Mysuru: Even as the city is gearing up for Nada Habba Dasara festival scheduled to be held from Sept. 21 to 30, about 200  students of Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA) resorted to an indefinite strike in front of the Institute on Bannur Road in Siddarthanagar here this morning demanding immediate appointment of Dean to CAVA.

The students are a worried lot as they will miss the much-awaited ‘Dasara CAVA Mela’ which they propose to hold on Sept.24 and 25. The Mela, organised  annually, seems unlikely this year, as there is no Head for the Institute after the previous Dean, Basavaraj S. Musavalagi, retired from service on July 31.

“It is not possible to organise the Mela without the Dean, as he holds the power to manage the funds. As per norms, only the Dean can get funds sanctioned for the Mela and other activities,” said the students who are staging the protest under the banner of CAVA Students Union ‘Kuncha Kavya Samskruthika Samithi (KKSS).’

They alleged that though they had written to Kannada and Culture Minister Umashree and Principal Secretary of the Department, to appoint the Dean soon no action had been taken.

The protestors, led by Students Union Secretary Anjan Aditya and Joint Secretary K. A. Deekshith, said “We need at least a month’s time to prepare for the Mela which includes an art expo, cultural events, painting and drawing competitions,” and rued that now they hardly have 20 days to prepare for the annual event.