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Wrong selection of FTII chief

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prasad1

prasad1

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The appointment of BJP member Gajendra Chauhan as Chairman of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has turned out to be something of a hot potato for the Modi government. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s move to pick Chauhan, whose claim to fame was playing Yudhisthira (or the wise one) in the television serial Mahabharat, was unwise. For the last one week, the FTII has been in a turmoil with students agitating against Chauhan’s appointment.

The Modi government, since coming to power last May, has brazenly gone about “saffronising” appointments to top posts of reputed institutions like the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), causing intense resentment. The government arbitrarily intervened in the appointments of directors to a few Indian Institutes of Technology provoking respected academics to protest. In all these and other cases, the government managed to steamroll its appointments. At the FTII, the government has come across intense opposition from students who are simply unwilling to budge. Their reasoning is understandable as the FTII is a niche educational institution which needs faculty and leadership that can inspire students. The post handed over to Chauhan was earlier occupied by film industry legends like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal and Girish Karnad. By all accounts, Chauhan pales in comparison with these names. It is not as if there is no one else to occupy this position. The government has been unable to justify or at least explain the rationale behind picking Chauhan. Along with him, four others with links to the Sangh Parivar and virtually unknown in the film world have also been reportedly appointed to the FTII council.

In an institution like the FTII, the chairman’s position is not just that of an administrative head, but one that is expected to actively drive the students to excel. There are valid reasons for the protesters’ grouse. The BJP appointee has reportedly no previous exposure to the FTII, either as student or in any other capacity. Until now, either the top position went to super-duper film industry figures or to an alumnus with a proven track record. This is the first time that the government is imposing a virtual persona non grata into the top decision-making post in the institute. If the government expected a nominal opposition and an eventual turn to normalcy they seem to be mistaken. For, students as a community are hard to be arm-twisted. Historically several events have sparked off by protesting students around the world. In the present instance, it would be wise for the government not to make it a prestige issue and, instead, to reconsider its appointment.



You may have successfully run Gujarat with no opposition, but to duplicate that model in the Center is a stretch.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/484160/wrong-selection-ftii-chief.html
 
Government may either close FTII or transfer ownership to Bollywood

The institute is left infested, no convocation for over 10 years, low fees and strike prone. The latest news. Govt firm on appointments.

****

6 Jul, 2015

NEW DELHI: The student's agitation to remove Gajendra Chauhan as the head of Film & Television Institute of India may not have resulted in any concessions from the government so far but it could have an unintended consequence: scrapping of the prestigious institute or its ownership shifting to Bollywood.

The Ministry for Information & Broadcasting (I&B) is preparing a case file citing reasons why the government should wash its hands off the institute. This includes a propensity of its students to go on strike — 39 strikes in its 55 years of existence — low hostel fees, alleged financial irregularities and the relevance of statefunded training in the area of movie-making.


The report on the institute's future is being prepared even as efforts to bring about a negotiated end to the agitation continued. A meeting between the student protestors and I&B Minister Arun Jaitley appears not to have led to a breakthrough.

The I&B report, prepared for Jaitley, says the average cost of education for an FTII student funded by the state is in excess of Rs 10 lakh per year. Also, the three year postgraduate diploma course usually takes 4-5 years to complete, with students living in hostels paying rent that was far below market rates. In many cases, students are said to be in arrears in their rent payments.

"This issue requires deep introspection on behalf of all concerned. In times of such fiscal stress the competing demands of more essential interventions on behalf of state in areas like primary education or health would or should have greater priority," the report says. Further, the entire infrastructure expenditure of FTII within the five-year plan is Rs 80 crore with an annual nonplan expenditure of Rs 20 crore every year.

"But the recovery through fees/hostel rent has decreased from 25% in 2006-07 to as low as 11% in 2010-11," the report says.

In the context, I&B ministry is relying on a report by the Expenditure Reforms Commission, appointed in 2000 and headed by former finance secretary KP Geethakrishnan, which had suggested handing over the institute to the film industry.

Ministry officials said they might soon be open to the idea of receiving proposals from the film industry if the deadlock between the ministry and students continues.

