CAVA in Mysuru functioning without a dean for the past two years

Mysuru: Many of its alumni have garnered international acclaim, and several others are recognised as being among the finest artists and visual designers in the country today, but the sad state of the Chamarajendra Government College of Visual Arts (CAVA) in Siddarthanagar makes one give pause, and ponder over the contradiction of its legacy and the pathetic condition that the prestigious institution finds itself in owing to systemic apathy. Firstly, CAVA has been without a dean for the past two years, hampering the undertaking of key academic initiatives and major projects. The delay in the announcement of examination results, and the wait for payment of stipend for equipment has disgruntled the students further. Worse still, failure of the authorities concerned to fix the infrastructure of the college has resulted in the ponds and pools on the campus filling up with sewage, posing a very real threat to the health of students.
CAVA’s administrative officer Suresk Kumar admitted to the institution grappling with multiple issues, both on the managerial and infrastructural fronts. “CAVA is an autonomous institution administered by the department of Kannada and culture. We have intimated the officials of the department about the problems we are facing. At a meeting that was held on July 19, we informed the officials concerned about all the issues that we have been trying to resolve,” said Kumar, admitting that a dean had not been appointed for the past two years.
MLA for Krishnaraja constituency, under which falls CAVA, SA Ramadas promised to find a solution to the longstanding problem within a week. “I will meet senior officials of the department of Kannada and culture, and discuss what measures can be taken to improve the infrastructure of the college,” said Ramadas, a senior BJP leader and former minister.
CAVA is being administered by the commissioner of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) in lieu of a dean for the past two years. A CAVA student, speaking to TOI on the condition of anonymity, said that the college’s academic standards had witnessed a drastic drop in the past few years. “For reasons we are completely unaware of, not a single national-level workshop has been held on campus for the past three years. These workshops are platforms for students such as myself to interact with renowned artists from across the country. The failure of the authorities to conduct such workshops has deprived us of this invaluable opportunity,” said the student, adding that the results for the examination of the photojournalism course held two months ago were yet to be announced.
The student sought either the University of Mysore, to which CAVA is affiliated, or the department of Kannada and culture to intervene and help restore the institution’s reputation. “The campus has lost its natural charm. Sewage water is flowing into the campus and filling up the ponds. Students of the fine arts need a pristine environment if they are to feel inspired,” the student added.
Kumar said that he would write to UoM to announce the results to the examinations at the earliest.