This story is from June 6, 2016

‘Something rotting at SRFTI, I&B ministry should step in’

‘Something rotting at SRFTI, I&B ministry should step in’
KOLKATA: Veteran film-maker Buddhadeb Dasgupta is deeply anguished by the turn of events at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). Having served twice as a chairman of the institute, the director now feels it is time for the I&B ministry to look into the situation and punish those guilty of bringing disrepute to the institute. Excerpts from the director's conversation with TOI:
Are you aware of what is happening at SRFTI now?
Yes, I have been following what’s happening there.
Being the founder chairman, I have built the institute brick by brick. So, it pains to read that SRFTI is now in such a sorry state. Students are doing good work. Even this year, a student’s short film was in the competitive section at the Cannes Film Festival. They have got National Awards too. If students are doing so well, why is it that some people are bent on bringing disrepute to the institute? What right do they have to demolish SRFTI this way? It took a lot of effort to build such an institute in Kolkata. This institute is even bigger than Pune’s FTII. The I&B ministry should step in now.
Student unrest isn’t new in educational institutions…
Exactly. During my terms, I have faced student unrest too. I strongly believe that it is the chairman’s responsibility to handle the crisis. I had taken strong actions against students too if they went wayward. A chairman can’t just stay mum and let irregularities fester this way on campus. Being the head of the institute, he has to be accountable for maintaining discipline on campus. It is a responsibility a chairman can’t escape. A chairman’s role doesn’t end with only chairing governing council meetings. Despite being a busy film-maker, I made it a point to do everything to ensure that the institute grew in strength. Before scientist Partha Ghose was the chairman, there were two actors who held the same post. One was Ranjit Mullick. The other was Dipankar De. But neither stuck on for a long period of time. I guess, only those who have it in them to do a specialised work as a chairman of a film institute can do justice to such a post. It requires a lot of a hard work and a vision about cinema. If required, a chairman should also be able to conduct cinema workshops. Despite my busy schedule, I used to conduct workshops with students. One can’t be too divorced from movies and continue as a chairman. It is important for the person to understand whether he or she will be able to deliver in such a post.

The recent exits of director Debanjan Chakrabarti and registrar Anindya Acharya have also added fuel to the controversy…
I have read about their exits. Though I am no longer attached to the institute, there are people on campus who are still in touch with me. They have been telling me that Debanjan was trying to bring about a lot of good changes. Those who have seen him work on campus have praised the work he did in just three months. Such efforts need to be praised. If a person was doing so much of work, I don’t think he would suddenly want to leave because of work pressure. There must be more reasons for him taking such a drastic step. In any case, he was working there on deputation. So, he was not supposed to be working there permanently. Why would he not wait for his tenure to complete before leaving? I believe, circumstances were created where he had to leave this way! Besides being the registrar, Anindya was the chief vigilance officer of SRFTI too. He had to take some steps which would not make him popular. But that’s what his post demanded him to do. He shouldn’t have been forced to move out because of trying to implement government rules. He questioned irregular appointments and enhanced salaries that didn’t have ministry’s approval. Those who have ganged up against him must have been affected by the steps taken by him.
The report of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) on the sexual harassment cases has also not been implemented. How do you read this delay in implementation?
Justice delayed is justice denied. I don’t know the details of the report filed. If the faculty members aren’t guilty, they shouldn’t remain suspended. If they are guilty, they ought to be punished because this is a grave offence by teachers against students and shouldn’t be tolerated. With my experience I know that if the ICC has filed a report, it should be implemented. Why are objections now being raised about ICC’s bias? The ICC was formed with the sanction of the institute. Reservations, if any, ought to have been cleared beforehand. In any enquiry, a guilty person always screams bias against the body that conducts the probe. This is not new. If that happens, the guilty then approaches the court. But nowhere has one seen a situation where the body’s findings have been kept on hold because the guilty has levelled charges of bias. It’s surprising that this institute that has constituted the body is now delaying the implementation of what ICC had recommended. I would have expected the institute to stand by the enquiry done by ICC. If those found guilty wanted to go to court, the institute should have fought the case on behalf of ICC. The institute’s stand only reveals that it doesn’t have faith in what was constituted by it. Such a contradictory move also indicates that something is rotting at SRFTI. I am pained and urge the government to do all it takes to clean up the place.
author
About the Author
Priyanka Dasgupta

Priyanka Dasgupta is the features editor of TOI Kolkata. She has over 20 years of experience in covering entertainment, art and culture. She describes herself as sensitive yet hard-hitting, objective yet passionate. Her hobbies include watching cinema, listening to music, travelling, archiving and gardening.

End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA