Kerala government appoints Padma Bhushan Mallika Sarabhai as Kalamandalam Chancellor

To recall, the Kerala government had, on November 11, removed Governor Arif Mohammad Khan from the post of Kalamandalam Chancellor.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government on Tuesday appointed renowned dancer Padma Bhushan Mallika Sarabhai as Chancellor of Kerala Kalamandapam Kalpitha University. In a statement, State Cultural Affairs Minister V N Vasavan's office said the state government believes that Sarabhai's appointment as Chancellor would highly benefit the institution. 

The Cultural Affairs Department order said that Sarabhai was chosen for the post as per a clause in the Kalamandalam's Memorandum of Association which states that 'the Chancellor shall be an eminent person in the field of art and culture appointed by the sponsoring body.

The state Department of Culture issued an order in this regard. The appointment comes weeks after the Pinarayi Vijayan government amended the rules of the Kalamandalam to remove Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as its Chancellor. The state governor had been the chancellor of Kalamandalam since 2006. The amendment came amidst the government's ongoing tussle with the governor over the functioning of state universities, including the appointment of Vice-Chancellors. The deemed university's amended rules also stated that the management structure and governance system of the Kerala Kalamandalam should be in accordance with the state government's decision.

Daughter of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian Space Program and the founder of the Indian Space Research Organisation, and renowned dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai, Mallika is herself a world-renowned Kuchupudi and Bharatanatyam dancer. She has also been active as a theatre, film and television artist, writer, publisher and director.