Officials Talking To Alumni

In the meanwhile, officials have been talking to FTII alumni to resolve the issue, even as several members of the FTII society such as Santosh Sivan, Jahnu Barua and Pallavi Joshi have written to the ministry seeking to work at the institute only after the deadlock is resolved.

Ministry sources said at the meeting with Jaitley on Friday, agitating students and alumni were given "their wish list on a platter".

"The students were assured of complete academic freedom and total technological upgradation of the institute. The government wants to work with the students to develop FTII into an institute of excellence, but the students are not willing to listen, an official said.

FTII students, however, said the meeting was "inconclusive and hollow". "The promises were made, but there was no assurance that they will get through in the next session of Parliament. Our main concern is also the appointment of Sangh sympathisers such as Chauhan and four other people in the council. We won't take back the protest till those appointments are taken back," said Harishankar Nachimuthu, president of the FTII students' association.

"We value the students and alumni of FTII, but there is no way the government will go back on its appointments. Who is in charge of administrative work should not concern the students as long their academic freedom is not being disturbed," an official added.

http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=25381
 
Actor Pallavi Joshi has written to the I&B Ministry saying that she doesn’t want to be a part of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) society following the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairperson.
Joshi said that her decision came in support of the students who have been on strike for 25 days, in protest of BJP leader Chauhan’s appointment.
In her email addressed to the I&B ministry on Sunday, Joshi cited that “creativity and art can’t prosper amid negativity”. She appealed for the acceptance of her resignation until the issue is “amicably resolved between the ministry and the students”.
Joshi said that her decision was prompted by the fact that the talks between the ministry and the students, that took place on July 3 in Delhi, failed without any resolution in sight.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/in...ndustry-is-under-threat/#sthash.bNyHTDQZ.dpuf
 
A govt which interferes with institutions involving training of artists for film industry and foists its sympathisers cannot be expected to promote art.

indoctrination of this type will backfire on the govt.

best not to disturb cultural institutions and leave them alone .
 
It is good to reduce the influence of left in all institutions - JNU, ICHR, FTII and all govt funded institutions and listen to the sane advice of RSS functionary ”The Left always believe in confrontation whereas our focus is on coordination. People of all inclination should work together,” With the exit of congress seculars and lefts have to count their days for secluded retirement.

How art is served by communists and left sympathizers?

****

"MUMBAI: Actor Pallavi Joshi’s resignation from the governing board of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) has underlined the influence of Left-wing activists on the premier institute. Joshi, known for her versatility, stated in her resignation email that she could not work in an atmosphere filled with uncertainty. She also has expressed her support to the agitating students, who are opposing the appointment of ‘BJP man’ Gajendra Chouhan as FTII director.
Earlier two prominent personalities-- cinematographer Santosh Sivan and producer Jashnu Barua-- both not known for appreciating right-wing activists had quit the FTII. The film personalities, though, are not willing to talk on the Left influence on FTII.
However, the RSS and BJP have been quite vocal.”The Left always believe in confrontation whereas our focus is on coordination. People of all inclination should work together,” said RSS official Vinayak Pande.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nat...eanings-of-FTII/2015/07/08/article2907951.ece
 
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Sadhus are not running art institutes funded by govt. 90%+ of the hindu sadhus do good for the society. It is said that communists have caused more murders and deaths than catholic inquisition and islamic jihadism till date. Sanatana dharma has a clean slate and a clear conscience in this area.

krish44 said:
How sadhus and the likes promote art and films? crap
Click to expand...
 
'Gajendra Chauhan may be a good administrator, or even a good leader, but he lacks the basic quality of inspiring others.'
'If the students aren't inspired, if they cannot dream big, how will they become successful?'
Pallavi Joshi tells Ronjita Kulkarni/Rediff.com why she is worried about FTII's future.
 
Pallalvi joshi has no qualms about accepting an offer from an alleged hindutva government, but has moral issues working with a colleague appointed by the same govt! She does not want a mixed group, only left socialists and sickulars.

