After Onam ban, Kerala students settle for low-key event at divided JNU — ‘I feel marginalised’
Shubhangi Mishra | 10 November 2023 | The Print
Kerala students of JNU celebrate the festival at the university's Sabarmati grounds | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
New Delhi: Nearly 150 students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) danced to Malayalam pop music under the fairy lights strung across the campus’ Sabarmati grounds on the evening of 9 November. But it was an unofficial Onam celebration.
The JNU administration has for the first time banned Onam celebrations, on the grounds that it is a religious festival.
The irony is not lost on the university’s Malayali students, given that Durga Puja and other festivals were celebrated with gusto on the campus over the past few months.
The controversy started after a poster for the event showcased Mahabali dressed in a black mundu striped with colours of the Palestinian flag.