How the Banning of Francesca Orsini Exposes the Modi Government’s War on Academic Freedom and the ‘Vishwaguru’ Lie

After Diwali, a dark day for knowledge arrived. Francesca Orsini, a famous Hindi scholar, was turned back from Delhi Airport despite having a valid visa. This hostile act signals a new low in the Indian government’s war on academic freedom.

♦ An Act of Intellectual Hostility: This is not a mistake but a deliberate message of exclusion to global academics.

♦ A Scholar, Not an Activist: Targeting Orsini, a literary scholar, not a political activist, reveals the deep fear at the heart of the Modi government.

An Insult to Hindi Scholarship

This incident insults the very subject India claims to protect. Professor Orsini of SOAS, London, has given her life to studying Hindi literature.

♦ A World Famous Authority: Her work is a foundation of Hindi studies globally and is respected everywhere.

♦ The Irony of ‘National Language’ Promotion: It is a huge contradiction for a government pushing Hindi to ban a top scholar of that same language.

♦ A Shameful Welcome: Instead of being welcomed, she was treated like a criminal, a disgrace for any nation.

The BJP’s Fear of the Truth

Why does the Indian state feel threatened by a literary scholar? The answer is the false story built by the BJP government, which demands a “great” image of India that cannot be damaged by honest research.

♦ A Government Afraid of Being Watched: The Modi government deeply fears that any independent academic voice might show its many failures.

♦ Banning Writers, Not Just Writings: Since the state cannot stop what is written abroad, it has turned to the crude tactic of banning the writers themselves.

A Clear Pattern of Control

This is not a single mistake. It is the latest step in a scary pattern to control all forms of knowledge. Orsini is reportedly the fourth scholar denied entry this way, proving it is a deliberate policy.

♦ Controlling Universities from the Inside: This is matched by internal controls, where universities have been sent letters to limit their freedom.

♦ State Approval Needed for Speakers: These letters demand that university leaders must approve all speakers, silencing any voice that disagrees with the government.

The ‘Vishwaguru’ Lie Exposed

This act makes the government’s loud claims of India being a “Vishwaguru,” or teacher to the world, look foolish. This incident proves India is not a global teacher and lacks the humility to even be a student.

♦ An Empty Claim to Global Leadership: The “Vishwaguru” slogan is now exposed as empty propaganda when the nation acts with such deep insecurity.

♦ A Nation That is Closing Its Mind: This action proves the government is building a closed and fearful environment, the opposite of a ‘world teacher’.

A Confused and Mixed Policy

The foolishness of this policy is shown by the government’s own actions. On one hand, the Modi government is asking foreign universities to set up campuses in India to attract money and prestige.

♦ Inviting Campuses But Insulting Scholars: It is a strange strategy to invite foreign universities while at the same time insulting and banning their most respected scholars.

♦ An Absurd Double Standard: This double standard exposes a confused government. It wants the status of foreign academia but none of its critical thinking.

The Chilling Effect on Scholars

This seemingly small incident carries scary signs for the future. It will have a terrible and chilling effect on foreign scholars who give their time and money to seriously studying India’s complex society.

♦ Creating a Climate of Fear: Before traveling to India, every foreign scholar will now feel fear, wondering if they too will be turned away for unknown reasons.

♦ Losing Interest in Indian Studies: This pressure may cause talented researchers to lose their passion. Their interest in studying India may simply go away.

♦ The Ultimate Loss for India: This loss will be felt by India itself. Its languages and literatures will suffer as the global community of scholars turns away.

A Betrayal of Knowledge

For centuries, foreign scholars have worked on India. This act is a betrayal of that shared history and an insult to the very idea of knowledge. Even from a “nationalist” point of view, it is shameful.

♦ A Hollow Nationalist Shame: It was foreigners, like those at the University of Chicago, who made Indian language dictionaries searchable online, a task Indian institutions failed to do.

♦ Forgetting Their Own Traditions: The BJP, which makes big claims about the Vedic age, forgets its own Rigveda verse: “Let noble thoughts come to us from every direction.” Banning Orsini is a direct insult to this verse.

♦ An Insult to Openness: This incident proves that India’s claim of treating the world as “one family” is empty. Stopping Francesca Orsini is an insult to the culture of knowledge itself.