Managing committee says money has been trickling in, which is a good start, but it cannot be disbursed in an ad-hoc manner; committee member Dr Kurush Dalal says if they have decided to go on a pen-down strike, it is their right
Vispi Balaporia, president, Asiatic Society of Mumbai. Pic/Getty Images
A lot has changed since 1804, when James Mackintosh and 16 other English gentlemen founded the Asiatic Society of Bombay (now, Mumbai), to create a platform that emerged as the seat of intellectual and cultural thought during the British Raj, and later, in independent India. But now, the very existence of Asiatic Society of Mumbai (ASM) is under threat, as it stands embroiled in a tug-of-war between the management and employees over reduced salaries. On Wednesday, the latter held a press conference at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh at Azad Maidan to highlight their long-standing grievances including receipt of only 45 per cent salaries, and discrepancies in other remunerations. They intend to go on a pen-down strike, putting the future of the city’s oldest cultural organisation at risk. The managing committee has been grappling to resolve this crisis created by reduced government funding and a battered post-pandemic economic scenario.
Dr Kurush Dalal, member, managing committee, ASM
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Number crunch
“I’ve been negotiating with the staff for a solution. They carry the Society on their shoulders, and are a constant factor,” asserts Vispi Balaporia, president, Asiatic Society of Mumbai. “When this new committee was formed in 2019 that included me, they were some members who began to dig into the past, and how accounts were kept. They had a different way of analysing things. When the new committee decided to restructure finances, it resulted in a further strain on our already limited funds.” Then, the pandemic struck.
The central government gives the ASM an annual grant of Rs 1 crore that was cut down by 40 per cent to R60 lakh last year. Even before that, they were somehow able to manage staff salaries, but these funds became insufficient with the lockdown, and employees were given only 45 per cent of their salary from April 2020. “When we cannot manage with Rs 1 crore to keep the Society alive, what can Rs 60 lakh do?” she rues, admitting that they were caught in a bind that directly affected staffers, many of whom have to pay off loans. “It’s all in black and white. We have been cornered. I recognise unions; I myself am on one for teachers, and so I am sympathetic to their concerns. They have their rights too,” she maintains, attributing this stalemate having emerged due to the attitude of some members.
Brinda Miller, artist and honorary chairperson of Kala Ghoda Association
Funding challenges
On Monday, the managing committee had a meeting with the staff, including Prakash Reddy, president of the union that represents ASM employees. Dr Kurush Dalal, managing committee member and eminent educationist and food historian, mediated on behalf of the committee. “Over the years, a bulk of the budget (90 per cent) has been used to pay salaries, which is an unhealthy way to run such organisations that are home to rare treasures which need constant upkeep. The staff wanted us to assure them of full salary payments, but it has been an extraordinary time for big and small organisations due to the pandemic. After talks with the financial committee and accountants, we assured them to increase it to 65 per cent salaries, and meanwhile, we would try to create a sustainable model to restore their full salaries. But they aren’t convinced,” he sighed. When the fund crunch was revealed to the staff, they questioned why the committee hadn’t mentioned it earlier, citing that they would have helped raise finances. “They sense a deep-rooted conspiracy from our end, where the place could possibly be up for privatisation. This is clearly not possible especially for such large Central Government-backed organisations. We told them that we are here to help, and in fact, will support them in this effort,” he shared, about Monday’s meeting. The committee was hopeful that this assurance would have satisfied the staff. Instead, they went ahead with their call to strike.
Balaporia adds that the union had been requesting to see the accounts, which is not possible; “they cannot accept that we have no money. My sympathies are entirely with the staff; all trustees and committee members have been trying to secure funding. So far, whoever we’ve approached have admitted about limited CSR funding this year; others prefer to help only causes with a COVID-19 link, be it for child welfare or education. Culture, clearly, is at the bottom of everyone’s lists; look how the city’s cultural organisations have taken a hit post lockdown.”
Future tense
Dalal is hopeful that the staffers see light: “It’s a tragedy that all of this has come to a head due to the pandemic. We need a huge push in funding. This was brewing for 10-15 years and has now blown up. The managing committee has another meeting tomorrow (Thursday). We had even approached the Honourable Governor about this scenario. I must reveal here that the staffers didn’t create a scene on the day he arrived. The Governor assured us that he would intervene.” Back in 2019, Balaporia and a small delegation from ASM had addressed this issue with the Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel; he had agreed to offer support. But on December 29, 2020, when Balaporia and Dr Shehernaz Nalwalla, managing committee member met Patel at an event in the city and reminded him of the grim scenario, he divulged that his hands were tied since his ministry’s budget was cut.
For a while now, the managing committee has sent out appeals to its members to help with this crisis. Money has been trickling in, which is a good start, but it cannot be dispersed in an ad-hoc manner. “It needs to be streamlined, and then given out to the staff; but it’s happening, and we want the staff to know this. If they have decided to take a pen-down strike, it is their right. But they must be aware that we care for them,” reminds Dalal.
As a noted cultural voice in the city, Brinda Miller, artist and honorary chairperson of Kala Ghoda Association, is concerned with the turn of events. “It would be a shame if the Society were to shut down. Anyone who has seen or accessed its collections of books and maps knows it's worth. I wish there was some way for the ASM to get a strong corporate push, else this invaluable repository of the city’s treasures will get further neglected. I recall the Italian Consulate commenting on a copy of Dante’s rare 14th century manuscript of Divine Comedy that lies with the Society. What will happen to such literary gems?” Miller feels that the space should be made more accessible for literary and cultural events, to help create a revenue-generating channel.
Today, the Asiatic Society of Mumbai is more famous for its iconic steps, for photo-ops or as an open-air adda for space-starved Mumbaikars. Most are unaware of its legacy, and view it as an academic maze, meant only for students, PhD scholars and researchers. But the loud rumblings inside cannot afford to go unheard by Mumbai’s cultural and business czars, and its philanthropists who might need to step in soon, as the sword of limited resources threatens to shutter this grand cultural institution.Balaporia signs off, “I have written a letter to Mr Prakash Reddy putting the case very plainly, and I am hoping for more understanding. We are also withdrawing some of our fixed deposits to pay them. I ended my letter by offering to work together. The basic principle of management is to carry your staff with you -- only then will you get the best. And we are committed to work towards this goal.”
Rs 60L
Amount, out of Rs 1 crore annual fund, ASM got last year
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