The staff and students of Chennai’s Kalakshetra continued their protest through the night after they boycotted exams and stayed back on campus on Thursday, March 30, demanding action on the sexual harassment allegations against four faculty members of the institute – Hari Padman, Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan, and Sreenath. The students also wrote to the Union Minister of Culture, G Kishan Reddy, under whose purview Kalakshetra Foundation falls, and to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin.
Meanwhile, TNM has learned that the Internal Complaints Committee (IC) of Kalakshetra Foundation has received three more complaints of sexual harassment and abuse, all from male survivors. It’s to be noted that these new complaints are against three other male faculty members, and does not include Assistant Professor Hari Padman, against whom allegations have already been made by women students. So far, one complaint has also been filed with the IC against Hari Padman, who has been teaching Bharatanatyam at Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts (RDCFA) since 2006 and has been heading the Kalakshetra Repertory since its creation in 2018.
The protests began earlier on Thursday morning when students walked away from the 8.30 am prayer meeting after Hari Padman, a senior faculty of RDCFA came to the premises. Two survivors who TNM spoke to last week, recounted their experiences and named Hari Padman as their abuser. We also spoke to six staff members of Kalakshetra, all of whom attest that the environment in the institute is toxic.
The prayer meeting was boycotted by students in an attempt to register their protest against the institute’s inaction despite several allegations against Hari Padman, as well as three other faculty members. The students demanded the suspension of the alleged harassers and a safe campus atmosphere to share their experiences without fear.
As the day progressed, students moved to the entrance gate of the institute and began a sit-in protest at around 3 pm, shouting “we want justice” and holding placards. Later in the evening, Kalakshetra released a circular dated March 30, stating that the RDCFA will remain closed from 30.03.2023 (5:15 pm) to 6.04.2023. “All the inmates are requested to vacate the hostel within two days with immediate effect. Exams scheduled on these days are postponed. The new dates will be announced in due course,” read the circular, signed by Pakala Ramdas, principal of RDCFA.
The protests turned into an all-nighter demanding the dismissal of Hari Padman and the three Repertory members against whom allegations of sexual harassment have surfaced.
As the night wore on, Revathi Ramachandran, the Director of Kalakshetra, attempted to leave the campus prompting students to stall her. They sat on the road in front of her car as the director refused to engage with students or the media. Feeling cornered, Revathi began walking out of her car towards the main gate of the institution. Within about 50 metres of her walking, she appeared to faint and was escorted off the premises by police.
At the time of filing this story, at 4 am, Friday, March 31, senior police officials including Joint Police Commissioner Cibi Chakravarthy and Deputy Commissioner Mahendran had arrived on campus. Students were assured swift action and were requested to disperse.
A students’ union named the Kalakshetra Students Union has been formed to place demands more formally and collectively to the management and directly to the Union Ministry of Culture. Letters have been submitted to the Union Minister of Culture, G Kishan Reddy, under whose purview Kalakshetra Foundation falls, and to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin. The letters demand the immediate dismissal of Revathi and the Head of the Dance Department Jyotsna Menon, apart from the four named harassers including Hari Padman.
The letter goes on to seek reconstitution of the IC, under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (PoSH), 2013, “with the presiding officer who is an external member appointed by the governing board in consultation with the students union. The IC must include a student representative decided by the student union. We demand the immediate recognition of the students union which has been formed today.”
A letter submitted by students to Revathi demands “an immediate stop to the verbal and sexual harassment and body shaming and colourism at the Kalakshetra Foundation at present and in the future”. Students also demanded a change of counselor at the Kalakshetra Foundation as the students do not have the confidence to interact with the present counselor, as well as an assurance of privacy and basic human rights to the students staying at the Kalakshetra hostel.
Student representatives who TNM spoke to at the night-long protest said on the condition of anonymity that their protests will continue until Revathi gives a written assurance that the faculty members named as harassers will be dismissed.
Meanwhile, Kalakshetra’s management has promised action saying “the Foundation has already sought explanations from the persons against whom some allegations have been made, and on receipt of their explanation, the Chairman and the Governing Board will consider the appropriate action.” But students did not seem convinced.
Hari Padman left for Hyderabad for a dance performance on Friday, March 31st, but TNM has learned that he has been asked to return to Chennai immediately. This would be the first time that Kalakshetra’s management has attempted any action against Hari Padman, who was traveling along with the repertory staff, which includes the three male performers against whom complaints have surfaced.
Several students TNM spoke to allege that the repertory performers’ sexual misconduct is shielded and encouraged by Hari Padman, thereby creating a web of co-conspirators whose sexually predatory behaviours are widely spoken about among faculty and students alike.