Kolkata Mushaira Postponed Amid Protests Over Javed Akhtar's Remarks

Kolkata, Sep 2 (PTI) The West Bengal Urdu Academy has postponed a 'mushaira' (poetic symposium) featuring well-known lyricist Javed Akhtar following protests by various Muslim groups.

These groups have expressed concern over comments made by Akhtar, which they claim have offended the religious sentiments of the community.

The four-day event organized by the academy, was originally slated to occur in Kolkata beginning September 1.

However, the state-run academy did not provide an official reason for this postponement.

"Due to some compelling reason, the four-day 'mushaira' had to be postponed. We will announce the new dates later," stated the academy's secretary, Nuzhat Zainab, to PTI on Tuesday.

He did not clarify if Akhtar would still be a guest at the rescheduled event.

Jamiat-e-Ulema's state unit general secretary, Mufti Abdus Salam Qasmi, mentioned, "Certain recent comments made by Javed Akhtar have hurt the sentiments of a section of Muslims. We believe the West Bengal Urdu Academy, as a minority institution, could consider inviting someone else who has not hurt the sentiments of ordinary devout Muslims."

Mufti Shamail Nadvi of the Wahyain Foundation added, "Javed Akhtar is an erudite personality and is immensely gifted as a creative figure. But many of his recent comments have hurt the emotions and sensibilities of the community. As an academy looking after the well-being and protecting the values and sentiments of the Muslim community, the Minority Affairs Department should have been more prudent in choosing guests."

In the past, Akhtar has been a regular attendee at literary meets in Kolkata and has consistently spoken out against fundamentalism across religions.

In protest of the event's postponement, several Left student organizations have extended an invitation for Akhtar to speak on the role of Urdu in Hindi cinema in Delhi.

"On behalf of the representatives of Left student organizations – SFI, AISF, AISA, AIDSO, AISB, PSU – we strongly condemn the undemocratic attack by Islamist fundamentalist groups on the West Bengal Urdu Academy... The event was shamefully postponed by the TMC government following objections from groups such as the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind and Wahyain Foundation, who disapproved of Akhtar's atheist views. Instead of resisting such regressive threats, the government opted to capitulate," a joint statement by these organizations read.

"This attack is not just on an individual but on secularism, art, culture, intellectual freedom, and scientific temperament... As Left progressive students, we refuse to accept any compromise with fundamentalist forces of any religion," the statement further emphasized.