Vande Mataram; RSS’s keynote address: protests in Central University

Kasaragod: An official seminar organised at the Central University of Kerala to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram has triggered protests among student organisations after RSS pracharak J. Nandakumar was invited to deliver the keynote address.

The two-day seminar, scheduled for October 6 and 7 at the university library hall, is being organised in association with the Sahitya Akademi and Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad. The latter is widely associated with the RSS family of organisations. Its general secretary, Pavanputra Badal, is also scheduled to attend.

Student organisations SFI, NSUI and MSF have written to Vice-Chancellor Siddhi P. Alagoor expressing their opposition to the programme. They have accused the university of placing greater importance on what they describe as an attempt at saffronisation than on strengthening students' academic knowledge.

The RSS leader's participation has drawn particular criticism because the vice-chancellor himself is scheduled to preside over the session. Student leaders have maintained that there is nothing objectionable about commemorating the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, but have opposed what they describe as RSS involvement driven by a communal agenda.

The programme will feature five academic papers, with around 25 participants expected from Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and other states. Tamil and English writer Malan V. Narayanan is among those attending, while K.P. Ramanunni, a member of the Sahitya Akademi's Malayalam Advisory Board, is also scheduled to participate.

Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar is expected to visit the university on October 7, adding further prominence to the event, which has already become a point of contention among students.