It is no secret that the freedom of expression is in grave trouble at various Indian universities which try to curb dissent in one form or the other. The latest incident is a rather strict measure at a college in the University of Hyderabad where fine arts students are now required to send their works to a screening committee for approval before they can be allowed to be publicly exhibited.
The above came to light in a notice, signed by the head of the department at the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, which was put up five days ago at the university campus, with no other official word. This has sparked a debate on free speech at the campus as the batch of 30-odd students in their final year seek to organise themselves and counter the efforts of authorities to regulate their work.
The outgoing batch of students pursuing their masters in painting and sculpture at the college organise a public exhibition each year. This year, the exhibition is scheduled to start from May 1 but the news of a screening committee set up for the first time has caused concern among students who are worried about possible censoring of their art works if the committee doesn't approve of them.
Censoring the brush
A forewarning of the shape of things to come was present in a meeting that was held in the department on March 31, some students informed Scroll, where the proposal to screen works of the final-year students was discussed and it was indicated that any work that the committee deemed to be inappropriate would be left out of the exhibition.
Anoop Daniel, a student at the department, said that the meeting made it clear that nothing controversial will be allowed. "They said we can't do anything which is obscene or, in any way, controversial," Daniel said. "This committee should advise students on how to improve their work instead of censoring their expression through their artworks."
“This is a unilateral order from the Head of Department because he doesn’t want us to offend people,” said Anil Xavier, a current student of the batch. “This implies that we can’t do anything controversial and we have no way to know what they will decide as inappropriate. Such committees, without a clear directive and procedure, as we well know, can be manipulated by the people in power, according to their ideological orientations.”
Tacit approval
Another student requesting anonymity added that many faculty members expressed their support to the directive vehemently and tried to convince the students about the “virtues” of the directive. The head of department didn't respond to emails and calls from Scroll requesting comment.
Another teacher refused to comment on the record but said that the move is beneficial for students and it is in everyone’s interest if the controversies could be kept out of their work and exhibition. She went on to say that the decision is “well thought out” and a formal statement will soon eliminate all concerns.
However, students aren’t convinced or even sure about what’s going to happen next.
“We have no idea what the criteria is going to be when they select work or reject it,” said Xavier. “It’s our right to create and display anything that we feel strongly about but if they decide to keep it apolitical then this is hypocrisy. Art is never too far from politics and they can’t treat it like entertainment meant to only make people feel good.”
Movement in the making
Following this, students have started a public campaign on Facebook which hasn’t gone down well with the department.
“Now they are worried that people are getting to know,” a student said. “They are trying to convince us that it’s about choosing better works from the entries and those who do the best job are going to be selected, but that’s just a spin they have given it. We are going to keep campaigning until this censorship order is revoked.”
As the students reached out to the larger art community, many painters and sculptors have responded to the issue and condemned the notice. Among those who supported the students is Delhi-based art critic and curator Johnny ML who wrote a Facebook note and said:
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The above came to light in a notice, signed by the head of the department at the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, which was put up five days ago at the university campus, with no other official word. This has sparked a debate on free speech at the campus as the batch of 30-odd students in their final year seek to organise themselves and counter the efforts of authorities to regulate their work.
The outgoing batch of students pursuing their masters in painting and sculpture at the college organise a public exhibition each year. This year, the exhibition is scheduled to start from May 1 but the news of a screening committee set up for the first time has caused concern among students who are worried about possible censoring of their art works if the committee doesn't approve of them.
Censoring the brush
A forewarning of the shape of things to come was present in a meeting that was held in the department on March 31, some students informed Scroll, where the proposal to screen works of the final-year students was discussed and it was indicated that any work that the committee deemed to be inappropriate would be left out of the exhibition.
Anoop Daniel, a student at the department, said that the meeting made it clear that nothing controversial will be allowed. "They said we can't do anything which is obscene or, in any way, controversial," Daniel said. "This committee should advise students on how to improve their work instead of censoring their expression through their artworks."
“This is a unilateral order from the Head of Department because he doesn’t want us to offend people,” said Anil Xavier, a current student of the batch. “This implies that we can’t do anything controversial and we have no way to know what they will decide as inappropriate. Such committees, without a clear directive and procedure, as we well know, can be manipulated by the people in power, according to their ideological orientations.”
Tacit approval
Another student requesting anonymity added that many faculty members expressed their support to the directive vehemently and tried to convince the students about the “virtues” of the directive. The head of department didn't respond to emails and calls from Scroll requesting comment.
Another teacher refused to comment on the record but said that the move is beneficial for students and it is in everyone’s interest if the controversies could be kept out of their work and exhibition. She went on to say that the decision is “well thought out” and a formal statement will soon eliminate all concerns.
However, students aren’t convinced or even sure about what’s going to happen next.
“We have no idea what the criteria is going to be when they select work or reject it,” said Xavier. “It’s our right to create and display anything that we feel strongly about but if they decide to keep it apolitical then this is hypocrisy. Art is never too far from politics and they can’t treat it like entertainment meant to only make people feel good.”
Movement in the making
Following this, students have started a public campaign on Facebook which hasn’t gone down well with the department.
“Now they are worried that people are getting to know,” a student said. “They are trying to convince us that it’s about choosing better works from the entries and those who do the best job are going to be selected, but that’s just a spin they have given it. We are going to keep campaigning until this censorship order is revoked.”
As the students reached out to the larger art community, many painters and sculptors have responded to the issue and condemned the notice. Among those who supported the students is Delhi-based art critic and curator Johnny ML who wrote a Facebook note and said:
The HoD fears that there could be a possible attack on the works of art displayed. This fear could come from two factors; one, he and the other teaching staff have conceded that some works are ‘offensive’. Two, they are unnecessarily conscious of the censorial activities that happen in our country, which they do not want to bring to their doorsteps. Apparently, these concerns sound very positive and progressive. In fact, they are not. In 21st century, we cannot expect students to be insular to the socio-political and cultural changes taking place in the country and elsewhere. Their works could reflect their thoughts, at times in the form of adulation and at times in the form of critique. There cannot be any fixed criteria to assess what is offensive and what is not offensive in such creative and aesthetic responses. Teachers and head of the department becoming overtly conscious about the possible censorial attacks is nothing but cowardice, which does not add dignity not only to the teachers but also to the university itself. Thirdly, the teachers and head of the department must be pre-empting a possible scenario of censorship and they just do not want to be answerable to the higher authorities in the university.
I would say, a fine arts department cannot do more injustice to its own students than this.