KALADY : The Kalady Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit(SSUS) here remains a grim reminder of the devastation caused by the recent deluge, with the Department of Mural Painting beingone of the worst-hit on the varsity campus. The old building with a crumbling roof where the department was housed now remains - whatever is left of the original structure - an unseemly sight after being inundated by the floodwaters. “We lost our entire works,” said a student. Athira, Univerisity Students’ Union chairperson, said the building from which the department functioned was the one where the university functioned from initially. “The SSUS started functioning in these buildings in 1993. The structure, however, goes back several years. So one can imagine the building’s condition,” she said.
A student, who sought anonymity, said, “We have been repeatedly demanding the department be moved to another building. But our calls have fallen on deaf ears.” He said over the years several new buildings had come up on the 60 acre campus. “But till date, we have not been allotted one,” he said.According to Athira, “The students had launched several protests and also took it up with the university authorities. But all they have got so far are some hollow promises.”
A former student said, “Whenever plans for a new building are okayed, our hopes become skyhigh. But they are dampened when the building is allotted to other departments or set aside for other purposes. It was and still is a joke among the students of the department.”However, post-deluge the chorus for a new building has been revived. “The walls and the electrical connections got dampened in the flood. The risk of electrocution from the wet walls and the switch board is quite high. The false ceiling has caved in and the flooring is badly damaged,” said Athira.
The students, though, are divided on whether the department should be moved into new premises.”A section of students wants to continue in the building. They cited emotional attachment. Besides, privacy and seclusion were highlighted by these students. But now after the flood, everyone is of the opinion the department needs to be shifted. The flooding of the building is a yearly phenomenon. So one can imagine how stable the structure is,” Athira said.SSUS Vice-Chancellor Dharmaraj Adat said, “A suggestion has been made to shift the department to the new auditorium.”