The state run West Bengal Urdu Academy, called off ‘Urdu in Hindi Cinema’ a four-days event (August 30- 1 September, 2025) objecting to writer & lyricist Javed Akhtar being invited there.
According to The Hindu, some Islamic groups opposed him being invited there, for taking pride in being an atheist. The groups, namely, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the Wahyain Foundation, expressed opposition to the invitation.
An official statement from the Academy said, ” Due to unavoidable circumstances, the four-day programme, Urdu in Hindi Cinema, scheduled from September 3, is being postponed.”
Reports indicate, Mr. Akhtar was asked not to come for the event and that led to the event being put off. The state government was in no mood to upset anyone, as Assembly elections are due in West Bengal next year.
Though, as reported in The Hindu, a member of the academy said, “I hope Urdu as an Indian language, without any religious affiliation whatsoever, can be celebrated in our city for its cultural, aesthetic and literary excellence, and not be appropriated by narrow-minded religious dogma, “.
Expressing shock in a statement, six Left-wing student organisations have said, “On behalf of the representatives of Left Student Organisations– SFI, AISF, AISA, AIDSO, AISB, PSU we strongly condemn the undemocratic attack by Islamist fundamentalist groups on the Bengal Urdu Academy, which had planned a four-day festival celebrating “Urdu Language’s Relevance in Hindi Cinema” with eminent poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar.
The event was shamefully postponed by the TMC government after opposition from groups like Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the Wahyain Foundation, who objected to Mr. Akhtar’s atheist views. Instead of resisting such regressive threats, the government chose capitulation.
This attack is not just on an individual, but on secularism, art, culture, intellectual freedom and scientific temperament. Javed Akhtar is among India’s most respected poets and lyricists, with immense contributions to Urdu, poetry, and cinema. As left-progressive students, we refuse to accept any compromise with fundamentalist forces of any religion.”
