As allegations of sexual harassment swirl round Chennai’s prestigious Kalakshetra Foundation, a number of teams of scholars and alumni have come to the defence of the establishment well-known for producing India’s best classical dancers. They declare the “anonymous allegations” levelled towards Assistant Professor Hari Padman “on social forums are false and some of them even politically motivated”.
Padman is a senior college member on the Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts, one of many 4 establishments positioned on the sprawling 100-acre Kalakshetra campus in south Chennai.
In his first interview because the allegations went public, Hari Padman instructed News18 that he would make each effort to hunt justice for himself.
“There are hundreds of students who are presently studying in Kalakshetra. Ask them if I ever misbehaved with them or misspoke. There are students who have been studying here for six years, I have never abused anybody. I stand by my conscience and I know they do not have a shred of evidence,” he mentioned. “We have 55 CCTV cameras in Kalakshetra. We will pull out every available footage to prove my innocence.”
Allegations of sexual harassment on the Kalakshetra Foundation had surfaced on social media in December 2022 when Bharatanatyam dancer and former director of the institute Leela Samson mentioned in a Facebook submit {that a} “male member of the staff is known to be threatening and molesting” ladies on the faculty.
In reply to the now-deleted submit, a pupil had mentioned she was compelled to discontinue her Post Diploma course in 2019. Recent media stories have quoted her as alleging that she was compelled to stop when a senior college member approached her inappropriately with sexual undertones. She reportedly recognized Hari Padman as the college member and additional mentioned she had filed a criticism towards him with Kalakshetra’s inner committee (IC) on February 6, 2023, 4 years after the alleged incident.
News18 spoke to a number of college students and alumni of Kalakshetra concerning the allegations, a few of who questioned why the coed waited for 4 years to file a criticism.
“I know this girl (name withheld due to legal reasons) as she was in my batch and I spent most of my working hours with her. She is the kind of girl who will stand her ground and create a ruckus then and there if anything happened to her. She would ensure that every person on the campus knows what she went through. Why wait for four years? And she told all of us she left the course as she got a job in Canada, not because she was a victim,” mentioned a Kalakshetra alumna, who didn’t want to be recognized.
“How can she lie so blatantly about an incident that is so serious unless she is being supported by a powerful force? Any girl would have confided in at least one of her classmates, right?” questioned one other former pupil who had finished her Post Diploma on the institute between the years 2015 and 2019.
A 3rd pupil who at present resides on campus, too, backed the professor. “Hari Padman sir is not like other teachers. He is strict and expects the best from his students. He has always maintained strict guru-shishya parampara. There is no doubt his style of teaching can be considered slightly harsh, but that is only as long as he is teaching us the art. He says what he has to in class, never individually,” she mentioned.
Speaking to News18, Padman agreed that he’s an especially strict instructor who loses his mood. “But to call me a predator is something I will not tolerate. I will fight for justice,” he mentioned.
News18 additionally spoke to the coed who’s reported to have accused Padman of harassment. She just lately filed a criticism with the Tamil Nadu Police the place she alleged that her title was being “misused” to unfold false data on social media. The pupil mentioned her title was being falsely used as a complainant in a case of sexual abuse.
She mentioned her title was unfairly dragged into controversy by Leela Samson and now she felt it essential to assist the reality about Hari Padman. She countered allegations of a sexual nature being made towards the defective member and emphasised a number of occasions throughout the interview with News18 that he handled “all students like family”.
“Even his wife ensures that the doors of their home are always open to all in Kalakshetra; teachers, students, everybody. His house is never empty, there is always someone at his place as they understand that we students ourselves are far from our families,” she instructed News18.
The complainant, nonetheless, acknowledged that on one event, she attended class regardless that she was sick as she feared the wrath of Hari Padman. She alleged that he shamed her and insulted her in Malayalam in entrance of all the class as she had missed a number of classes beforehand.
A classmate who witnessed what the complainant referred to as “humiliation” by Padman mentioned the declare was “false” and a “disgusting lie”.
“I understand Malayalam and there was a very heated argument. Nothing was said that had any sexual meaning or attribution,” she instructed News18 over a video name.
A fourth pupil from Kalakshetra News18 spoke to recalled an incident involving the complainant on the campus. “She was irregular with her attendance. Once she claimed that she was taking a friend to the hospital. Soon after, Hari Padman sir found the ‘patient’ dancing and attending class, but this girl was still missing. She has been pulled up for her lies in front of the class several times,” the coed mentioned.
Asked concerning the allegations of sexual assault made on a web-based discussion board anonymously after Leela Samson’s submit, college students mentioned there must be readability on whether or not the complaints are directed at one specific instructor or one other.
They mentioned there have been different instances in Kalakshetra the place male academics from the Music division had been discovered to have been sexually abusing college students. The survivors introduced the difficulty to the discover of Kalakshetra administration and the inner complaints committee (ICC).
