Kolkata: From “childish” to “ugly”—theatre activists reacted strongly to the colour of the ticket counter at Academy of Fine Arts being changed thrice in a month. But the BJP camp called the move a “reaction”.The political tug-of-war began in early July when the ticket counter next to the Academy’s main gate was reportedly re-painted saffron, leading to protests by theatre artistes, who wrote to the administration and govt, stating the act was politically motivated and that immediate intervention was needed on the colour choice. A few days ago, as part of a protest, several theatre artistes, joined by Left veteran Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, repainted the structure white. But on Wednesday, it was re-painted back to saffron under the leadership of BJP MLA Rudranil Ghosh.This repeated colour-change elicited strong reactions from theatre artistes, activists and enthusiasts. Theatre personality Bibhash Chakraborty said, “Nothing can be proved simply by changing colours. The way the wall colour keeps changing almost daily is a childish act, it cannot be called politics. Considering the rich heritage of this institution, such activities should stop. If they actually want to do something constructive, they should try to resolve the real issues faced by artistes. Several other halls are facing serious difficulties that need attention.”Actor Koushik Sen described the saffron coat of paint as “extremely ugly” though he added he was not at all surprised. “Bengal’s people were not directly exposed to such rapid saffronisation. Over the past three months, there have been multiple instances, in which the political agenda was made clear, and changing the colour of Academy is just part of it. But if theatre activists had repainted the wall without involving political people, like Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, then Rudranil Ghosh would not have been able to use that as a defence to paint it saffron again,” Sen said. “Why did some artistes go to BJP’s Samik Bhattacharya seeking a solution? Whether the room is saffron, red, green or any other colour, it has nothing to do with theatre activities inside the hall. If we feel the need to fight over a colour, we should do it on our own—why do we need the backing of political figures, like Bhattacharya?”Earlier, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya had assured theatre artistes of resolving the issue in 15 days after which the matters escalated. He on Thursday questioned the presence of Left members at the site. “I promised to resolve the issue, so why did Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya go there and why were Left flags placed there? Has the Academy turned into an arena for political rivalry? We do not intend to paint everything saffron, as saffron... I am looking into the matter but one must remember every action has a reaction.”Theatre personality Chandan Sen, who was present on the day the counter was painted white, said originally, it was a terracotta shade. “This place has been my second home for 44 years. It’s nothing but a cultural aggression,” he said.Regular visitors to Academy with whom TOI spoke on Thursday were unhappy with this colour-politics. Debaki Dasgupta, a retired schoolteacher, said, “We have so many other issues that need attention.” Sonali Mallick, another visitor, said, “ The insiders of Academy might have felt their grievances would be redressed if they allowed saffron to be painted.”(With inputs from Sukhomoy Sen)
