A Brief History of the College

This premier institution Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts, the first of its kind in the Southern region, belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu, India, hails from her parent institution Kalai Kaviri Arts & Communication Centre and is the  ulmination of the vision and dream of her Founder Rev.Msgr.S.M.George, a visionary and pioneer in promoting fine arts, realizing academic excellence for Indian traditional Gurukula art forms to the level of Ph.D. programme. This is a matchless march by the Indian Church in cultural promotion.

Considering the professional background of 14 years in offering systematic training in Bharatanatyam and South Indian Classical Music, particularly 6 years in offering University Diploma and Post Diploma Courses, the then honourable Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Dr J. Jayalalitha upgraded Kalai Kaviri as a College of Fine Arts. This came into effect by a Government Order dated 10th May 1996. Subsequently, the college was affiliated to the Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli. Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts was inaugurated on 10th August 1996, offering Undergraduate Degree programmes in Bharatanatyam and South Indian Classical Music.

Vision

The College is dedicated to promote, popularize and perpetuate the Indian traditional Gurukula art forms of 12 Bharatanatyam and South Indian Classical Music in their pristine purity ; to bring these prestigious art forms of the rich and the elite to the access of the less-privileged and the backward communities ; to utilize the communicative potential of Dance and Music to convey human and social development values to elevate the attitudes of the people through research-oriented performances.

Mission

The Institution trains the students to make them fullfledged professionals with creative and leadership talents. On completion of the courses, they become qualified to teach the Fine Arts in educational institutions or to run their own institutions for Dance and Music.

The various activities and the services rendered by the college are a unifying force bringing together the Hindu, Muslim and Christian brethren for the glory of humanity. The mission of Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts is to make every section of society inclusive by rendering higher education in the most vital area of native art. The mission also stresses to build a united society for constructive social development.

The Departments of Bharatanatyam and South Indian Classical Music were upgraded as Postgraduate Departments, with the commissioning of a Master of Fine Arts in the year 1999 by the Bharathidasan University.

The Government of Tamilnadu, taking into consideration the valuable contribution and the singularity of purpose pursued by Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts, extended the grant-in-aid scheme from the year 2000, initiated by the then Chief Minister of Tamilnadu Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. The College was awarded with the recognition of being ‘the Best Cultural Institution in Tamilnadu’ by the government in the year 2000.

The College gained the remarkable distinction from Bharathidasan University when, the Postgraduate Departments in Music and Bharatanatyam were upgraded into full fledged Research Departments, providing the facility
of Research leading up to the level of M.Phil and Doctoral studies which has gained momentum as the foremost research institution for the Fine Arts in the state of Tamilnadu.

Rev. Msgr. S.M. George the founder, is the architect and brain behind this unique and history – making institution. During the 25 years of his cultural mission (1977-2002), he left no stone unturned to raise this Cultural Centre to its present academic glory. He was the first Principal and Secretary of the college from 1996-2002 and was succeeded by Ms. V. Lakshmi as Principal (i/c) only for 5 months in 2003. From 2003 to 2007 and from 2007 to 2015, Rev. Sr. Dr. Margaret Bastin, f.s.j., took over the post of the Principal i/c and the Principal respectively. She was succeeded by Dr. P. Natarajan as the Principal i/c during June 2015- November 2015 and as a full-fledged Principal from 2015 December onwards.

Rev. Fr. A. Susai Alangaram succeeded Rev. Msgr. S. M. George and was the Secretary of the college from 2003-2007 enthusiastically inheriting the spirit of the institution. Following him Rev. Fr. S. M.G. Sekaran (2007-2010), Rev. Fr. L. Anthuvan (2010-2015) (2017 Feb – June) and Rev. Fr. Dr. G. Sagaya Raja (2015-2017), Rev. Fr. S.G.Saminathan (2017-2022), shouldered the responsibility of the Secretary and Director.

Rev. Fr. S. Louis Britto assumed the responsibility as the Secretary-cum-Director of Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts from 2022. With the professional expertise of the heads of the institution, coupled with the talents and hard-work of the faculty and the administrative staff as well as the feats of students, the college now renders laudable service in the field of fine arts. Kalai Kaviri College was accredited at A grade (Cycle I) by NAAC in 2007. Nationally Re-Accredited with ‘A+’ grade by NAAC in 2013 (CGPA 3.67 out of 4.00 in IInd cycle) & ‘A’ Grade in III cycle in 2019. The college is also enlisted as a minority institution from 2007 as per the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court Verdict dated 30.10.2017.