Pune: Alumni and prominent figures from the Marathi theatre community have voiced their support for the Head of the Lalit Kala Kendra department and its students at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), condemning what they perceive as an infringement on students’ freedom of expression by external entities.
In a statement released late on Tuesday, the alumni and theatre personalities expressed deep concern over the registration of police complaints against both the university students and the Head of Department (HoD). The statement emphasized the lack of consideration for the pain and trauma experienced by those involved, with no acknowledgment of their grievances and concerns.
“It is deeply hurtful that police complaints were registered against university students and HoD. It is also unfathomable that no cognizance of their pain and trauma was taken into consideration at the time, and no complaints from their side were entertained thereafter. The department, its students, and HOD, who are, in fact, the real victims of this incident, are now being unfairly targeted, deliberately defamed, and maligned with disinformation in circulated videos, publications, and on social media, leading to severe misunderstandings about the institution and its students,” the statement read.
Prominent Marathi actress and alumna Anita Date remarked, “An exam was underway, and some examiners were sitting there to judge the play and the artists. Any third person from outside cannot enter the premises and pronounce a decision on it.” Screenwriter Mitali Joshi, also an alumna and the producer of the National Award-winning film Godavari, echoed these sentiments, calling the events at Lalit Kala Kendra unfair, disturbing, and unjust.
Joshi emphasized the need for context when evaluating the situation, stating, “Anybody wanting to say something about the play needs to read the entire script first and know the premise. Some clips are circulating on social media, which are out of context, premeditated, planned, and heinous.”
Both alumni affirmed that education at Lalit Kala Kendra was never directed towards any specific ideology, emphasizing its inclusive nature. They stated that as theatre students, their learning focused on traditions, culture, and mythology, which form the essence of drama.
