THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Close on the heels of her allegations against a powerful CPM leader in the institution, dancer and teacher Kalamandalam Satyabhama has been removed from the executive committee of Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University.
“A Kalamandalam executive committee member who is the nominee of the ruling party has tried to exploit several women teachers in the institution, who are on temporary service,” said Satyabhama. “When I questioned this, I was removed after one and a half years of service, while the exact term is four years. I was harassed when I objected and questioned this type of treatment against teachers.”
She said she had met Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who directed her to approach Culture Minister A K Balan. “I had a hard time in trying to meet the culture minister as his office staff were not allowing me to meet him. And when I finally managed to meet him, the minister promised to look into my grievances, but ultimately nothing happened,” she said.
She also said vice-chancellor T K Narayanan had nothing much to do in the administration of the university as the other two powerful members from the CPM interfered in each and every decision. Other executive committee members didn’t have any voice, said Satyabhama.
The noted dance teacher said while the government order to remove her was received at the Kalamandalam on August 12, she was not informed and again on September 3 she was called for the meeting, which was an insult.
However, a member of the executive committee who does not want to be named said, “There was a protest against Kalamandalam Satyabhama with several former students of the institution coming together against her following some adverse remarks she had made against a former teacher. Late Kalabhavan Mani’s brother R L V Ramakrishnan had an open spat with her and this resulted in old students petitioning even the Chief Minister’s office. She had even attended the September 3 executive meeting and the notice removing her was served to her on September 7.”
When contacted, Culture Minister Balan said, “There was a decision to remove her, but more details on whether it has been implemented can be confirmed only by the vice-chancellor.”
Narayanan added: “She has been removed from Kalamandalam. It was the decision of the state government. The order was signed on August 22 but we got it only on September 11. I immediately issued the order removing her. In the executive committee meeting or in private she had never alleged that someone had harassed her.”