All institutions have to learn to work with non communist colleagues. JNU for good measure is deprived of foreign funds and has stopped whining.
 
In a black and white video, posted by FTII students body on YouTube, Ranbir, 32, makes a plea to the authorities to pay heed to the students' demands, initiate a dialogue with them and address their grievances.

  • 354194-ranbir-kapoor.jpg


Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor is the latest celebrity to come out in support of FTII students, who are agitating against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as chairman of the premier institute.
Chauhan, best known for playing Yudhisthira on TV epic "Mahabharata", took over as the chairman of the Pune-based institute's governing council last month. His appointment was heavily criticised by current and former students of Film and Television Institute of India.
FTII students have been boycotting classes, abandoning academic work in protest against the appointment of Chauhan, who they allege lacks "stature and vision" to head the institution.
In a black and white video, posted by FTII students body on YouTube, Ranbir, 32, makes a plea to the authorities to pay heed to the students' demands, initiate a dialogue with them and address their grievances.
Calling FTII the breeding place of "many filmmakers, cinematographers, editors, award winning personalities", Ranbir says, "I think it gives an opportunity to a person without any film connection who come from various parts of the country. I think people look at a graduate from FTII with so much respect... and hearing about all the things that are happening now, the appointing of a new chairman which has gone against the students' wishes.
http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainme...an-aspiritational-figure-to-look-upto-2103246
 
BJP govt could have chosen an artist of repute and eminence subscribing to their ideology.

They could have asked shatrughan sinha a FTII alumni and BJP MP.

He has offered to mediate between the students and the authorities in this dispute
 
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Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has joined in the debate over the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of FTII, saying he should retire voluntarily.
Mr. Chauhan, best known for playing Yudhisthira on the TV epic Mahabharata, took over as the chairman of the Pune-based institute’s governing council last month.
“Advice. After all the protests and controversy, Gajendra Chauhan,the FTII Chairman should voluntarily retire. Will do good to the students,” Mr. Kapoor, 62, posted on Twitter.
Mr. Chauhan’s appointment was heavily criticised by current and former students of the institute. They have been boycotting classes, abandoning academic work in protest against the appointment of Mr. Chauhan, who they allege lacks “stature and vision” to head the institution.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...rishi-kapoor/article7407603.ece?homepage=true
 
Oscar-winning sound mixer and designer Resul Pookutty claimed on Twitter that Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley said in a meeting with them that the government had not made the ‘best of choice’ on the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the premier Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
Jaitley said the government could not retract the decision, added Pookutty.

Pookutty’s comments assume significance as the row over the appointment of Chauhan has turned into a national spectacle. Students at the Pune-based institute, who have been on relentless strikes and protests, have said that they cannot accept Chauhan as their chairman on the basis of his credibility and body of work.
On his part, Chauhan has maintained that he should be given an opportunity to work.
Actor Rishi Kapoor has also said that amidst the row, it would be better for Chauhan to put in his resignation.
“If they don’t want you, they don’t want you.By pushing for the chairmanship is getting you no where. Let self pride play a role and retire!”, he wrote on Twitter.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/in...t-claims-resul-pookutty/#sthash.8uFEHytA.dpuf
 
Pressure on Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, chairman Gajendra Chauhan to step down from his post is mounting with each passing day. Chauhan, who has made it clear that he will resign from his post only if the government asks him to do so, found more opposition on Thursday with veteran actor Anupam Kher raising questions over his qualification.

Mr. Kher told India Today TV -

"FTII needs a more qualified person who has a greater body of work and unfortunately Gajendra does not have it. I don't want to pass judgment on a person,"
Award-winning actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui also told India Today, -

" This post demands creativity. There are people who are far more efficient. There are many options and people with such background must come forward. The track record of the person being appointed on the post must be checked. I am not saying that the person appointed on post has a bad background."

Kher had openly supported Narendra Modi and the BJP during the 2014 Lok Sabha election campaign. This could well be the first time he has questioned a decision taken by the NDA government since it came to office last year.

Also, celebrated filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, a former FTII Chairman, said he would personally request Chauhan to step down from the position as he feels his appointment will only harm them and everyone concerned.

