NEW DELHI — In a direct response to the cancellation of Javed Akhtar's event in Kolkata, a coalition of left-wing student organizations, including the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the All India Students' Association (AISA), and the All India Students Federation (AISF), has issued an open invitation for the poet and lyricist to speak in Delhi. The move is a deliberate counter-protest against the "undemocratic attack by Islamist fundamentalists" that led to the postponement of Akhtar's scheduled lecture in West Bengal.
The event, titled "Urdu's Relevance in Hindi Cinema," was part of a festival organized by the West Bengal Urdu Academy. However, it was postponed after two Islamist groups, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the Wahyahin Foundation, threatened protests over Akhtar's presence, citing his public statements on religion.
In a joint statement, the student organizations strongly condemned the West Bengal government's "capitulation" to what they termed "regressive forces." The statement, issued by representatives including Aishe Ghosh of SFI, Abhigyan of AISA, and Santosh Kumar of AISF, expressed shock and dismay over the denial of a platform to a figure as eminent as Javed Akhtar. The organizations emphasized that this incident is not an isolated one, but part of a broader "systematic attack on the idea of secularism, critical thinking, and the democratic rights of students."
"We extend an open invitation to Javed Akhtar Sahab to come to Delhi and speak on 'The role of Urdu in Hindi cinema'," the statement read. "The students of this country will not bow down to fundamentalism or regressive politics."
The invitation from the student bodies is seen as an attempt to defend freedom of speech and academic discourse against religious and political pressure. It underscores a growing concern among student and civil society groups that space for liberal and secular thought is shrinking under pressure from both right-wing and religious fundamentalist groups. The move sets the stage for a potential showdown, as the student organizations aim to host Akhtar and demonstrate that intellectual freedom will not be stifled.
