Respecting and worshipping gurus and teachers in reverence is ingrained in the Asian DNA. While touching the feet of gurus is considered pious in the Indian culture, those in the art sector who religiously learn music and dance from instructors have suffered countless instances of abuse and molestation by their teachers. Withstanding the fact that these vocations may involve physical touch and posture correction, many instructors have taken the toxic route of patriarchy and missed their position for seeking sexual favours or molested students.
A recent report in The Guardian titled “India's classical music and dance 'guru' system hit by abuse allegations’ said that female musicians say abuse by gurus has been an open secret for years in a culture where ‘toxic and old-fashioned patriarchy’ holds sway.
The guru-shishya (disciple) relationship in the Indian classical music and dance traditions has finally been hit by allegations of sexual abuse. According to this report in The Guardian, “A group of 90 female classical musicians issued a statement in September, alleging sexual abuse and exploitation of female disciples by their gurus. They described a “fear-driven culture of silence” that forced women to submit to the sexual demands of their gurus for fear of having to end their careers.
The statement called for structural changes to tackle sexual harassment in the sector. The move followed accusations of sexual misconduct against Akhilesh Gundecha, a classical musician, and his late brother, Ramakant, at the residential music institute in Bhopal which the brothers founded.”
Renowned singer TM Krishna blamed the power imbalance that has existed in the industry for a long time. Classical Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan wasn’t shocked by these allegations and asserted that enough of the members of the community knew this was happening.
Classical Bharatanatyam dancer Swarnamalya Ganesh and TM Krishna are campaigning to reform these long standing shameful activities. They now run an informal group to raise public awareness and try to break stereotypes that further accelerate such cases of sexual abuse.
