Why Kerala magician Muthukad's art centre for differently abled is in the eye of a storm

Muthukad's Different Art Centre (DAC), dedicated to educating and empowering specially-abled children, was making a significant impact within the community. The centre, inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in 2019, has developed various platforms to get 300 differently abled children with autistic disorders to showcase their talents in music, dance, painting and skills.

According to their website, the centre claims that their vision ‘is to develop a world-class art centre, that provides training and opportunities for talented mentally challenged children in our society to showcase their learned skills before a wide audience’. Also, the centre aims to provide “a supportive environment that will empower differently abled children to stand on their own legs and lead a meaningful life’.

Muthukad's emotional videos featuring children with special abilities and his stage shows, both nationally and internationally, have garnered immense popularity. People from various backgrounds have been supporting his cause since its inception.

Controversy hits centre

The centre is now, however, in the eye of a storm, as a controversy erupted when parents of some of these differently abled kids, accused Muthukad of ill-treating their children and of misappropriation of funds.

The issue came to the fore when Chitra C R, who herself is an autism special educator working in Arizona, USA, and the mother of a 22-year-old person with cerebral palsy, alleged that Muthukad received ₹1.75 crore from the government without the necessary approvals from departments concerned.

She made this allegation in her Facebook post. Additionally, she said ₹ 75 lakh has been allocated for his institution this year, and more than ₹2 crore has been received from the department of culture. Chitra supported her allegations with relevant documents obtained through the Right to Information Act.

Chitra told The Federal, “My son who is 22 now, has cerebral palsy and relies on a wheelchair. Despite facing mobility challenges, he possesses drawing skills for which he has received training. I hoped that the DAC would offer him the necessary educational support. However, the centre insisted on parents being present with their children, leading me to resign from my job.”

Further, she added, Muthukad and his center are simply selling their plight as parents of neuroatypical children. “He is using using our kids to lure money from funders,” said Chitra.

According to Chitra, one day, she came across a feature in a Malayalam daily that portrayed the children as destitute and abandoned by their families, and her son's photo was included in the article.

“Outraged, we, the parents, filed a complaint. However, instead of offering an apology or issuing a correction, Muthukad showed no remorse. In fact, he shouted at us, asserting that his actions were an act of generosity, and anyone dissatisfied was free to leave,” she shared.

Slander and character assassination, sas Muthukad

However, Gopinath Muthukad refuted these charges as a personal attack to malign his reputation by a disgruntled mother (even though he said that he won’t take names, he referred to a mother who now works in Arizona, USA), and is supported by some with vested interests, who have nothing to do with the institution.

Muthukad told The Federal that she was disgruntled and disappointed that her son did not get the chance to go abroad and visit the Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

"It was not our fault; the kid did not have a valid passport and there was restriction in numbers from the President’s office as well. I do not know what their motive is, but they are targeting me, in person. Now what is happening is slander and character assassination," he reiterated.

“The allegation of financial misappropriation is totally baseless. We have not received even 1 percent of our total investment from the government. We have received some funds through the Anuyatra project (a campaign of the state government for persons with special needs) and some from the cultural departments as well, but we have proper accounts for all of them,” he said.

Lack of trained personnel

Meanwhile, Preethe G P, the mother of a 19-year-old child with severe autism, also felt that the government's budgetary allocations to this institution raise concerns.

According to the 2016 policy for neurodivergent individuals, the government should prioritise the needs of neuro atypical persons. Providing artistic training, as done by this institution, shouldn't be at the top of the priority list, she said, adding that instead, there should be a focus on inclusive rehabilitation for autistic kids, integrating them into society.

“DAC's actions undermine the efforts needed for neurodivergent individuals. The centre seems to focus on showcasing children with milder issues, such as slight intellectual disability or cerebral palsy, making it easier to manage and train them in areas like music and magic. However, this approach doesn't address the unique needs of real autistic kids who require special attention. DAC lacks trained personnel and a proper policy for treating these children,” pointed out Preetha, who had ‘been running pillar to post for the last 10 years to get her son admitted to a proper special school’.

Open to rectify mistakes

Gopinath Muthukad acknowledged that mistakes might have been made in this aspect and has expressed openness to listen and rectify any issues.

“What we envisioned was to provide these children with a platform to become self-sufficient through artistic performances. In the process, we may have overlooked the challenges faced by severely affected neurodivergent kids. I am not asserting that we are flawless. We are prepared to listen and rectify any shortcomings,” said the magician.

C P Shihab, a differently abled motivational speaker who is hard of mobility, was another person who came up against the DAC and Muthukad. Shihab who had been working as talent co-ordinator with DAC completely endorsed the allegation raised by Chitra C R and other parents.

“During my time there, I served as the anchor for a stage show featuring five kids. However, I was instructed not to use a wheelchair when guests are present during the programme. Instead, he wanted me to crawl to evoke sentiments among them. Besides he suggested that I declare him as our god, without whom we cannot survive. It should be examined why the government has given one crore rupees to Magic Planet when there are many schemes to protect differently abled children,” asked Shihab in a news conference at Kochi.

“Shihab C P’s comments took the allegations to another level. They want to paint me as a heartless person, I won't comment on it,” said Muthukad. “It was a dream for me. I stopped magic for this purpose alone, although I could have continued performing for another 10 years. I had even considered shifting to Las Vegas, but I chose this path because I wanted to make a meaningful contribution,” he added.

No response

Chitra C R has raised multiple questions directed at DAC in a series of social media posts. But as of now, the centre has not provided any answers.

According to Chitra, the centre, with around 300 admissions, lacks qualified professionals to manage these children. She insists on the need for monitoring and f guidelines for such institutions. Despite the controversy gaining traction on social media, no statutory body, including the human rights commission, has taken notice yet. The government departments too have been silent.

“I have filed complaints with the departments concerned, and I am awaiting their response. If I do not receive any, I will approach the court,” states Chitra.