"I would personally request him to decline to take up this position because it will not do him any good. It will not be good for students, in fact it will harm everyone concerned," the 74-year-old ace director said.
Rajkummar Rao, another highly praised actor, also felt Chauhan was not cut out for the job. Sticking his neck out, at a time when a lot of Bollywood is silent, he said -

"I have nothing personal against Gajendra Chauhan. But I think for an institution like the FTII, which is of national importance, we need somebody who has done a significant amount of work in and for cinema. Or otherwise someone who is an alumni or has contributed enough to the world of cinema, in some form or another. In short, FTII needs a visionary. Students should feel motivated by the chairperson and his/her body of work. Mr Chauhan has been chosen over names like Adoor Gopalkrishnan, Shyam Benegal, Saeed, Gulzar Saab and other eminent personalities. I can totally empathise with the FTII students’ resentment."
http://www.samachar.com/khayal/
 
Criticism from some of Bollywood's biggest names has left Gajendra Chauhan, the controversial new chairman of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India or FTII, totally unfazed. In response to the many questions raised on his appointment, he has one of his own.

"Who are Anupam Kher and Rishi Kapoor?" asked Mr Chauhan when NDTV contacted him on phone for his reaction to the escalation in protests against him being chosen to head India's top film institute.
http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/wh...a-chauhan-hits-back-780170?utm_source=taboola
 
An open letter from a student.

What is the truth? What is the story from good docile students? Excerpts with link at the end. In IITM too a few goonda students created mayhem, but but lost in the end. The striking students could form a club but without IITM recognition and with no privileges on IIT facilities or financial help. FTII too will march towards a similar end as the the decay in institution's functioning and quality of students is getting exposed. Gajendra has been sent for administrative reform, and not to meddle with 'art'. Hope the govt remains firm and expels all illegal, overstaying and politically disruptive students.

*****

An open letter to Swarajya readers from a student of FTII on how a handful of FTII students have completely hijacked the strike to suit their pre-determined agenda.

Dear Swarajya Readers

“I am a student of FTII. It is with a deep sense of pain and anguish that I am writing this letter.

“It pains me how a handful of FTII students and a section of the media have completely hijacked the strike to suit their pre-determined agenda. Nothing could be further from the truth than projecting the FTII strike as a fight between a bunch of idealistic students and authoritarian government foisting its own cronyism on an allegedly independent institution. FTII had plumbed the depths of depravity long before Gajendra Chauhan’s appointment.

Drugs, Booze and Student Leaders:

Many students consume drugs openly without any form of restrictions as it allegedly gets their creative juices flowing. Nothing like a coke stimulated creativity for bringing a new perspective to humanity. Rampant drug use has caused a lot of problem in recent years. Many FTII students in recent years have sought psychiatric intervention for drug induced depression. I personally know students in FTII who experienced serious mental problems due to massive substance abuse.

One student leader, who is the forefront of protest, hurls shockingly disgusting abuses on Smriti Irani and Narendra Modi (we refuse to reproduce it because of its vile and vulgar nature) after his daily dose of charas and alcohol. He is in fact a sad victim of drug abuse which possibly leads him to indulge in such a verbal tirade. Even with such acute mental disorder, he is allowed to stroll freely in the campus which may cause problems to students, especially female students.

In such a scenario many girl students feel scared. In fact there have been lots of debates about the skewed gender ratio in the campus also.

Make no mistake about it. This strike is political:

Many people, who are representing themselves as the face of FTII, are legally not even the students of FTII.

Most of them belong to the 2008 batch which means it’s been 7 years have passed since they entered the campus. Yes 7 YEARS. The officially stipulated period of the course is 3 years but they are living here since 7 years utilizing all the fancy facilities available in the FTII hostels – cheap food, free Wi-Fi, cheap accommodation, free electricity (one can use induction stoves, heaters etc non-stop).

Many newly enrolled students find it difficult to secure accommodation as hostel rooms are illegally occupied by these overstaying campus radicals. Remember all these facilities come at an enormous cost funded by Indian taxpayers.

