Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen and poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar engaged in a debate on social media platform X after Nasreen described Hindu culture as the foundation of Bengali identity.
On Tuesday, Nasreen posted images of a Durga Puja pandal, writing:
“We Bengalis—whatever religion or philosophy we may have embraced over the course of history—belong, in our national identity, to India. The forefathers and foremothers of Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and even atheists of India were all, or nearly all, Indian Hindus.”
She further argued that even for Bengali Muslims, cultural roots lie in the Hindu tradition, not in Arabia.
Responding to her post, Javed Akhtar highlighted the pluralistic Ganga-Jamuni culture of India:
“We the people of traditional Awadh have great respect for Bengali culture, language and literature. But if someone is unable to appreciate and respect the great Ganga Jamni Awadh culture—its refinement and sophistication—then it’s completely his loss.”
Addressing Nasreen’s remarks about Muslim identity and Arab culture, Akhtar said India’s culture has “nothing to do with Arabia,” though Persian and Central Asian influences exist “on our terms and conditions.” He added that many Bengali surnames are of Persian origin.
In a separate post, Akhtar stressed that cultures should not be boxed into religious categories:
“Are you suggesting the culture of Gujarati Hindus and Tamil Hindus is the same, or that of a Lucknow Muslim and a Konkan Muslim are identical? Culture and languages belong to regions, not to religions.”
The exchange has sparked fresh discussion online about the intersections of religion, culture, and identity in South Asia.
