Kashmir Universities Ordered to Drop Native Writers

There’s no way to put a gag on people’s memory, say teachers

By: Majid Maqbool

Over the protests of local academicians, the ruling administration in Kashmir has removed the works of two award-winning writers from the curriculum of two government-run universities, claiming their writings propagate “secessionist ideology.”

The two are Basharat Peer’s memoir, The Curfewed Night, and Kashmiri American poet Agha Shahid Ali’s poetry collection, which were removed from the M.A English curriculum of the government-run University of Kashmir and Cluster University. The censorship is the latest blow against intellectual freedoms in the tense province since its autonomous status was revoked by the Indian government, which moved in troops to extend control over the Muslim-majority province, one of the world's great tourist attractions.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch has complained about the increasing repression, saying Indian authorities “are restricting free expression, peaceful assembly, and other basic rights,” and that “repressive policies and failure to investigate and prosecute alleged security force abuses have increased insecurity.”

The two varsity administrations have been directed to immediately drop Basharat Peer’s memoir and Shahid’s poetry collection, considered to be “teaching resistance literature,” from the M.A English curriculum of the two universities under the new education policy.

Nilofer Khan, the Vice-Chancellor of University of Kashmir, who confirmed the development, told a local newspaper the decision to remove the works of Kashmiri writers was taken “in accordance with the new education policy of J&K.”

However, Kashmiri academics and English literature teachers say the decision to remove what they term essential literary works from the university syllabus shows a “disconcerting trend of suppressing indigenous voices and negating the value of artistic expression in academia.” They regard it as a grave disservice to students and a glaring indictment of academic integrity.

An English literature lecturer who teaches at one of the universities in Kashmir, and who wished not to be named, said that writers like Agha Shahid Ali and Basharat Peer have created a remarkable space for a small place like Kashmir and inspired younger writers writing in English to get published by reputed international publishers.

“That is why many universities and colleges teach them in their undergrad and postgrad courses,” the lecturer said.

The university teachers say that there seems to be no substantial reason to have their writings removed from the MA syllabus.

“In any way, post-colonial writing, marginal writing, political and Marxist writing is a very important part of the course and students are free to let their imaginations wander off and draw parallels between different writings,” said an English literature lecturer (name withheld on request) who teaches in one of the government-run colleges affiliated to the University of Kashmir in Srinagar, Kashmir.

“Moreover, the removal will do more disservice because finding writers from one’s own land serves as a great motivation for potential writers and acts as a rough roadmap for younger talented writers to follow suit,” she said.

“Their inclusion in the curriculum is not for some ulterior motives and certainly will not unsettle or topple the establishment,” she added.

Award-winning Kashmiri novelist Mirza Waheed in a social media post called the decision to remove both writers' works from universities in Kashmir not just an attack on freedom of thought but “yet another tactic in the Indian state's war against Kashmiri memory.”

“It is also a clear indication of how a state of abnormality is imposed and people are coerced to go along with it,” Waheed wrote in a social media post.

“You can’t erase Shahid from memory,” he tweeted. “You can’t make Curfewed Night disappear.”

Another university lecturer who teaches English literature to undergraduates and MA students called the government move to ban the writers’ work from MA courses as an “utterly impulsive and irrational decision”.

“As an English teacher with a commitment to fostering intellectual growth and critical thinking among my students, I find this action deeply disquieting and contrary to the fundamental principles of academic freedom and literary appreciation,” the lecturer said, wishing not to be named as he fears reprisal from the university authorities for speaking against the government move.

“It’s is a disheartening encroachment on academic freedom and intellectual diversity,” he said, adding that Agha Shahid Ali and Basharat Peer are both distinguished indigenous writers holding a significant place in the realm of Kashmiri Anglophone Literature. “Their literary works offer profound insights into the harrowing human cost of the protracted conflict in the Kashmir valley, thus embodying the spirit of resistance against oppression and suffering,” he said.

Their narratives, he pointed out, have garnered international recognition and are studied in universities both within and beyond the boundaries of India.

“Their works serve as powerful literary testimonies that illuminate the complex realities and experiences endured by the people of Kashmir,” he said.

A young assistant professor who teaches English literature to MA English literature students at a university in Kashmir said that removing Basharat Peer’s memoir and Agha Shahid's poetry from universities is the worst form of curriculum gag.

“It is an assault not only on the democratic values and freedom of students and teachers but on the very classroom space where students and teachers should feel free and safe to discuss any writing,” the professor said adding that Shahid is a poet of international repute whose poetry is read and studied in universities and colleges around the world.

“Moreover, it is erroneous to label a certain kind of literature as resistance literature as all literature is subversive in nature,” the professor pointed out. He believes that removing Shahid's poetry and Basharat Peer's work from the classroom is also counterproductive as it would only end up increasing the students' interest in the writings of the two writers.

“As Shahid says, “The world is full of paper. Write to me.” People interested in literature will continue reading and engaging with their own writers,” the professor said.

“There is no way to put a gag on memory.”