BHOPAL:The MP School of Drama (MPSD) may get a new director soon. The tenure of the present director, Alok Chatterjee, is ending on October 7 this year. His term is unlikely to be extended and the government will, most probably, go for a stopgap arrangement till a new director is appointed. The government is yet to advertise the position.
Chatterjee had taken over as director on October 8, 2018. He was appointed for a period of three years. He told the Free Press that his term is ending on October 7. “I am yet to receive any information about extension to my tenure,” he said.
A major part of Chatterjee’s tenure was consumed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It was also marked by protests by students over various issues, including holding classes online. Ultimately, the government intervened and extended the session of the students to enable them to attend in-person classes after the first wave of the pandemic.
The institution resumed normal functioning in mid-September this year after the second Covid wave. With no decision yet on the successor of Chatterjee, there is a possibility that the MPSD may remain headless, affecting the quality of education imparted to the students.
MPSD is a theatre training institute and an autonomous organisation under the Department of Culture. It was formally inaugurated in 2011. Sanjay Upadhyay was appointed its first director in 2010. After the expiry of his term in 2015, he was given an extension of three years.
Govt may go for direct appointment: According to sources, theatre actor-director Sanjay Mehta and K G Trivedi from Bhopal is the frontrunner for replacing Chatterjee. The government, they say, may not invite applications for the position of director, MPSD, and may go for direct appointment as has been done in the case of the various academies under the culture department.
