Prominent poet Aamir Aziz, known for his powerful poem Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega penned during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, has accused celebrated artist Anita Dube of plagiarising his work and using it without permission, credit, or compensation in a recent art exhibition in Delhi.
Taking to social media, Aziz expressed outrage, calling the act “cultural extraction and plunder.” “My poem has been used without my knowledge or consent by Anita Dube in her latest exhibition at Vadehra Art Gallery,” he posted in a detailed Instagram slideshow.
Aziz, an alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia, revealed he only discovered the unauthorized use of his poem after a friend noticed his verses stitched into Dube’s artwork at her March 18 exhibition Timanjala Ghar (Three-storied Home).
The poet said that when he confronted Dube, she attempted to downplay the issue. “She took a living poet’s voice, repackaged it as her own, and sold it in elite galleries for lakhs,” he alleged. Aziz also claimed that this wasn’t the first time Dube had used his work without consent—citing her 2023 exhibition Of Mimicry, Mimesis and Masquerade as another example of plagiarism.
“This isn’t homage or solidarity. It’s theft. It’s erasure. It’s the entitled elite of the art world doing what they do best—exploiting the margins while claiming radicalism,” Aziz wrote, also sharing comparisons between his original work and the artwork displayed.
He added bitterly, “The irony is stark—my poem, which stood against injustice, has been stripped of meaning and turned into a luxury good.”
Responding to the backlash, Anita Dube called it a “social media trial,” admitting to an “ethical lapse” for not seeking Aziz’s permission. She claimed she reached out to apologise and offered payment, but Aziz chose to send a legal notice, prompting her to consult a lawyer.
Following the controversy, the Vadehra Art Gallery issued a statement, saying the artworks in question were immediately withdrawn from sale. “We take the matter seriously and hope the discussions between Aamir Aziz and Anita Dube are resolved constructively,” the gallery said.
Artist and activist Sabika Abbas Naqvi voiced her support for Aziz, criticizing the elite art world’s habit of appropriating voices from the margins. “Poems become props. Writings become wallpaper. Movements are mined, but the creators are never credited,” she wrote.
Aamir Aziz originally released Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega on YouTube in January 2020 during the peak of the anti-CAA protests, where it quickly became a symbol of resistance and collective memory.