“Investigations were conducted, the survivor provided statements to the ICC and action was taken against two musicians who were found guilty. In 2018, under the new directorship of Revathi Ramachandran, the ICC was reconstituted in Kalakshetra and action was taken when complaints were filed,” mentioned a Kalakshetra alumna, who now teaches Bharatanatyam within the US.
“I am embarrassed with the way the issue has snowballed. If there was an iota of truth, I would support the victim. But I see nothing true in the statements made by the two girls who claimed to have called out Hari Padman sir. Even after graduating, we hold him in highest regard as our guru,” mentioned a 3rd alumna who studied on the institute between 2011 and 2017.
The individual quoted above additionally spoke concerning the second complainant, an alumna who alleged that she was requested to carry out for Kalakshetra at an exterior venue on Chennai’s ECR street. She mentioned she felt unsafe with this demand allegedly made by Hari Padman.
Students News18 spoke to expressed disbelief on the risk, saying it violated the foundations of Kalakshetra as college students will not be allowed to carry out solo. A pupil would by no means be despatched alone, she can be accompanied by an orchestra and the instructor in-charge, they mentioned.
“If the students perform to music from a CD, then the teacher will accompany the student and the theatre manager will be present. How can the lady claim she was sent alone to perform? The transport also should have been from Kalakshetra and there is no log of that as well,” certainly one of them identified.
Padman mentioned it was learnt that one other repertory college member had a personal dance recital outdoors Kalakshetra with out informing the officers. He mentioned he was on go away throughout that interval and he or she was questioned by Kalakshetra. “When Kalakshetra asked her a question, she got irritated. She should not have broken the rule. When questioned, she directed her accusation of verbal abuse towards me since I was one of the three repertory heads,” he mentioned.
The repertory college member had alleged that she was compelled to stop due to harassment by Padman.
Genesis of a Controversy
The Ministry of Culture-funded Kalakshetra Foundation has been besieged by allegations after former director Leela Samson alleged that the administration had “turned a blind eye” to instances of alleged sexual harassment. She pointed in the direction of a male instructor, however didn’t title anybody.
The contentious Facebook submit was shared on December 24, 2022, however was deleted inside 24 hours. However, previously week, a number of nameless posts have been made on social media boards, alleging favouritism and sexual trade-offs for roles in Kalakshetra’s well-known dance dramas.
Noted musician TM Krishna has written an open letter urging the administration to take severe observe of allegations of sexual harassment made by a faction of scholars on the establishment.
Calling the response by the Kalakshetra Foundation “disappointing”, Krishna mentioned: “No inquiry will be effective unless the atmosphere is caring and compassionate. When the place is so hierarchical, no one will speak freely and fearlessly. They are not in any position to challenge people above them.”
An investigating officer, nonetheless, mentioned not one of the complainants approached Kalakshetra’s administration, their inner complaints committee (ICC) or police to register their grievance.
In nameless posts, a number of college students shared experiences of being sexually harassed in a trade-off for alternatives to be repertory dancers in Kalakshetra’s dance dramas. The accused is highly effective sufficient to offer and withdraw vital roles, college students alleged.
The difficulty reached its peak when the National Commission of Women (NCW) wrote to Tamil Nadu DGP Sylendra Kumar, asking for an intensive investigation. However, inside days, the NCW communicated to the Tamil Nadu Police that it had determined to shut the Kalakshetra criticism which was taken up suo moto. The fee additionally acknowledged that the ladies questioned within the ICC assembly didn’t elevate any difficulty of sexual abuse.
“The NCW has concluded to close the matter which was raised on the grounds of media reports and the alleged victim had denied that she preferred a complaint. We received communication to this effect from the NCW,” Tamil Nadu DGP Sylendra Babu instructed the media.
Kalakshetra director Revathi Ramachandran additionally met the DGP to submit the ICC’s findings. The state police chief acknowledged that after conducting a suo moto inquiry into the matter via its inner committee, Kalakshetra discovered the allegations to be “baseless”.
The Kalakshetra Foundation, in a media assertion, mentioned an in depth inquiry carried out over social media allegations of sexual harassment had revealed that there have been no instances and the allegations had been unfounded.
Calling it a “scurrilous campaign” towards Kalakshetra Foundation, Chairman S Ramadorai mentioned an in depth inquiry had been carried out for over two-and-a-half months to establish the veracity of the web complaints. The basis didn’t obtain any complaints as per the rules of the Sexual Harassment Act.
“The relationship between the guru and shishya is sacrosanct, more so when these students have been entrusted to our care by their parents in full faith that the foundation will protect and take care of them,” he mentioned.
News18 tried to contact the institute’s director, Revathi Ramachandran, however calls went unanswered.
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