CUK Vande Mataram seminar draws student organisations’ ire

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Students’ organisations at the Central University of Kerala (CUK) have raised strong objections to the participation of groups and individuals whom they describe as ideologically aligned with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in a national seminar being organised to mark the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram.

The two-day seminar is scheduled to be held on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) and Wednesday (October 7, 2026) at the Library seminar hall of the university. The participation of J. Nandakumar, national convenor of Prajna Pravah, as the keynote speaker and the role of the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad as a co-organiser have emerged as the main points of contention among the student organisations.

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and Muslim Students’ Federation (MSF) have demanded that the university administration clarify the nature, objectives and institutional basis of the programme.

The MSF has described Prajna Pravah and the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad as organisations that it says are ideologically associated with the RSS and said their involvement had raised serious concerns.

The NSUI has alleged that the programme is part of an attempt to “saffronise” the CUK and announced that it will organise a democratic protest on campus against it.

The SFI objected to what it described as attempts to impose religious symbols or a particular ideological position on the university community through the complete rendition of Vande Mataram.

SFI unit president Nivathi Thara A.L. said constitutional secularism, pluralism and equality must be protected at a university where students from different religious, social and cultural backgrounds study.

The seminar is being jointly organised by the Sahitya Akademi, the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad, and the CUK. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is scheduled to be the chief guest at the valedictory session on October 7.

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