Indian-origin author Jhumpa Lahiri declines Noguchi Museum award over kaffiyeh ban

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Pultizer Prize-winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri of Indian-origin has turned down an award from the Noguchi Museum in Queens in protest after it fired three employees who had worn kaffiyehs in support of the Palestinians in Gaza, PTI reported.

According to PTI, the museum said in a statement on Wednesday "Jhumpa Lahiri has chosen to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy."

"We respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone's views," said Lahiri, as cited by PTI.

"We remain committed to our core mission of advancing the understanding and appreciation of Isamu Noguchi's art and legacy while upholding our values of inclusivity and openness", he added.

The New-York based museum, founded around 40 years ago by Noguchi, a Japanese American designer and sculptor, announced last month that employees could not wear clothing or accessories expressing "political messages, slogans or symbols" during their working hours.

As per PTI, the regulation, which does not applicable to guests, was implemented after multiple employees frequently wore kaffiyehs (Palestinian scarves) for months on end, citing "cultural reasons," according to one fired employees.

The museum, in its defense to the prohibition earlier this month said "such expressions can unintentionally alienate segments of our diverse visitorship". A significant majority of staffers signed a petition opposing the rule, PTI reported.

Lahiri and Lee Ufan, a Korean-born minimalist painter, sculptor and poet, were to receive the Isamu Noguchi Award next month at the museum's fall benefit gala.

Lahiri, born to Indian immigrant couple in London, won the 2000 Pulitzer for fiction for her debut, "Interpreter of Maladies" story collection, and has since published several books in fiction and nonfiction genre in both English and Italian.

She is also the director of the creative writing programme at Barnard College.

There has been a divide among the cultural institutions with questions on how to express solidarity with Israelis or Palestinians since Hamas attacked Israel last year on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, PTI reported.

Israel's subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip has killed more than 41,000 people, according to local health authorities.

According to local health authorities, Israel's upcoming invasion of the Gaza Strip has killed more than 41,000 people, PTI reported.

Lahiri was among thousand of scholars who signed a letter in May addressed to university presidents expressing solidarity with the student protests over Israel's military incursion in Gaza, calling it "unspeakable destruction"

(With Inputs from PTI)