Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages Srinagar has furnished divergent replies under RTI Act on the status of the calligraphy institute.
“Calligraphy institute was established in J&K Culture Academy in the year 1974, in consultation (with) and (by the) support of Bureau Promotion of Urdu, now National Council for promotion of Urdu, Ministry of Human Resources New Delhi,” reads an earlier reply provided by the Academy to one Aqib Ahmad Lanker on 6 February 2017 under RTI.
But on January 18 this year, the department in reply to a fresh RTI by Lanker said: “As per available record, the J&K academy of Art, Culture and Languages is not affiliated to UGC, AICTE or any such body. It has been conducting the calligraphy course with the approval of its executive body namely the central committee.”
The information provided has not indicated specifically as to whether Calligraphy Certificate being awarded by the Academy was three year certificate course or a diploma.
“In official records, it has been mentioned as Three Year Calligraphy Course. Unfortunately, Academy Complex at Lal Mandi came under severe floods in September 2014 and whole record was destroyed/washed away,” reads the reply furnished on 6 February 2017.
Even in the latest reply, the Academy has failed to provide definite reply: “The duration of Calligraphy course has been reduced to two years from the previous duration of three years. However, the syllabus for the course shall remain same as it was for the three year course. Further there is no such decision from which the signatory/ PIO will communicate to the information seeker the nature of the course that is whether it will be certificate course or a diploma as interpretation does not fall under the ambit of the RTI Act 2009.”
Interestingly, on 8 August 2017, belying Academy’s response given on February 6 last year, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), in a reply to Lanker under RTI, stated that it has never received any proposal from Academy.
“NCPUL provides consultation or support to those institutions/government organizations that approached to this council through some concrete proposal. No such proposal received till date in this regard. Hence no comment,” reads a reply by NCPUL’s Public Relation Officer to the RTI filed by Lanker, seeking to know whether the Academy was ever affiliated with it.