By Yogesh Pratap Shekhar
The morning after the festival of lights, Diwali, came news of darkness. Francesca Orsini, a renowned scholar of Hindi, was turned back from Delhi Airport despite having a valid visa. Orsini is a scholar of Hindi, respected worldwide, and has devoted her entire life to the study of the Hindi language and literature. She is a respected Professor Emerita at the ‘SOAS’ (School of Oriental and African Studies), University of London, where she has served for many years.
It is worth asking – when Orsini had a valid visa, then why was she stopped from entering India? Orsini is possibly the fourth scholar who has been denied entry into India despite holding a valid visa. The question is – who feels threatened by Orsini’s arrival in India? If one pauses to think, it becomes clear that the present BJP government has constructed an imaginary narrative.
That narrative is that foreign people write all sorts of nonsense about India, which tarnishes the great image of the country. Clearly, since no restriction can be imposed on their writing, a ban is being placed instead on their entry into India. However, Orsini’s writings have never led to any kind of political or academic controversy.
On the other hand, it is also clear that during this government’s tenure, almost every central university has been issued a circular aimed at controlling universities. The circular states that before inviting speakers to any academic event, the list of speakers must be checked and approved by the respective university administration.
From both these things, it is evident that this government is deeply anxious about its image and its imaginary narrative. To ensure that no question is raised about this imagined image and narrative, the government has resorted to repression and control. Orsini being denied entry into India appears to be the next step in this very sequence.
How ironic and ridiculous it is that at precisely this time, the clamour about India being a “Vishwaguru” is spreading all around! The reality is that we are losing even the ability to become humble students in the context of vast world of knowledge which knows no national boundaries.
Why else would a world-renowned scholar of the very Hindi language that is promoted as the “national language” be stopped from entering India? What should have happened is this: even if she did not have a valid visa or other required documents (which, in fact, she did have), her contributions should have ensured that a visa and all formalities were completed right there at the airport.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
