Ganga Ndlovu, a Zimbabwean artist who has previously worked on a mural in Delhi’s Meerut area.

On the other hand, there was a lot of opposition to the festival. Even the organisers were forced to get a judicial protection order from the High Court.

The main theme of the festival – “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” – refers to the importance of Mahatma Gandhi’s vision and his commitment to universalism. But the event organizers decided to make it a Hindu and a secular festival by choosing Jana Gana Mana (मनाछ कर में), a Hindu hymn, as its theme. It could not be easily adapted into secular events which can be held in public places like parks and universities or a non-traditional festival.

In February, the High Court ordered that the festival should be organised under the auspices of the government instead of within its jurisdiction.

According to a report in the London Observer, however, a section of the judiciary appeared to feel that the High Court gave its go-ahead for the fest for reasons that went beyond its jurisdiction. After the court issued that order, the High Court asked Bharat Mata Ki Jai to be renamed “Bharat Mata Ki Vidhi Sabha”. However, that is what it was named by the police that week because people were in the streets protesting against it and not because the High Court gave its go ahead.

The issue is not over yet, as the High Court has to meet again to hear the next hearing of the case. It is a small victory that the Supreme Court has issued an order and has said that we need to protect freedom of expression. But this is not a victory in the sense that the ban on Jana Gana Mana has been lifted. It is only a temporary relief.

We need to start thinking about how we want to organise festivals in which we do not get stuck into the history of religion and ethnicity.