The Kala Academy was envisaged to be the house of drama and other performing arts, but from the current goings-on, there seems to be more drama unfolding outside the iconic centre than within it.
It all began after a Marathi play, ‘Purush’, starring veteran theatre actor Sharad Ponkshe, was disrupted after the stage lighting at the Kala Academy – where it was being performed – malfunctioned last Sunday. An upset Ponkshe apologised to the audience from the stage and subsequently began criticising the government for the glitch.
The incident drew widespread criticism from theatre artistes as well as the opposition, who claimed that although Goan artistes themselves had repeatedly raised concerns about faulty infrastructure following the Kala Academy’s controversial renovation, no action was taken. They emphasised that the slipshod refurbishment project had now caught the attention of artistes from other states too, and that it was only a matter of time until international artistes would also voice their concerns.
While it would have been in the fitness of things for the government and the authorities concerned to own up to the glitch and work immediately to correct it, art and culture minister Govind Gaude – who department oversees the Kala Academy – chose to go on the offensive instead. He went so far as to say that Ponkshe was maligning his name and that he had taken a ‘supari’ (money) from his detractors to do so.
Peeved, Ponkshe wasted no time in shooting back. “What connection do I have with taking supari? Those who live in a world where supari and money are taken think like this. My drama was disrupted. That is why I said sorry to the audience.” He said that up until then, he had no clue who Gaude even was despite the audience chanting, “Gaude, Gaude”.
Ponkshe went on to say that he learnt that the Kala Academy was renovated at the cost of crores of rupees, but the AC system in the make-up room was leaking. “So where was the money spent? Instead of saying sorry, the minister is branding me a ‘suparibaaz’ (implying that he had taken money to align with Gaude’s detractors). In fact, taking supari is their religion. I am an artiste, not a goonda to take supari” the actor said.
He didn’t stop there. He said whatever any sensible human being would have said, “It would have been better had he (Gaude) said that he accepts the mistake and assured that such incidents would not happen in the future. The Kala Academy should be handed over to someone who knows what art is.”
When renovation of the unique centre of the arts was taken up a few years ago, Govind Gaude had famously termed the Kala Academy as the ‘Taj Mahal of Goa’. In July 2023, after work on the structure had begun, a huge portion of the academy’s amphitheatre had collapsed, raising serious questions over the quality of work being put into renovating the building.
Back then too, tiatrists complained of poor acoustics and lighting, which they said was adversely affecting live performances. With its back against the wall, the government constituted a 13-member task force to review the status of work. Theatre artiste, Vijay Kenkre, who chaired the task force, later said the work wouldn’t be given even passing percentage. He even highlighted issues pertaining to AC leakage and faulty sound and acoustics, among a host of other deficiencies.
Kala Academy is widely considered to be not just an institution of brick and mortar, but an intrinsic part of Goan heritage and culture. This should give the authorities concerned, particularly art and culture minister Govind Gaude, all the more reason to ensure it is not only equipped with the best facilities but that all these facilities are maintained to the hilt. Being an artiste himself, Gaude should know better than to get defensive when criticism about the condition of the ‘renovated’ Kala Academy is directed at him. After all, artistes and the audience only want the best from what is often considered to be a world-class institution.