Following the recent discovery of its fascinating archival materials, Cambridge Majlis Society are hosting an exhibition celebrating the cultural and debating society’s rich history. Corpus JCR Ethnic Minorities Officer Freddie Sehgal (Theology, Religion & Philosophy of Religion) is Vice-President of the Society.

The Cambridge Majlis was originally founded in 1891 as a platform for discussion of social and political issues in South Asia. Many prominent Indian politicians trained in debate at the Majlis and the society was often addressed by prominent figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and John Maynard Keynes. Notable alumni include India's first and longest-serving Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

It continued through the decades as a forum for debate between Indian and Pakistani students, surviving two wars between the countries. Unfortunately, after the war of 1971 the Majlis went into a period of inactivity. It was revived in 2019 in an attempt to reconnect to its rich history and provide a platform for civil discourse on difficult topics.

We spoke to Freddie Sehgal about joining the society and why he is so delighted the newly discovered archival materials are going on display.

Freddie said, “I joined the Majlis as soon as I heard of it - Lent term of my first year. I remember seeing the Sanskrit crest of the Majlis: वन्दे मातरम्/Vande Mataram/I bow down to thee, mother. That immediately piqued my interest; those words were the mantra of the Indian independence movement. 

“I joined immediately afterwards. This was during the COVID year - pretty much everything was online. Pawan Khera, spokesperson for the Indian National Congress, joined the Majlis for an online discussion. Much of the discourse on India (and South Asia) in the West is superficial - 'a country of contradictions' etc. This talk, though, was thorough and strikingly passionate; no easy feat for a Zoom call. 

“For the next year - 2021-22 - I served as Treasurer. By this point, we had returned to in-person, fortnightly debates. It was fantastic. The Majlis became a community of friends, as it had been in the previous century, rather than a community of 'I think you might be on mute mate' Zoomers. We organised several socials, and the committee met all the time - to celebrate Eid together, for example.

“Today, the Majlis organises fortnightly debates and socials. We are proud of what we've achieved, given the whole project was very nearly defeated by the pandemic. Thanks to our fantastic Presidents over the last two years, Sara Saloo and Laleh Bergman Hossain, we've built up a regular audience not unlike the Majlis of old. We've gone from desperately hoping people would turn up at our events to filling out increasingly large venues.

“I was elected Vice-President for this academic year. It has been very busy. We've organised the usual socials and debates, as well as the exhibition. It is lovely to see how far the exhibition has come: it was at first pipe dream discussed half-seriously at the end of last year. The determination to bring our archival material into the light was too great to let slip between our fingers, so we ploughed on until one day we woke up with sponsorships, grant money and a venue.”

The exhibition charts a fascinating story of the growth of the South Asian community in Cambridge and its role in the Indian independence movement emerges in the records. From minutes, letters and speeches they have pieced together the social, academic and political lives of some of the key forebearers of modern South Asia.

A 'Majlis Zine', various speaker panels and an open mic event will highlight South Asian talent at Cambridge and reflect both on South Asian politics and issues impacting diaspora communities.

Majlis Archival Exhibition will be held at the Trinity Wren Library from 4 - 15 March.