Dear Readers – Do you really want your hard earned money squandered in subsidising the lifestyle and merrymaking of these otherwise unproductive squatters?

One such person, who is staying here for eternity, comes from a far left ideological persuasion. The police is keeping a close surveillance on him because of his alleged links with Maoist groups. This person deserves to be ousted from the campus for overstaying for 7 years. But instead he has emerged as the face of the protest and is fomenting fault lines within the campus. He has been in the forefront of questioning the credentials of every governing council member and chairman. Isn’t this a farce?

Few myths about FTII Strike:

A section of the media is propagating a myth that the continuing strike will cause huge disruption to the academic schedule of the students. This is totally false. I wish to clarify that FTII is not an academic institute like say the IIMs/IITs. In FTII the courses are so unstructured and unplanned (3 years course tend to finish in 6 years, and this is happening for years before Chauhan’s entry). This leaves the students with loads of free time to indulge in innumerable protests. As the say “An Idle Mind is a Devil’s workshop”- what the bulk of protesting students do is smoke and drink under the precincts of the wisdom tree and fritter away their time while motivated media reportage creates an impression that the students are worried about the dismal state of affairs in FTII.

The only qualitative difference since May 2014 is the interminable sessions of drunken revelry under the wisdom tree and it is now mostly about abusing Modi, the BJP and Smriti Irani. Such is the appalling level of ignorance among the protesting FTII students that many think that the institution rolls up to HRD ministry and not the IB ministry! Perhaps the power of drug induced imagination and creativity?

A sense of fear is clearly palpable among the protesting students. Many are scared that under Chauhan or any other new Chairman, the debilitating debauchery of the students, which in a large measure contributed to the dismal state of the institution, will come in to focus. These permanent protestors are not exactly fighting for safeguarding institutional legacy but to ensure that they are not deprived access to luxuries inside this campus. They are indulging in fear-mongering as they perceive that the BJP government, with a clear right-wing agenda and nationalist policy, will try to combat the institutional debasement.

Irony of waging a strike against government using government funds:

The whole strike is supposedly against the government but students have no qualms in using the government provided facilities to accomplish that. There is 24*7 electricity in the campus even as power cuts are common feature in the rest of Pune. To post updates of their radical activities, they use institute provided lightning fast internet (around 100MBPS speed). In fact there are hostel occupants who are not only old students and who refuse to vacate their accommodation but there also many people who don’t belong to the campus.

With such a luxurious life funded by taxpayers, it does not take much to wage these endless strikes. One wonders how many of them will be there to face hardships if the government takes back these facilities. My guess: not many.

http://swarajyamag.com/politics/a-ftii-student-writes-to-swarajya/
 
FTII Has Bigger Problems Than Gajendra Chauhan

More muck will come out, and the issue will die a natural burial. There is a strong demand to close the institute if reforms are not done with an iron hand.

Media has only one agenda - to defame modi govt, by misreporting news and egging a section of students to protest. Swamy in a tv discussion said - if the govt's appointment is illegal, why can't the naxalite students go to court - and the anchor had to swallow that. About 10% of students terrorize and take control. Indications are, the govt will be firm and hold its stand.

When anupam kher was unceremoniously dismissed as censor board chairman, there was no protest from any quarter.

Most of the courses are of technical nature and for producing technicians and not artists as claimed.

****

Ideally, Gajendra Chauhan should not have been named chairman of the governing council of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. He does not have the weight and the body of work as a cinema artiste to merit the appointment.

The government's argument is that bigger names were approached but were unwilling to devote much time to FTII, while Chauhan was. Indeed, some of those from the film industry who have been railing against Chauhan in television studios were themselves requested to head cinema-related public institutions that would require them to give time to their nominated positions. They were unwilling to do so. For these people to now attack Chauhan is disingenuous. Of course, that does not take away from legitimate questions about Chauhan's suitability.

Having said that, it is worth asking whether the government should be running FTII at all. This is not to suggest that the government has no role in supporting universities and institutions of higher learning; it does. Yet, why the government should be running a vocational educational institution of this nature, especially one related to an industry that is well-established and provides lucrative, market-linked jobs and salaries, is mystifying. After all, film and television technical institutions exist in the private sector, and though of admittedly uneven quality, are flourishing.

