Relief, apprehension: teachers describe the current mood in Visva-Bharati University

Relief and apprehension in Visva-Bharati University following end of Prof. Chakrabarty's tenure as V-C. New V-C to provide healing touch, revive seminars, conferences, cultural programmes., involve ashramiks, restore ties with State Govt., revive Poush Mela and Basanta Utsav, maintain heritage status. Students to demand eviction of former V-C.

Relief and apprehension: this is how many teachers described the current mood in Visva-Bharati University following the end of the tenure of Prof. Bidyut Chakrabarty as Vice-Chancellor, a five-year period that saw a large number of suspensions and terminations in the Rabindranath Tagore-founded university.

“Relief, because he is gone; apprehension because we don’t know who and how the next V-C is going to be,” a senior teacher, one of those who did not openly take sides during Prof. Chakrabarty’s tenure, told The Hindu. At present, the institution has an officiating V-C in arts teacher Sanjoy Kumar Mallik, and a full-time appointment could take up to six months.

Prof. Chakrabarty, shortly after he took charge in November 2018, issued a gag order, prohibiting employees — except the Public Relations Officer (PRO) — from speaking to the media. Thereafter, it almost became routine for transfer, suspension and termination orders as well as show-cause notices to be served on employees. Many of these were challenged legally and nearly 200 cases are said to be pending in various courts.

“Whoever comes needs to provide the healing touch. The university should see more seminars and conferences and yes, cultural programmes and theatre performances too.  These things had drastically reduced. Also, the ashramiks (former students and teachers of Visva-Bharati, who continue to reside in Santiniketan) should also be involved in day-to-day activities; they are a part of the ecosystem and they should not be made to feel alienated,” another teacher said, requesting anonymity.

“The new administration should also restore relations with the State Government — we cannot cut-off ties with the local government and local people. Events like Poush Mela and Basanta Utsav must be revived because they are important for the local economy, and efforts must be taken to maintain the heritage status granted to Santiniketan by UNESCO. We cannot lose our control to tourists and the place cannot become a parking lot,” the teacher said.

Prof. Chakrabarty, even though no longer in office, continues to remain in news, especially because he has still not vacated his official accommodation. “Bidyut Chakrabarty blamed Amartya Sen and other eminent persons as illegal usurpers, and now he himself shamelessly and illegally occupies the rent-free furnished bungalow with huge human resources like cook, servant, security, gardeners, etc. Tomorrow, November 21, the students have given a call for assembling at the central office to demand the revival of Poush Mela and eviction of the former V-C; both teaching and non-teaching staff will join them,” Sudipta Bhattacharyya, president of Visva-Bharati University Faculty Association, one of the biggest critics of Prof. Chakrabarty, said.