“For every wonderful Guru and teacher out there, (and yes there are some shining examples of kind and impeccable gurus) there is an abusive Guru hiding amongst them. Stop idealizing Gurus. Respect the craft but make sure that the safety of your child is also respected. And it starts with you as the parent,” said Ash Mukherjee, South Asian dancer, choreographer, actor and founder of Ash Dance Theatre. Ash exclusively spoke to Asian Voice about the recent upsurge in cases of sexual assault against gurus and instructors in the field of art and culture, and what should be the immediate course of action to safeguard students.
What is your immediate concern and idea of combatting this issue in order to safeguard students?
My concern is the mindset that grants a Guru almost god like status that allows them to get away with anything. It allows them to not be held accountable for their actions. Yes, revere art by all means, but the guru is ultimately a teacher that is coming in contact with your child or vulnerable person. For every wonderful Guru and teacher out there, (and yes there are some shining examples of kind and impeccable gurus) there is an abusive Guru hiding amongst them. Stop idealizing Gurus. Respect the craft but make sure that the safety of your child is also respected. And it starts with you as the parent. A child expresses anxiety and lack of trust by saying that they have a stomach ache or their head is paining etc. Do not ignore these signs. Do not leave your children alone unsupervised without another adult present. Always accompany them if there are overnight trips planned. Take the safety of your child seriously. It is your number one responsibility as a parent to support your child’s creative as well as safety requirements. You must balance the two. Otherwise you are failing them. Understand the vast difference between discipline and abuse. Discipline is holding a student accountable in a safe and loving way about their progress and commitment. Abuse is taking away the humanity of a being. It comes in many forms. It can be loud, obvious and physical and it can also come in the form of microaggressions, making fun, bullying, silent treatment, making inappropriate remarks, creating a toxic and hostile work environment. You and your child’s safe space is non negotiable. You wouldn’t have your child dance on a slippery and unsafe dance floor where they could have an accident and physically harm themselves. Why would you then send your child or ward somewhere where their mental health is not being respected? The sad reality is that abuse is insidious, endemic and enmeshed subtly through intergenerational trauma in the world of dance and music. Just like the art form has heritage, the trauma and abuse also has a heritage. It can be passed down unknowingly from a teacher to student. It only damages and hurts people who damage and hurt other people. I believe that we are only scratching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to trauma and abuse in the dance world.
As an actor and choreographer, how safe have you felt among trainers and teachers over the years when it comes to personal safety?
Although I have had some wonderfully rewarding experiences in my career, I have had three notably adverse and traumatic experiences in my journey as a dancer. For the purpose of brevity I shall share an early years experience here. It was with my first Bharatanatyam dance teacher, who shall remain nameless. He was brilliant and talented and I worshipped and loved him like my own father. He was also a narcissistic abuser who played mind games, physically and verbally abused me and controlled me via masterful manipulative tactics. My parents only saw his talent, and forced me to stay in that very toxic, very hostile situation because they wanted me to be successful. Even though they were well meaning, they were not trauma informed and therefore my safety and mental health was severely compromised as a child because of it. As an adult, despite the success I have worked so far, I now suffer from profound depression and PTSD which is a direct result of what happened with this teacher. Take the importance of mental health seriously please. It is not a taboo. Abuse is one of the hardest things to heal from. It never quite leaves you. Do not let it happen to your loved ones.
Is there anything in your mind that you think is the root cause of this malpractice in the arts community?
There can be a very fine line between discipline and abuse in the arts world. Crossing this line is a malpractice and causes severe trauma that is buried deep in the artist’s psyche. This is passed from generation to generation in the name of discipline, getting justified by ‘My teacher was tough with me, so I will be tough with my students.’
This is nothing but vindication. Over time this unaddressed trauma tries to heal itself by abusing the next generation in the name of ‘discipline’. This stems from the acute need for healing and manifests itself extremely unskillfully through abuse.
What can be done to make sure more students speak up if they go through this?
Healing happens in safe and connected spaces. Healing happens in kind spaces. If your classmate or friend has had the courage to confide in you her concern about what trauma or abuse they may be going through, do not belittle her. It is sacred information. Talk to each other. Do not keep secrets. Do not add to the hostile environment that benefits from the suffering of individuals.
Report what you see to trusted and responsible adults. If you don’t have that resource, get in touch directly with GEN NEXT on Facebook or Instagram, who are committed to creating a safer environment for artists.
Do you think we're setting the right precedent for aspiring artists to pursue this field, especially in the middle of unrest in the world's biggest film industry due to the death of an actor where mental health and safety are under serious question?
It is of vital and primary importance that artists should be able to pursue their passion and vocation in safety. If we want to set the right precedent for aspiring artists in this field we have to take their mental health and safety seriously. It is the very least we can do. Be trauma informed. Talk to each other. Read and learn about mental health, & narcissistic abuse. Learn how to have skillful and kind conversations that honor the humanity of another person. Check in on your friends. Honor the voice of the victim. Do not victim blame and victim shame. Be a part of the change. Commit to creating healing spaces for yourself and others around you. You are a human being and you matter. You should not have to suffer any kind of abuse, be it mental, physical, verbal, sexual, or financial, in silence. If I can heal from it, so can you. Do it for the love for yourself, love for our industry, and love for the survivors.
