Visva-Bharati University’s decision to hold lecture on ‘Kali Puja’ sparks row

Swami Saradatmananda Ji Maharaj, general secretary of Sree Sree Ramakrishna Ashrama, Alambazar Math, Kolkata, is scheduled to deliver the lecture, while Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty will preside over the session. “By deciding to hold a lecture on Kali Puja, the university authorities are violating the tradition of Visva-Bharati. It was mentioned in the trust by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore (Rabindranath’s father) that there won’t be any idol worship in Visva-Bharati. It was also mentioned that apart from following the ideals of Brahma Samaj, no adherence will be given to any religion. We strongly condemn this. The authorities are intentionally playing politics by organising a lecture on Kali Puja because it was in news recently,” said suspended VBU professor Sudipta Bhattacharya.

Recent remarks on Goddess Kali by TMC MP Mahua Moitra caused a political uproar in the state. The BJP lodged several complaints against the TMC MP and demanded her arrest, while the TMC distanced itself from the controversy, leaving Moitra to defend herself. Although Kali Puja is held in October/November as per the Hindu almanac, the BJP has decided to organise it at its state headquarters on July 28 to protest Moitra’s remarks. Against this backdrop, Visva-Bharati’s decision to organise a lecture on Kali Puja is seen as a “political move”. “This is nothing but a move by the Vice-Chancellor to keep the BJP and the RSS in good humour. By taking such a decision, he is violating the tradition of Visva-Bharati. By doing this, he is looking for an extension or other favours from the Centre,” said Somnath Sow, a university student.

Supriyo Tagore, a descendant of Rabindranath Tagore and a Santiniketan ashramite, said, “This is for the first time when a lecture is being organised on such a subject. This is very unfortunate. We cannot think of violating the tradition of Visva-Bharati let alone breaking it. There is some political interest behind the move.”

This is, however, not the first time that the university has sparked a controversy. In May last year, the university authorities had decided to organise a virtual lecture on ‘Why BJP failed to win West Bengal Assembly election’ by Niti Aayog Joint Advisor Sanjay Kumar. However, following a widespread condemnation over the selection of the topic, the university had to cancel the event.

On January 9, 2020, the university had invited BJP Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta for a lecture on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which triggered protests by the SFI on the campus. Dasgupta, the vice-chancellor and others were confined to a university building for six hours. The Vice-chancellor was, however, not available for comments.