Kerala - Malappuram   

Artists flay DTPC guidelines

MALAPPURAM: Artists in the district staged a protest against a set of guidelines issued by the District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) outside the Kottakunnu Art Studio, here on Thursday.

Many of the guidelines, according to the artists, were flippant and meant to distance them from the studio. They said it was meant to throttle their artistic freedom. The DTPC denied the allegations, saying that the guidelines were imposed for the better upkeep of the studio.

Artist Sageer inaugurated the protest by drawing a sketch conveying the idea that ‘art is in chains.’ Vinayan Vellila conveyed his protest by painting blindfold.

Jesfer Kottakunnu, a victim of muscular dystrophy who became popular by holding the brush in his mouth and foot, drew a sketch sitting in an autorickshaw.

The Kottakunnu Art Studio was constructed in 2006, next to the Kottakunnu Art Gallery. Although the Art Gallery was taken over by the Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi, the guardianship of the studio went begging as the Akademi refused to take it over saying that it had been built without the Akademi’s permission.

After many months, the DTPC took over the studio and imposed a long list of guidelines to be abided by the artists while using the studio.

The timing was restricted from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. “How can you impose such a time limit to artists? They may need more time to complete a work,” said K.V. Dayanandan, former member of the Akademi.

The DTPC has restricted entry to those who had taken space on rent. Others who seek entry should apply to the DTPC secretary, the artists said.

The guidelines point out that the District Collector or the DTPC secretary can evict artists from the studio without specifying any reasons.

The artists are also cautioned against using paints and colours indiscreetly inside the studio. “We have not heard of such restrictions imposed on artists anywhere in the country,” Mr. Dayanandan said.

“We are charging a nominal fee of Rs.50 per day, which may not be enough to pay even the power bill. We did not mean to offend the artists,” DTPC secretary M. Dinesh said.

Mr. Dinesh said no one had approached him with any complaints. He said changes could be made in the guidelines to suit the requirements of the artists.

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