Francesca Orsini: Renowned Hindi Scholar and SOAS Professor Deported from India Over Visa Issues

Francesca Orsini, a distinguished literary historian specializing in Hindi, Urdu, and South Asian literature, was deported from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport after authorities cited violations of visa conditions.

The London University professor arrived from Hong Kong on Monday only to face immediate deportation. Officials revealed she had been placed on a "black list" since March due to alleged visa infractions. Her previous visit to India occurred in October 2024.

Professor Orsini holds the position of Professor Emerita of Hindi and South Asian Literature at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Her academic journey began with a BA in Hindi from Venice University in Italy, followed by studies at the Central Institute of Hindi and Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.

She earned her doctorate from SOAS with research focusing on Hindi literary spheres of the 1920s and 1930s. This work later formed the basis of her book, "The Hindi Public Sphere, 1920-1940: Language and Literature in the Age of Nationalism," published in 2002 and translated into Hindi in 2010.

Her scholarly contributions include significant research on book history in Hindi and Urdu, culminating in "Print and Pleasure: Popular Literature and Entertaining Fictions in Colonial North India" (2009). Before returning to SOAS, Orsini taught at Cambridge University.

At SOAS, she headed the AHRC-funded project "North Indian Literary Culture and History," examining early modern literature through a multilingual lens. She co-edited important works including "After Timur Left" (2014) and "Tellings and Texts" (2015), while also collaborating with Ravikant at SARAI/CSDS on contemporary literature and Hinglish studies.

Orsini has completed comprehensive research on the multilingual literary history of Awadh spanning the 15th to early 20th century. She also led the MULOSIGE research project, investigating multilingual literary practices across North India, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa.

Her academic recognition includes Fellowship of the British Academy (elected 2017) and appointments as Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University (2013-2014), and visiting scholar positions at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania.

She serves as co-editor of the Cambridge Studies in World Literatures and Cultures series and editor of the Journal of World Literature. Her active involvement extends to research projects on Indian vernaculars and comparative classics.

Among her notable publications are "Love in South Asia: A Cultural History" (2006), "Before the Divide: Hindi and Urdu Literary Cultures" (2010), and a recently edited volume on Hinglish (2022).