THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government has cancelled government land granted to set up the Ustad Amjad Ali Khan International School of Music in Thiruvananthapuram on the grounds that Khan’s name was misused by vested interests to get prime real estate. The previous Congress-led government had allotted two acres from a 17-acre parcel of land owned by the tourism department to set up the school. The CPI(M)-led LDF government has left the matter to the Cabinet sub-committee, which is looking into the decisions of the previous government taken during the slog overs of its term. Incidentally, Sheik Pareeth, a governing member of the school board, was the tourism director at the time of land allotment.
After cancelling the allotment of land to the Ustad Amjad Ali Khan International School of Music here, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Assembly that his government would extend all help to the sarod maestro and it was a matter of pride for Kerala to host the music school. However, he did not say when and where. The secretary of the eponymous Stage and Film Society, Soorya Krishnamoorthy is the joint-secretary of the music school’s executive committee. The school’s seven-member governing body includes Amjad Ali Khan (president), sons Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan (vice-presidents) and wife Subhalakshmi Khan (secretary). The 16 objectives laid out in the school’s bye-laws include “promotion of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Odissi and folk dances”, “conduct film festivals, art festivals and cultural shows”, “enter into any agreement with any other organisation of similar objectives”. As per the bye-law, in case of dissolution of the society, its assets can be transferred to “another society having similar objectives” or to the government.
Sources said the proposed school’s objectives had striking similarities with the activities of Soorya Stage and Film Society. Other governing members of the music school are Soorya Krishna Moorthy and Sangeet Nataka Academy secretary Dr PV Krishnan Nair (members). Tourism Minister A C Moideen said the grant was cancelled due to problems in the registration of the school, which has Krishnamoorthy’s residence as its address, the minister said.