Batch of 2008 under scanner: Why FTII row is now all about institute's seven-year veterans

New Delhi: The midnight police crackdown in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) campus late on Tuesday night has forced students of almost all the existing batches at the Pune campus to take a strong stand and boycott their classes for now. The incident has brought FTII alumni and students together on a common platform for a discussion to resolve the deadlock and chalk out a future course of action.

Following the arrest of five students and registration of FIRs against many more, there is a palpable tension in the campus. Right from the students to faculty members, no one is certain of how the days ahead will unfold.

“The situation inside the campus is grim. After this police crackdown, a few FTII alumni from Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra have come here and a meeting is taking place between them and the students body on what should be the future course of action. We’ve been told that a team of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) ministry officials will be visiting the campus. But, we’re not hoping for much, because in the past too, government representatives didn’t bother to discuss the issue with us and to listen to our legitimate demands,” Devas Dixit, a final year FTII student told Firstpost.

Though a section of students wanted to end the strike and get back to their classes, the incident on Tuesday night has turned everyone tight-lipped on the issue.

“In our central body meeting, we took the opinions of students. After this police crackdown, no one is ready to resume classes. There is no chance, till the government proactively comes forward to resolve the stand-off,” said Kislaya, media coordinator of the FTII students body.

The students went on strike to protest the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as chairperson and four other members of the board. But, gradually the 2008 batch of FTII has emerged as the bone of contention, and it has been said that the students of this batch — that has virtually controlled the campus for seven years — have been instrumental in the 72-day long strike.

Why is the 2008 batch a bone of contention?

The students of the 2008 batch are the oldest members on the FTII campus. The recent decision of FTII director Prashant Pathrabe to assess the projects of the students of this batch led to outrage, and the director was gheraoed by the students. It turned into a police operation and students were arrested.

Dixit sought to clarify some misconceptions and said, “According to a government committee report, there was no fault of the students of the 2008 batch for not being able to complete the syllabus. It’s practically not possible to complete the syllabus (designed in 2004) in three years. It takes four-and-half years to complete. Moreover, false propaganda has been spread on news channels against us. Like, the 2009 batch student Rakesh Shukla has been mentioned as a member of the 1999 batch. There are only two students of the 2008 batch left in the campus. And, in the last 15 years, this is the second strike and not 40 as BJP panelists on television have been claiming.”

The arrests made the matter worse, as parents of students have now come forth expressing deep concern over the situation.

“It’s a matter of great concern. The police action on students has made us worried about our wards and their future. We’re appealing to the government to resolve the issue by having a meeting with the students and the FTII administration. The government needs to understand why the three-year curriculum takes six to seven years to complete. The parents send their children with a lot of hope and aspiration, besides financial hardships for many. If the deadlock continues, it will jeopardise the career prospects of the students,” BP Biswas, the worried father of 2008 batch student Raju Biswas, who was arrested, told Firstpost.

After speaking with the students, parents and staff members of the FTII, Firstpost gathered the following:

- The 2008 batch students got admission in December 2008.

- Swine-flu broke out and the institute was closed down for nearly eight months. It delayed the teaching process for the 2008 batch.

- In the interim, fresh batches were granted admission in 2009 and 2010.

- Film technology shifted from analogue to digital, but the FTII didn’t have adequate infrastructure to meet the change. The government didn’t allocate a sufficient budget to buy new equipment for the batch.

- According to the students, a three-year period is inadequate to complete the curriculum and it takes more than four years to complete it. As a result, the 2008 batch students lagged behind and they were neglected.

Thothathri Raman, the parent of a student and former executive editor, Business India, said, “The 2008 batch students are still in the campus, which also shows the incompetence of the existing system in FTII. It’s a faulty and lazy system. FTII should be declared an institute of national importance like IITs and IIMs, so that it could fall under the purview of the HRD ministry. The government has been taking too long to respond to the students’ demands to enter a discussion. Now, it’s only the prime minister who can intervene and resolve the deadlock."