Renaissance of JJ School of Art!

Complete preparations were made to put the 166 years old JJ School of Art into the historical chronicles. At the time when, out of the 180 posts of teachers in JJ and three other government arts colleges, 148 had been left vacant, the Central Government cleared JJ’s Denovo proposal, when even the preparations were complete for counting the rest of the permanent teachers in the redundant cadre. How was this journey? Some memories in that context.

JJ School of Art completed 150 years in 2008. In the same year, Mumbai University also completed its 150 years. Both these educational institutes in Mumbai were established in the same year. Obviously, the public events held in that regard almost coincided with each other. JJ School of Art’s program was celebrated in JJ’s scenic campus, while Mumbai University’s program was probably held in the convocation hall or on the beautiful lawns of Mumbai University.

The Mumbai University program was probably attended by the President of India. That’s why, that program was celebrated in an extremely royal manner. Who’s who from all fields across the society were present at the event. Most of the ministers attended the program without fail. Be it souvenirs, decorations or publications, the Mumbai University program made history. The decorative illumination of the Rajabhai Tower that night was nothing short of phenomenal. Even today I remember the photo of that illumination published in the newspaper.

And here in JJ, the 150-year ceremony took place in the presence of JJ’s own alumni and students. Minister of Higher and Technical Education at that time was Dilip Walse Patil. But he did not even turn up for this important event even though his name was on the invitation card while he attended the Mumbai University event along with his elaborate paraphernalia of government officials. Isn’t that amusing! This is a perfect example of how Shri Walse Patil treated JJ School of Art during his nine years tenure as the Education Minister. Not only this, he also remained absent in the opening ceremony of the Maharashtra State Art Exhibition organized by the Directorate of Art every year or left early, without fail, before the end of the event. Who knows what did the JJ School of Art or the Directorate of Art wronged about him? He did this very often throughout his tenure.

See how amusing things are! The same Dilip Walse Patil is today in the ‘Triple Engine’ Cabinet of Maharashtra. But with such a big ceremony going on in JJ today, of course he is going to be absent. While those who have a place of honor in Maharashtra politics today, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajitdada Pawar and Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant (Dada) Patil, School Education and Mumbai Guardian Minister Deepak Kesarkar are going to accompany Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan while attending today’s program. This is a significant event. The educational institute which the Minister of Higher and Technical Education was hesitant and embarrassed to attend a program in 2008, but today in 2023, I say it is poetic justice that all the ministers holding the highest positions in the present State Cabinet are attending the program of the same educational institute.

Today I do not want to say anything more about this statement. Because it will cause bitterness on today’s good day for no reason. Because so far I have criticized so bitterly in this regard, I have used such harsh language, that if I start criticizing it again, I am afraid that it will all be repeated.

There is no doubt that JJ School of Art has once again been brought into limelight by all the cabinet stalwarts of Maharashtra state who are participating in this program along with the Union Education Minister. Once upon a time the ceremony held in JJ had a great government tradition. The stalwarts of the government used to attend these programs. I was studying at JJ the year JJ School of Art completed 125 years. Barrister Babasaheb Bhosle, the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra, attended the program at that time. Babasaheb embellished the occasion with his speech.

After that, however, the quality of the overall politics as well as that of JJ School of Art also went down. During the tenure of the higher and technical education minister mentioned above, it went into the abyss. During the 150-year completion ceremony completion the Minister of Higher and Technical Education himself remained absent, so there was no possibility of anyone else coming. So there was no possibility of anyone else coming. Disgusted by all this, I started criticizing the government. All the important newspapers regularly published my news or my articles. In a way, it was my protest with the help of a pen.

Even when that did not achieve what I expected, but after spending my own money, in 2008 I published a special issue of ‘Chinha’ with about three hundred and fifty pages, titled ‘Kaala Bazaar’. Some time later, when I saw the Minister of Higher and Technical Education Vinod Tawde at the Mantralaya, I casually waved my hand and in response he too waved his hand from a distance and said ‘Naik, I have received the magazine issue and I am definitely going to do whatever needs to be done in that context’. I didn’t realize the meaning of that, as I felt that someone must have given him some magazine and he must be telling me something about it. Because of that, obviously I forgot about this incident which happened in 2016 or 2017. Then in 2022, Ashutosh Apte pulled me into the Denovo movement and after that we started meeting everyone related to Denovo. In one such meeting, when a teacher related to Denovo told me an anecdote about former Higher and Technical Education Minister Vinod Tawde, I understood Vinod Tawde’s statement.

That story goes like this: Once at the Yashwantrao Chavan Center opposite to the Mantralaya, the then Higher and Technical Education Minister Vinod Tawde met late Suhas Phadke who was journalist with Maharashtra Times. Suhas Phadke was my close friend. He was also friends with many painters. While talking, he told Tawde something about the mismanagement issues at JJ. Tawde said give me all the details. Suhas Phadke urgently called up some teachers of JJ. Fortunately, that teacher had a copy of ‘Kalabazaar’ issue of Chinha. Phadke immediately grabbed it and handed it over to Vinod Tawde. And then Tawde held meetings at the secretary level and drew the attention of the concerned to these issues. Many secretaries in the ministry suggested various remedial measures. Since at that time there was a BJP government in the center as well, so the proposal of ‘Denovo’ came forward from the advice of those related to education in the central government. There was a lot of discussion at the central level as well and this proposal was presented in its final form. I first came to know about this whole story only when a teacher told it to us at our JJ Alumni meeting about Denovo. And that’s when I realized the meaning of what Vinod Tawde said. There is no intention to take credit in narrating all this. I am only telling what has happened, as it happened, as seen, and experienced by me, through my writing. There is a small yet definite role played by myself and by ‘Chinha’ as a contribution in JJ getting the Denovo status. I humbly take this opportunity to mention it here. Please don’t misunderstand.

Meanwhile, the cabinet had changed. Devendra Fadnavis had gone and Uddhav Thackeray had become the Chief Minister. At that time, it was felt that now JJ’s own alum has become Chief Minister, so JJ’s problem will be solved immediately, but unfortunately that did not happen. In the middle of this, an attempt was made to push forward the proposal of an independent Arts University. I had nothing against that. We are unable to run the Directorate of Art which the Maharashtra government established in 1965, which is akin to an Arts University. So what face do we have to start another Arts University? That was the serious question which I and Ashutosh Apte asked the Maharashtra government. Naturally, we began to fear that Denovo proposal would derail. But suddenly the politics in Maharashtra took a turn and Uddhav Thackeray resigned. Now we started to think that Denovo process is going to fail, but it was here that JJ’s merit came in handy. Jayant Patil got up and went to Uddhav Thackeray. He insisted to accept JJ’s Denovo proposal before resigning, insisting that otherwise there will be no room for him to show his face and finally Uddhav Thackeray accepted Denovo proposal.

Time was wasted unnecessarily due to this whole matter. But as soon as Chandrakant (Dada) Patil took charge of the Higher and Technical Education Department, within three to four days he cleared the Denovo file and made Denovo’s path easier. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who played a major role in Denovo, made the later journey easier, that’s why JJ saw today’s day. In this regard, many people extended their helping hands, that’s why this work became easier. I want to write about them too and I will certainly write it. That’s all for now.

Satish Naik

Editor, Chinha Art News

The updated schedule of today’s program is attached.

The program starts at 6 pm at J J campus.