Overview

• Nasreen wrote that Bengali identity, including for Muslims, is rooted in Hindu tradition rather than Arabian culture.
• Her comments accompanied photos from visits to Durga Puja pandals shared on X.
• Javed Akhtar responded by invoking the Ganga-Jamuni ethos of Awadh and by noting Persian and Central Asian influences absorbed on Indian terms.
• Nasreen replied that Persian, Arabic, Turkic and Western elements exist yet maintained Bengali culture has been shaped for centuries by Hindu traditions.
• The exiled Bangladeshi author, now in Delhi, drew heavy engagement on X, with no official actions reported.