Artists unite against moral police. Supriya Sharma NDTV.COM

http://communalism.blogspot.com/search/label/Hindutva

Painting row: Varsity dean suspended, Sahara Samay

http://www.saharasamay.com/samayhtml/articles.aspx?newsid=75220

comment RS

Shaji has expressed exactly what many persons like me feel.M F Hussain and other artists time and again take liberties in the subject matter of art. Hinduism is the most liberal of all religions. Hinduism does not impose compulsory visits to temples, observing fasts or daily rituals. Persons who defame religious icons whether in private examination hall or in an art gallery must take responsibility for the anguish caused to the sentiments of their hindu brethren.
Do they not know of the fatwa on the renowned author and the recent objections to Danish cartoons?
Niraj Jain has been given an opportunity to thrust himself to the limelight by this issue and he has grabbed it. Every chota politician whether Cong/BJP/SP/etc. never misses such a chance i. e. unless he/she is propelled by dynastic politics to rule over us.

read comments. Link

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/baroda-university-dean-suspended/40421/comments.html#

Baroda university dean suspended. Achyuth Punnekat.CNN-IBN

New Delhi: The Baroda Art controversy has taken a new twist. The dean of the Maharaja Sayajirao University's Fine Arts Faculty was suspended late on Friday night. Dean Shivji Panikker had come out openly in support of the students arrested for painting allegedly obscene works.

The University management has also closed down the exhibition where the paintings were on display.

BJP leader Niraj Jain said, “The students, teachers and the dean involved in this should immediately be suspended and if this is not done then the student leaders of Baroda will not remain silent."

That’s the demand the Hindutva brigade put forth after they vandalised this exhibition at the MS University on Wednesday for displaying allegedly obscene paintings.

And the University management seems to have completely bowed down to that fatwa. University top brass first refused to bail out the students who painted these works, when police arrested them.

And now the management has suspended the Fine Arts Faculty dean Shivji Panikkar after he openly supported his students.

MSU Fine Arts Faculty Dean Shivji Panikkar said, “Entire faculty of fine arts, staff, students and the artist community are with the student. I mean, the person is not even an artist. He's an art student. These are his creative works submitted for evaluation."

The University management reportedly decided to suspend Panikkar, after he refused to close down the controversial exhibition where the paintings were displayed.

Meanwhile, the arrested students are still in custody. One of them, Chandramohan, was produced in court on Friday.

The court has posted his bail hearing for Monday.

link

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videos.aspx?id=13598&slug=Art+assault%3a+Mumbai+gathers+in+support

Artists unite against moral police. Supriya Sharma NDTV.COM

Supriya Sharma

Saturday, May 12, 2007 (Vadodara)

Quote
“ We have suffered enough. Cant allow this bullying to happen ”
- Shivaji Panikkar

The face-off between artists and the saffron brigade in Vadodara's M S University continues.

Members of the Fine Arts Faculty have gone on a mass casual leave in support of the suspended Dean, Shivaji Panikkar.

A local court meanwhile has extended the police custody of art student Chandra Mohan till Monday.

Chandra Mohan was attacked by VHP activists and jailed for so-called 'obscene art' but VHP activists are not satisfied. They now want Panikkar who defended Chandra Mohan's work to be arrested.

Autonomy at stake

Prof Panikkar, the dean in charge, was suspended on Friday night and has now gone into hiding, hounded by the moral police.

Panikkar met NDTV and broke down as he said this is a battle that now needs reinforcements. ''We have suffered enough. Cant allow this bullying to happen.''

There is enough support for Professor Panikkar, not just from artists but also from the university's teachers association.

Even a senate member argued that what is at stake is not just the freedom of an artist but the autonomy of an academic institution.

''Are we to allow people to walk into campus and tell us what we should be doing and what not. If this is allowed to happen then there's no end to it,'' said Prof Indraparamit Roy, faculty member.

''In the last few years, university has been taken over by the RSS. What you see today is ultimate saffronisation. Either you agree with us or else we bash you up. It is happening in appointments, promotions. The disgusting thing is the role of the Vice Chancellor who is meant to be a symbol of intellectual freedom,'' Prof Bandukwala, former faculty member.

Legal fight

On the face of it, this looks like solid support for the premier faculty of fine arts in what is one of the worst moments in its more than 50 years of history. But the odds against it are high.

BJP leaders argue that local leader Niraj Jain, who led the attack which ended in the student's arrest, did not violate the law.

''It is clear that the professors are misleading the students. No one has the right to hurt Hindu sentiment just because we are tolerant,'' said N V Patel, Head of Baroda BJP.

The student arrested is still behind bars, the dean stands suspended and the legal fight will have to be fought not just against VHP activist but against the university and as some would argue the law itself.