Language doesn’t refer to a state, there ought not be any argument: Presidency Univ alumni
Times of India | 23 August 2025
Kolkata: All Bengali-speaking people should not be identified as Bangladeshis, said speakers at the annual debate—titled ‘Bengali is a language, not a country'—organised by the 75-year-old alumni association of Presidency University on Friday. The event comes at a time when many Bengali-speaking people are being allegedly harassed and tagged as Bangladeshis in other states. The alumni association defied its tradition of conducting the debate—held in memory of late Sudhangshu Dasgupta—in English and opted for Bengali. The forum, in a bid to substantiate their logic, stated that the Indus River, also known as Sindhu, that flows through Pakistan cannot be dubbed as a river belonging to the neighbouring country. Bivas Chaudhuri, vice president of the association, said, "Of late, we have come to know about several incidents, in which people with Bengali as their mother tongue were in vulnerable situations. That is why we organised the debate in Bengali.
" Among the speakers for the motion were Alapan Bandyopadhyay, chief advisor to CM Mamata Banerjee, and Sudhara Goswami, a pupil of the university. Those speaking against the motion were Samik Bandyopadhyay, a critic and writer, Subhomoy Maitra, a professor at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), and Bannya Sapui, a student. | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in Kolkata "Language does not refer to a state, so there ought not be any argument, controversy, or debate," Bandyopadhyay. Samik Bandyopadhyay stated, "Bengali is a language and, at the same time, it also reflects the culture of a geographical land.
" Subhamoy Maitra added, " I feel it is a political attempt to control Bengal with Hindi.