CUK Vande Mataram seminar excites student organizations

Student organizations at the Central University of Kerala (CUK) have raised strong objections to the participation of groups and individuals they describe as ideologically linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in a state-wide seminar organized to mark the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram.

The two-day seminar is scheduled for Tuesday (October 6, 2026) and Wednesday (October 7, 2026) in the university’s library seminar room. The participation of J. Nandakumar, national convenor of Prajna Pravah, as the keynote speaker and the role of the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad as co-organiser emerged as major points of contention among the student organisations.

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

Médecins Sans Frontières described Prajna Pravah and Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Parishad as organizations it said were ideologically linked to the RSS, and said their involvement had raised serious concerns.

The NSUI claimed that the program was part of an attempt to “encrypt” CUK and announced that it would stage a democratic protest on campus against it.

The SFI protested against what it described as attempts to impose religious symbols or a particular ideological stance on the university community through a full rendition of Vande Mataram.

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

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

Published – 05 Oct 2026 07:00 IST