MUMBAI: In a last-minute development, IIT-Bombay cancelled its own institute
lecture
scheduled on Wednesday. The lecture on 'The Crisis Within: On Knowledge and
Education
in India' was to be delivered by cultural activist, linguist and former professor of English from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda Professor Ganesh N Devy, on Jan 31.
Prof Devy
is also a Padma Shri Award recipient.
Devy had earlier returned the Sahitya Akademi award in 2015, in solidarity with other writers sensing 'a growing intolerance towards differences of opinion' in the country.
The mail received by campus residents - students and faculty members - only mentioned that the lecture has been cancelled 'owing to unforeseen circumstances'. Some students claimed that of late, the institute has been cancelling talks by progressive speakers. Some students are planning to gather at the PC Saxena Auditorium around 5.15pm, where the event was scheduled to take place, as a mark of protest. The event page on the institute's website has been deleted too.
The abstract for Devy's lecture mentioned that 'good education' ought to be an important concern for our time but 'unfortunately, this is not the case'.
Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle has decided to be at PC Saxena Auditorium and read a chapter from Devy's book.
English (US) ·