10 years after the attack, the world continues to grapple with the complex intersections of free speech, religious sensitivity and extremism
Mrinal Chatterjee
On January 7, 2015, two radical Islamist gunmen stormed the Paris office of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, killing 12, after the paper published provocative cartoons about Prophet Muhammad. Among the dead were some of France’s most high-profile cartoonists, including Charb, Cabu, and Tignous.
The tragedy created furore across the globe and ignited global debates about the limits of expression and the consequences of challenging religious taboos.
Ten years after the attack, the world continues to grapple with the complex intersections of free speech, religious sensitivity, and extremism and Charlie Hebdo remains a symbol of defiance but also a flashpoint for controversy. While many laud the publication’s commitment to satire and free expression, others critique it as insensitive and provocative.
The attack spurred worldwide solidarity under the banner ‘Je Suis Charlie,’ (I am Charlie) yet the incident also highlighted growing societal divides. Today, the legacy of Charlie Hebdo serves as a reminder of the enduring challenges in balancing freedom with respect in an increasingly polarized world.
Je Suis Charlie
‘Je Suis Charlie’ is a French slogan that translates to ‘I am Charlie’. It was created by Joachim Roncin, an art director at a magazine in Paris, and posted on Twitter after the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices were attacked. The slogan became a global solidarity movement and one of the biggest solidarity hashtags in history.
According to Prof. Geofrey Pullum, the inspiration for the ‘Je suis Charlie’ was the famous ‘I am Spartacus’ scene in Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 movie Spartacus. But ‘Je suis Charlie’ is unlike I’m Spartacus in one respect: it’s ambiguous. It has multiple meanings. It can be read either as the mostly intended defiant ‘moi aussi’ solidarity claim (I am Charlie too, and if you attack the magazine Charlie Hebdo, you attack me), or as simply, “I follow Charlie. The two meanings could be intended simultaneously, of course.”
Santiniketan
Centre for Journalism and Mass Communication (CJMC), Visva Bharati, Santiniketan organised an International conference on ‘Innovative Paradigms in Communication and Media: Bridging the Global Perspectives’ on 7-9 Jan. 2025 as a part of their silver jubilee celebration.
Media academicians, practitioners and thinkers from 9 countries and over 20 states of India participated either online or in person. I attended the conference, chaired a session. I also shared dais with Prof Daya Thussu, Professor of International Communication at the Hong Kong Baptist University and President of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). I’ll write about what emerged out of the conference later, first about Santiniketan.
Santiniketan, located in West Bengal, known for its cultural and educational significance. Founded by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore and later developed by his son, Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, it is home to Visva Bharati University, established in 1921. Tagore envisioned it as a place where education would blend with nature and creativity, fostering holistic learning. It was given UNESCO World heritage site tag in 2024. Santiniketan is famous for its open-air classrooms, artistic traditions, and vibrant cultural festivals like Poush Mela and Basanta Utsav.
In Santiniketan you find art, aesthetics and Rabindranath around you. You’ll find random people singing Rabindra sangeet, the hotels and restaurants named after the titles of Rabindranath’s poems and novels; and paintings. There is a painting on the waste bin too.
Pritish Nandy
Poet, journalist, editor and filmmaker Pritish Nandy passed away on 7 January 2025 at the age of 73.
Pritish Nandy was a multifaceted Indian personality, celebrated for his contributions as a poet, journalist, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He carved a niche in the literary world with his evocative poetry, becoming one of India’s most prominent contemporary poets in English. His journalistic career saw him edit leading publications like The Illustrated Weekly of India, transforming it into a bold and thought-provoking magazine.
In cinema, Nandy produced critically acclaimed films such as Chameli, Jhankaar Beats, and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi under his banner, Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC). These films explored diverse themes, showcasing his knack for storytelling. As a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from 1998 to 2004, he championed issues of press freedom and cultural innovation.
Pritish Nandy’s career reflects his relentless pursuit of creativity and his ability to navigate diverse arenas with ingenuity and influence. He had a keen design sense and experimented with magazine design. As Satish Acharya said, he was one of the few editors who understood the importance and art of cartooning and encouraged young cartoonists.
Biryani and Dosa
As per Swiggy annual food delivery report 2024, biryani remained the most popular ordered dish this year too. Swiggy registered 83 million biryani orders in 2024 in India exclusively through this delivery app. It said that it meant that 158 biryani ordered per minute in the country (2 orders in almost every second).
After biryani, Swiggy highlighted the popularity of Dosa, recording 23 million orders this year. Note that all figures were based on data collected between January to November, 2024.
While Biryani originated in Iran, which was known as Persia, ‘dosa’ originated in India. One of the earliest Tamil references to the word ‘dosa’ can be found in the eighth century dictionary, the Nigandus. The Nigandu ‘Chentham Diwakaram’ categorises dosa under the pancake-like ‘appam’ variety, while the 10th-century ‘Pingala Nigandu’ makes a mention of ‘kanjam’ as another name for dosa.
(The author is Regional Director Indian Institute of Mass Communication, IIMC Dhenkanal. Views expressed are personal.)
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