It could be argued the government should not be running Indian Institutes of Management that churn out management graduates or the Indian Institutes of Fashion Technology as well, or at least charge market rates for these, with need-based scholarships and student loans where required. That would be a fair argument and indeed should be made. A greater degree of autonomy, and the ability of these institutions to raise funds from alternative sources, needs to be not just encouraged but also written into their mandates.

Reports that the government spends Rs. 13 lakh a year subsidising the education of an FTII student - in comparison the subsidy per Indian Institute of Technology student is about a quarter of that figure - are astonishing. This is especially so as film-makers and technicians and television artistes who graduate from FTII go on to work in the open market. It is not as if they are obliged to spend three years producing documentaries that chronicle India's heritage, culture and society, then passing on this work to a freely-available public archive.

It is difficult to altogether sympathise with the FTII students and community. While they may find Gajendra Chauhan beneath them and not measuring up to their sense of aesthetics, does this really justify the 39th strike in 55 years of FTII's existence? If previous governing councils and administrators were so remarkable, why has no convocation taken place in 17 years? No convocation has been held since winter 1997, when the chief guest, veteran actor Dilip Kumar, was booed and hooted.

Students are supposed to leave FTII in three years, having completed their coursework. The hostel facilities in Pune are obviously inviting, as is the subsidy by the tax-payer. As such, students stay on for five or six years. The students who entered in the academic year 2007-08 should have moved on in 2010-11. They are still on the FTII campus, part of the protesting students, propelling the strike.


Two points stand out here. First, it is fairly clear that given the political orientation of a vociferous section of the students, any BJP government appointee would have faced protests and been told he or she was not welcome. Gajendra Chauhan's credentials - and this writer iterates he is not defending them - are, to that extent, secondary.

Second, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the FTII student community is now in the grip of a strong freeloader sentiment. A three-year post-graduate course extending to almost a decade, with middle-aged folk claiming subsidised benefits under the guise of being students, is indefensible. Any harsher action by the government, especially a BJP government, will then easily be sought to be converted into a "right-wing attack" on the "creative community". The slippery slope will inevitably lead to a false debate on "freedom of expression", and familiar arguments will be heard.

That is what this is really about; Gajendra Chauhan is only a convenient excuse.

(The author is senior fellow, Observer Research Foundation. He can be reached at [email protected])

http://www.ndtv.com/opinion/ftii-has-bigger-problems-than-gajendra-chauhan-780405
 
Personalities as heads who have made immense negative(!) contribution to FTII. The media and its copy paste mouthpieces have to hang their heads in shame for the misrepresentation of real situation in FTII. It had all sorts of congress slaves who did nothing to responsible running of the institute, but managed to get undeserved subsidy to support left ideals and praise sonia and abuse modi. Noted hindu hater and modi basher was in control for six years during upa rule and has virtually ruined the institute.

Non-film personalities as Pune FTII chiefs

1974-77 : I&B Secretaries AJ Kidwai & SMH Burney
77-80 : RK Laxman
2005-2011 - UR Ananthamurthy

Long line of ineffective FTII heads:

Girish Karnad, Mahesh Bhat, Mirza, Ananthamurthy who are BJP bashers ruled FTII for 15 out of last 20 years. Did FTII grow?
 
Shyam Benegal: The action taken by the students is extreme

Interview with Shyam Benegal, two times chairman of the institute:
The students have no moral or legal stand on any issue related to the institute; again congress plot to raise unsettled situation to blame modi govt will backfire as the institutes dismal record is made public first by the social media, and the presstitute media too is forced to air the stink!
****

The FTII strike against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman is in its 31st day now...

Yes, I have been following the strike. However, I feel that the action taken by students is extreme. Credentials or no credentials - if the government has sent somebody to be the chairman, he should be given a chance. Students should not just look at the credentials.
So, you are not supporting the strike?

