After documentary, TISS admin bans play

After the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) administration denied permission to screen Anand Patwardhan’s documentary ‘Ram ke Naam’, it has now refused to

After the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) administration denied permission to screen Anand Patwardhan’s documentary ‘Ram ke Naam’, it has now refused to allow students to put up a play by Jana Natya Manch (Janam) and hold a reading of Safdar Hashmi’s play ‘Halla Bol’.

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The Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF), a students’ initiative promoting rational thinking that had organised the event by Janam, a New Delhi-based theatre company, has condemned the institute for trying to stifle students’ voices. The student body had scheduled the programme on March 6, to feature a performance of the play ‘Machine’ and reading of excerpts of Safdar Hashmi’s play ‘Halla Bol’.

As per the institute’s rules, PSF sought permission from the administration five days before the event but was denied approval.

The institute has also announced a blanket ban on any student-led activities with outside speakers, until further notice. Registrar MP Balamurugan told HT that permissions have been denied to all student events owing to some incidents in the past. Authorities said that the administration’s decision was aimed at maintaining peace on campus. In a statement released on Thursday, PSF said, “TISS has always been a vibrant campus with discussions and debates around various issues that affect the lives of minorities, underprivileged...We oppose such authoritarian attempts at censorship and urge the student community to stand together...”