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Vadodara art controversy intensifies
Published on Sun, May 13, 2007 at 01:19, Updated on Wed, Jun 20, 2007 at 13:37 in 
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Vadodara: With the suspension of the Dean of the Maharaja Sayajirao University's Fine Arts Faculty, the art controversy has taken a new twist.
But the students have now decided to protest against fellow student Chandra Mohan's arrest and the Dean's suspension.
Fear has gripped the Fine Arts students at the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara.
"Yes, there is a little bit of fear…quite a lot, in fact. Because we don't know, which way the things are going," said a student.
One of their batchmates is in jail, their dean has been suspended and the University authorities are not standing by them in their hour of crisis.
But the suspended Dean of Fine Arts Faculty Shivaji Panikkar refuses to give in to the moral policing.
"It is their misunderstanding – I mean, I have my knowledge in art, they don't have. And it is only experts, who know about arts, should be taking decisions about art," said dean Panikkar.
The students too have decided not to give up without a fight. And they are using the weapon they know best – art.
"We are putting up posters to protest the incident," said a student.
"What wrong has he done? The paintings were for evaluation...and it's a part of Indian Art," said another student.
NGOs, former students and the artists' fraternity have also joined the protest.
"The Vice Chancellor and Pro Vice Chancellor are joining what I call a bunch of goons and destroying the image of this university," said Artistic Director and former student Arun Agnihotri.
Assisted by NGOs, students are planning to intensify their agitation. But this episode has also highlighted the growing instances of the communalisation of the educational systems.
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