Saffron vs white: Political rivalry plays out on Kolkata's Academy of Fine Arts walls
The controversy over a security room at Kolkata's iconic Academy of Fine Arts escalated on Wednesday, when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers repainted it saffron, just 24 hours after artists and a CPI(M) leader had changed it to white. The room had originally been painted saffron in early July, prompting protests from the theatre and art community.
On Tuesday, a group of artists, along with senior advocate and CPI(M) leader Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya, painted the room white. They said the saffron colour was an attempt to impose a political ideology on a cultural institution. However, on Wednesday, BJP MLA and actor Rudranil Ghosh, along with party workers, repainted it saffron.
Mr. Ghosh defended the action, saying, "Some communists changed the colour without consulting the trustees of the Academy. They never like saffron, a colour of sacrifice. This action is not acceptable. They think they own this premises. CPI(M) leader Mr. Bhattacharya was also present there. CITU has kept four offices occupied in the premises. What kind of action is this? So we have painted it saffron again."
Artists and theatre practitioners reacted sharply. Arup Roy, secretary of Aneek Theatre Group, called it "sheer foolishness" and an act of dominance. "We will not accept it. We will meet on Thursday again and decide our future action," he said.
The controversy is part of a broader pattern since the BJP came to power in West Bengal in May. Several government buildings, streets, and civic structures have seen their colours changed. The state secretariat Nabanna has had its nameplates and some sections painted saffron and white. The iconic Writers' Building, where the government plans to shift the secretariat, has also been decorated with saffron bulbs for a trial. Road barricades and signboards are being changed from the blue-white combination chosen by the previous Trinamool Congress government to saffron and white.
The Academy of Fine Arts, formally established in 1933 by Lady Ranu Mukherjee, was initially housed in a room loaned by the Indian Museum before moving to its current location on Cathedral Road, next to Rabindra Sadan. The Academy's galleries provide 6,300 sq ft of exhibition space and include an auditorium, a conference centre, and priceless collections of works by Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy, Gaganendranath Tagore, and Ramkinkar Baij.
BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya, however, distanced the party from the latest action. "This is not acceptable. This is not BJP's agenda to play politics over colours. Identify the ones who did it. We will take action," he told the media.
The artists had earlier written to Mr. Bhattacharya and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, condemning the initial saffron painting as an un-artistic and distorted attack on Bengal's culture. They had also demanded action against those responsible. The standoff reflects a deeper tension over the use of public cultural spaces and the symbolism of colours in a politically sensitive environment.
