A lot has changed since 1804, when James Mackintosh and 16 other English gentlemen founded the Asiatic Society of Bombay (now, Mumbai), to create a platform that emerged as the seat of intellectual and cultural thought during the British Raj, and later, in independent India. But now, the very existence of Asiatic Society of Mumbai (ASM) is under threat, as it stands embroiled in a tug-of-war between the management and employees over reduced salaries. On Wednesday, the latter held a press conference at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh at Azad Maidan to highlight their long-standing grievances including receipt of only 45 per cent salaries, and discrepancies in other remunerations. They intend to go on a pen-down strike, putting the future of the city’s oldest cultural organisation at risk. The managing committee has been grappling to resolve this crisis created by reduced government funding and a battered post-pandemic economic scenario.

Dr Kurush Dalal, member, managing committee, ASM