Sahitya Akademi plans Vande Mataram seminar at Central University of Kerala; students seek clarity on RSS presence

Kasaragod: Student organisations at the Central University of Kerala (CUK) have raised concerns over a two-day national seminar on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, questioning the involvement of organisations and speakers associated with the Sangh Parivar and asking the university to clarify the nature and objectives of the programme.

The seminar, organised by the Sahitya Akademi, an autonomous organisation under the Union Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad (ABSP) and the Central University of Kerala, is scheduled for October 6 and 7 at the university's Library Seminar Hall.

The official Sahitya Akademi programme lists J Nandakumar, national convener of Prajna Pravah, as the keynote speaker at the inaugural session. The valedictory session on October 7 is scheduled to be attended by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar as chief guest.

Prof Taru S Pawar, Dean of the School of Languages and Comparative Literature, has asked the heads of the departments under the school to ensure that "all faculty members, scholars and students compulsorily attend the seminar". The school comprises the departments of Hindi and Comparative Literature, English and Comparative Literature, Linguistics, Malayalam and Kannada.

The CUK units of the CPM's Students' Federation of India (SFI), the Congress's National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the Indian Union Muslim League's Muslim Students' Federation (MSF) have put out statements fearing that the event could be an attempt to "saffronise" the campus.

SFI, in a statement, said it had no objection to commemorating the historical significance of the National Song or conducting the programme with the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram. "Our objection is to any attempt to impose the complete version, particularly its later religiously charged portions, upon a diverse student community," said SFI in a statement.

The commemoration of a national song cannot become an occasion for imposing religious imagery or advancing an ideological agenda within an educational institution," said SFI unit president Niyathithara A L.

The decision in 1937 to restrict Vande Mataram to the first two stanzas was connected to concerns regarding the religious imagery contained in the subsequent portions. "Therefore,
presenting the complete composition without acknowledging this historical context amounts to ignoring an important part of the history of the national movement," she said.

SFI said a university campus should remain a space for students from different religious, social and cultural backgrounds and uphold constitutional values of secularism, pluralism and equality. "If the administration chooses to disregard these concerns and proceeds with an attempt to saffronise the campus under the guise of this commemoration, SFI CUK will stand with the students and organise democratic resistance against such attempts. The university belongs to all its students. Education must remain plural and secular," it said.

In its statement, the MSF unit said the programme materials had raised concerns because of the participation of J Nandakumar, national convener of Prajna Pravah, as keynote speaker and the collaboration with the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad.

Prajna Pravah is the intellectual wing of the RSS, and Nandakumar is a leader of the organisation. The Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad (ABSP) is the literary wing of the RSS.

MSF said the participation of organisations and individuals associated with particular ideological and political discourses had understandably raised questions among members of the university community about the institutional character and neutrality of the programme.

It said programmes conducted under the identity of a central university should uphold academic openness, inclusiveness, constitutional values and institutional neutrality.

Rather than opposing the commemoration itself, MSF called upon the university administration to clarify the nature, objectives, institutional role and collaborative arrangements of the programme, including the basis on which external organisations and speakers had been associated with it.

The organisation also urged the university to ensure that programmes conducted under the name of CUK uphold secularism, inclusiveness, academic freedom, equality and institutional autonomy.

The NSUI described the programme as a “clear agenda of saffronising CUK". Its unit said the involvement of Nandakumar in the inaugural session and the collaboration with ABSP were the reasons for its concern. NSUI said it would democratically oppose and resist the initiative.

The Sahitya Akademi describes the event simply as a two-day National Seminar on the 150th Anniversary of Vande Mataram. The programme includes literary sessions featuring scholars and writers from several states, besides the inaugural and valedictory sessions. The Sahitya Akademi is also organising a book exhibition-cum-discount sale at the venue during the seminar.