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JNU council clears proposal to set up Indian music and dance school
New Delhi
New Delhi
Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) Academic Council (AC) on Tuesday approved a proposal to set up a ‘school of traditional Indian music and dance’ and start undergraduate and post-graduate courses in Ayurveda.
Hindustan Times had on Tuesday reported that the university proposed to set up a school that will be devoted to the study and practices of Indian classical and traditional music and dance in order to promote “traditional practices” among the youth.
The move received criticism from the JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA), which said the administration declared the establishment of a new school without discussing the matter with stakeholders.
“A committee was set up by the vice-chancellor for the purpose without any consultation in the Academic Council, and especially the faculty from the School of Arts and Aesthetics, which is already mandated to cover the areas of dance and music as part of its MA, MPhil and PhD programs,” the JNUTA said in a statement.
Members of the committee set up by the administration to submit recommendations about the school of traditional Indian music and dance said the existing School of Arts and Aesthetics “lacks it”.
During the meeting, at least two faculty members from the School of Arts and Aesthetics raised objections over the proposal to set up the new school.
Ira Bhaskar, professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, said more than 50% content of their school’s syllabi is “Indian”. “The committee set up by the vice-chancellor did not consult anyone from the school of arts and aesthetics. They have no idea about the content we are teaching at our school. We widely cover topics such as the Bhakti Movement, classical Sanskrit aesthetics and Buddhist Culture among others. Our School has emerged as a leading institution in the world for theoretical and historical study of the Indian arts,” she said.
Meanwhile, the 152nd AC meeting on Tuesday was held amid protest by students and teachers. While JNUTA members alleged the administration had asked their representative to leave the meeting, members of the JNU students’ union (JNUSU) were not even invited.
Despite repeated attempts, JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar and Rector 1 Chintamani Mahapatra did not respond to calls and texts for a comment.
