Politics and paint: cultural venue at centre of Kolkata controversy
The Academy of Fine Arts in central Kolkata again became a site of political contestation on Wednesday after a portion of the institution's ticket-counter wall was repainted in saffron in the presence of Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Rudranil Ghosh, the Telegraph reported. The repainting followed a whitewash carried out by a group of theatre workers on Tuesday.
The tussle over the wall's colour — a seemingly small civic matter — has evolved into a symbolic confrontation over political identity in one of the city's most established cultural spaces. The Academy, long associated with West Bengal's left-leaning artistic tradition, drew artists, theatre activists and political actors into the dispute.
Mr Ghosh displayed an older photograph of the ticket-counter structure to justify restoring saffron, saying the original tones were "saffron and chocolate" and asserting that the existing colour would be retained. He alleged those who repainted the wall white were "active workers of the CPI(M)" and accused the Academy's working committee of harassing the Board of Trustees and permitting corruption.
"The colour of this ticket counter was clearly saffron and chocolate. The original colour will remain," Rudranil Ghosh said, according to the Telegraph.
The repainting on Wednesday occurred amid chants of "Jai Shri Ram" and in full public view, further heightening sensitivities. Theatre personalities and cultural activists who had earlier whitewashed the wall said their action was a protest against what they saw as an imposition of partisan symbolism in a neutral cultural venue.
Sequence of events
| Date | Action | Reported participants |
|---|---|---|
| Early July | Ticket-counter wall painted saffron following BJP gaining power in the state | Unspecified (reported earlier) |
| Tuesday (this week) | Theatre workers and cultural figures whitewashed the wall | Theatre activists and artists (reported) |
| Wednesday (this week) | Portion of wall repainted saffron in presence of BJP MLA Rudranil Ghosh | Rudranil Ghosh, BJP supporters (reported) |
Samik Bhattacharya, state president of the BJP, had earlier criticised the initial saffron painting in July, calling for the institute to be spared from colour-based political battles, the Telegraph reported. The party has at times tried to distance itself from what it has described as "colour-changing politics," yet the incident on Wednesday suggested local leaders and activists may be interpreting and acting on symbolic gestures differently.
Local cultural reactions and wider implications
The Academy has traditionally been a meeting point for artists across political lines in Kolkata. For many practising cultural workers in the city, the episode raises concerns about the politicisation of shared civic institutions and the pressure exerted on artistic bodies to align with partisan symbols.
- Artists' stance: A section of theatre activists repainted the wall white to protest perceived politicisation of the venue.
- BJP position: Rudranil Ghosh defended the saffron paint as a restoration of the original colour and criticised alleged wrongdoing by the Academy's working committee.
- Public response: The back-and-forth has prompted debate in cultural and political circles about appropriate expression within civic artistic spaces.
Those involved used photographic evidence and public statements to buttress their positions, turning what began as a local maintenance issue into a vivid demonstration of how symbolism, history and politics intersect in Kolkata's cultural institutions. The episode is likely to provoke further discussion among trustees, artists and politicians over governance of the Academy and the limits of political expression on its premises.
There was no immediate independent confirmation in the Telegraph report of formal action by the Academy's trustees or any legal steps taken after the repainting. How the institution's governing bodies respond — whether through a formal directive on the premises' appearance or by opening a dialogue among stakeholders — will be watched closely by Kolkata's cultural community.
