After a legal spat between two Urdu literary groups with similar names, a cultural festival scheduled last weekend at the University of Mumbai had to be cancelled.
According to promotional banners, the ‘literary and cultural’ festival to celebrate ‘International Mother Language Day’ was to be held at the Marathi Bhasha Bhavan in the university’s Kalina campus on February 22 and 23. Among the events at the festival was qissa goi, ghazal, and mushaira.
The event was cancelled after the organisers, Bazme Yaarane Adab, received a legal notice from another literary group with the same name, alleging the ‘misuse’ of the latter’s name.The incident has become a topic of discussion in the city’s Urdu cultural circles.
The University of Mumbai said that they were not involved in the hosting of the event and were unaware of the legal dispute over the name of the organisation.Advocate Saleem Shaikh, who represents Bazme Yaarane Adab, a group based in Bhiwandi, Thane, sent a criminal notice to the group which advertised the weekend programme, accusing it of acting ‘malafidely with vested interest’. “It is a matter of fraud to use the name of the university without making any booking,” he said.
Shaikh added that Bazme Yaarane Adab, which organises literary, social and cultural programmes for the promotion of Urdu and other Indian languages, was registered in 2017. “We were surprised when well wishers called me to ask about the programme that we were organising. The event, which was advertised on social media, did not mention the name of office bearer, responsible person, convener or any contact number or email address or postal address,” added Shaikh.
The University of Mumbai said that they were not involved in the programme. Assistant Professor Qamar Siddiqui from the university’s Urdu department said, “The organisation (Bazme Yarane Adab) approached us but they did not book any halls. There was no written communication between the university and the group. We later received a message that the event was cancelled. They had added our name in the programme pamphlets.or the said programme,” said Siddiqui.