I want the students to be frank, come ahead and have a dialogue with Chauhan. They should listen to his views and vice versa, and find a road ahead for the institute. Students should not jump the gun even before giving the man a chance.

You were the chairman of the institute twice.

Yes, I was. And let me tell you, the chairman is not the director. The director is the one who executes all the decisions on campus. He meets the students on a daily basis and lives on campus. Whereas, the chairman needs to come to campus only six times a year - twice for society meetings and four times for the governing council meets. If it is the concern of running the institute, then the director is contacted and not the chairman. Only when the institute needs more money or a change in the overall policy needs to be made, the chairman is contacted.

So, Gajendra Chauhan fits the bill?

FTII is a professional institute. And it needs immense development in terms of technology. It is a place where you train people and if a man can come and put things in place, then why not? Students cannot claim and assume anything even before he is appointed. If there is a reason for their disagreement over the appointment of the gentleman, they should come forward and have a dialogue rather than going on a strike.

Students claim, as compared to someone like Adoor Gopalakrishnan or Gulzar, Chauhan doesn't have enough body of work.

How can the students decide if a man is capable or not, if there is a right kind of political alignment or if he will change the colour of the institution? No one's stopping them from clearing the air? But they are unwilling to talk and are dissatisfied. I don't understand what the fuss is all about.

The students initiated a dialogue with the ministry, but not much came out of it.

Dialogue with the man in question is the need of the hour. The general body should meet him and clear the air. No one else can help.

Reports suggest that Chauhan was chosen over personalities like you, Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan.

I was never asked. I have been the chairman twice and I have no idea about the other contenders because nothing was conveyed to me.

What do you have to say about Chauhan's credentials?

I don't even know him. How can I speak about his credibility? Also, it is not the body of work that matters. You can only judge a person after he performs his given duty. Students are not allowing any of those things to happen. They should understand that in an institution, ideological saffronisation is not possible. What's the point of going on a strike and calling names?

Why haven't you come and addressed the students so far then?

They have not called me. I do come to FTII when I am in Pune but the students have not asked me to come now. Why should I impose myself on the students? I cannot do that. It is up to them to decide whom to or not invite.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Shyam-Benegal-The-action-taken-by-the-students-is-extreme/articleshow/48033681.cms
 
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Shyam benegal is advising students to start a dialog with the new chief.

positions of both student and proposed chiefs camp are irreconcilable.

only the students will be the sufferers in the end.it is a loss to indian cinema.

who will compensate the film goers?
 
No wonder with the deplorable financial, administrative and student discipline state, no one was willing to undertake the responsibility of putting the institute on an even keel.

Now even TOI has realized that there are problems and is forced to change its tune. Still it hasn't got the courage to reveal all misdeeds of the student community, its past heads and administration. Main worry of students, media and politicians is that they will be exposed.

*****
NEW DELHI: The ongoing strike in FTII has brought focus on the badly-run state of affairs in the premier institute. What comes as a shocker is that with a spending of Rs 12 lakh per student a year, a film student is subsidized more than one studying medicine, management or engineering.

The expense on about 350 FTII students is over three times higher than on an IIT student which is around Rs 3.4 lakh a year. Spend on an IIM student is a shade higher at roughly Rs 5 lakh a year as compared to the IITs.

The government spend on medical education at Rs 6 lakh a year per student is only half the money spent on budding filmmakers. Sources say the government devotes an estimated Rs 30 lakh over 5 years to a student to get an MBBS degree.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Spending-on-FTII-students-double-of-medical-over-3-times-of-IITs/articleshow/48061909.cms
 
Follow past director agashe's advice! Now there are many studdentsd who have not completed the three year course in six years and worse still refuse to vacate hostel thus forcing new students to manage on their own.

"In 1997, when Dr. Mohan Agashe, the then FTII Director, came up with an innovative idea to stop strikes by freezing admissions until every student had finished his or her course."

krish44 said:
Shyam benegal is advising students to start a dialog with the new chief.

positions of both student and proposed chiefs camp are irreconcilable.

only the students will be the sufferers in the end.it is a loss to indian cinema.

who will compensate the film goers?
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