramohan without a
>>  proper warrant and without consulting the Faculty of Fine Arts, while
>>  allowing the inflammatory Jain and his goons to go free. Later, Jain
>>  was cordially received by the Vice-Chancellor of the University. This
>>  august functionary has not only refused to register a First
>>  Information Report against Jain, but has also refused to extend any
>>  assistance to Chandramohan. Indeed, the Vice-Chancellor has demanded
>>  that the student and the Dean of the Faculty of Fine arts should
>>  apologise to Jain.
>>
>>  Chandramohan is now being held by the police while a charge-sheet is
>>  being prepared. He has been charged with various non-bailable
>>  offences, including the attempt to incite communal disharmony and
>>  public obscenity.
>>
>>  This constitutes a straightforward violation of a young artist's right
>>  to express himself. It is also a grave case of the invasion of
>>  academic space by the police. Had such an incident taken place in
>>  Dhaka or Islamabad, we would all have been protesting against the
>>  dictatorial ways of authority.
>>
>>  *
>>
>>  Questions before Us
>>
>>  The Baroda outrage raises serious questions about the State's ability,
>>  or even desire, to protect the cultural freedoms of individuals. We
>>  strongly condemn all attempts on the part of communal forces to
>>  violate cultural freedoms.
>>
>>  The Baroda outrage takes on an ominous colour, given the history of
>>  infringements of artistic freedom during the last two decades,
>>  especially the campaign of vilification and persecution launched
>>  against M F Husain, and the rise of a chilling intolerance.
>>
>>  Can we allow India to become an illiberal democracy, guided by
>>  competing populisms? Surely the onus, in such cases, should be on the
>>  people who create communal disharmony, using a cultural work as their
>>  pretext, and not on artists?
>>
>
>
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