Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Artist Rajdeep Naik today has exposed the unfortunate sad situation of Kala Academy, which is rapidly declining
In addition to the infrastructure, a less expensive version of every piece of equipment has been installed in the acoustic theatre where the Tiart artists perform. Due to subpar theatre equipment, the artists are finding it difficult to perform, which has prevented the audience from enjoying the show.
“The government has been engaging in some kind of deceit under the guise of renovation for the last three years. Previously, the sound could be clearly heard in the back of the room, even if one could hear a pin drop on the stage,” said Naik.
He further said that Minister of Art and Culture, Govind Gaude, estimates that the government has renovated for about 70–75 crores of rupees and that he would like to know why we artists have to rent out all of the sound systems, including the speakers and microphones if the government has already spent between 70 and 75 crores on the renovations?
“My fellow artists and Goans will not easily forgive the situation the government has put the academy in,” said Rajdeep Naik.
Rajdeep also went to demonstrate to the audience the issues with the acoustic theatre. He brought up the fact that inexpensive LED lights are taking the place of the spotlights that the artists use. The government has replaced the expensive spotlights, which cost about Rs. 1000, with less expensive ones, which cost about Rs. 100.
“Sometimes, poor lighting is the reason why audiences complain that the actors are not always visible during a play. The curtains that were previously operated by an automated system are now controlled manually. There is improper audio emission and the sound system is disorganized,” he added.
Meanwhile, Naik has insisted that Govind Gaude, the minister of art and culture, use the money for the Kala Academy’s renovations. Given that the money is exclusively public funds. If they didn’t, he said, the artists would have to demonstrate in the streets.