CAVA hamstrung by paucity of funds

Mysuru: It was a severe dearth of funds that forced Chamarajendra Government College of Arts (CAVA) to shelve its plans to conduct its annual festival last year. However, the college, which is the first choice of students inclined towards the visual arts in the Old Mysuru Region, managed to arrange funds to conduct the fete in 2019. But, CAVA’s financial condition remains tenuous, to the extent that the administration is struggling to gather funds to settle its electricity bills. In fact, the administration of the college was left red-faced when the power supply was disrupted during CAVA’s Annual Festival on February 1, owing to pending dues to the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (Cesc) to the tune of Rs 50,000.
The limited funds that the college managed to assemble helped it get the front wall painted, which was completed by the students.

CAVA dean Vijay Rao told TOI that the institution received no funds in 2018. “Grants earmarked for the college never reached us. They were diverted, and we could not settle our electricity bills. But, we were able to do it later. For the annual festival, the students managed to collect funds of up to Rs 4,000 from local leaders,” Rao said.

The dean added that paucity of funds was the reason CAVA could no longer afford to conduct and organise the National Art Workshops, that was, until a few years ago, an annual affair at the institution.

CAVA students are understandably displeased with the workshop no longer being a certainty on the college’s annual calendar. “The National Art Workshop is vital to our learning process since the event provides us exposure to various fields of art. The college’s financial condition has put all of us in trouble. Disruption in power supply, lack of proper roads, a dysfunctional drainage system and inadequate streetlights – these are not conditions conducive to learning,” said Harish and Vishal, students at CAVA.

In fact, getting to CAVA’s new campus in Siddartha Layout is, in itself, a rather arduous exercise. The road leading to the college from the new office of the deputy commissioner has few streetlights. Until recently, the college management had to grapple with overflowing sewage from neighbouring Giribhovipalya. But students feel that a is left to be desired as far as cleanliness is concerned.

CAVA dean Rao said that the hands of the college management were tied since the plot the college stands on is the property of the central government. “The state government purchased it from the Centre, and allotted it to CAVA. But there is still some confusion as to what is permissible. We are not sure if we can construct a compound wall. We have sent a proposal to build a girls’ hostel close to the college. We are hopeful of funds being allocated soon,” Rao added.

- (BY Akshatha J)