Goa civil society urges PM to intervene in FTII issue

Goa’s civil society has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and solve the crisis that engulfed the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

Leading educationists, activists, journalists, writers and artistes have written to the prime minister – with a copy marked to Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley – urging for a resolution of the crisis.

“We hope that you will be able to engage with the students with an open mind, and be able to arrive at a solution that  shows the level of seriousness and commitment you have towards the future of India's cinema and its cultural  stature as a modern nation,” the letter said, urging Modi’s intervention. Signatories said: “India, the world's largest democracy, has always been to the world a country of stunning cultural and racial diversity.”

“For us, it is a nation representing hope, tolerance and peace, a country of limitless potential as a rapidly growing  economic superpower, a land with a rich heritage of arts, culture and cinema, where the largest number of films are made.