Lalit Kala Akademi secretary axed

NEW DELHI: The secretary of India’s most prestigious state-run art body Lalit Kala Akademi was unceremoniously sacked on Friday for failing to organize its big international art show, the Triennale, that’s held every third winter in New Delhi.
Sudhakar Sharma, the second most important official of India’s national academy of art was dismissed by his boss, the Akademi's outgoing chairman Ashok Vajpeyi.
The sack order had many charges against Sharma, the key one cited being his failure to organize the Triennale in November 2011. This is the first case of such a dismissal in the Akademi’s history.
The Triennale is the biggest showcase of the Akademi, held every three years and attracts thousands of art lovers. The last one was held in 2005, before Vajpeyi’s tenure as chairman began in April 2008. Globally renowned triennales and biennales attract artists from across the world and are a stepping stone to the art fairs.
“The dynamism of the Akademi had suffered. We could not hold the Triennale — regrettable at a time when Indian art is blooming. Anyway, no public institution can lay claim to the Indian art boom, which has been powered by private galleries and artists,” said Vajpeyi, who relinquishes office on December 31.
The Akademi had initially scheduled the Triennale for December 2010-January 2011 but later postponed to November 2011.
The order, copies of which have been sent to the culture minister and secretary, ministry of culture (and to which the TOI has access), lists ‘proven’ charges on the basis of which Sharma was dismissed.
These include alleged neglect of duty, non-implementation of decisions of the Executive Board and General Council, callousness toward subordinates and persistent refusal to face an annual appraisal, among others.
Culture secretary Jawhar Sircar said he didn’t want to talk about the sacking without reading Vajpeyi’s order. Sharma could appeal against his dismissal to Sircar’s ministry.