Last week I mentioned how it looked like Salman Rushdie would not be attending the Jaipur Literature Festival because some locals were stirring The Satanic Verses-pot yet again and toadying local politicians did everything they could to help them make their case.
There was some back and forth -- will he/won't he come, will he skip the opening and just attend one of the sessions, etc. -- but with apparently to-be-taken-seriously murderous threats conveyed to Rushdie he decided it wasn't worth the risk.
Outrageously, it now turns out that, as Praveen Swami now reports in The Hindu, 'Rajasthan police invented plot to keep away Rushdie', as:
Meanwhile, several authors read from The Satanic Verses at the festival in protest -- and quickly found themsleves in both legal trouble and, even more outrageously, shooed from the stages and silenced by the festival organizers. As, for example, Vaiju Naravane reports in The Hindu, Four writers who read from The Satanic Verses leave Jaipur to avoid arrest, as:
I understand that Dalrymple & Co. have a strong interest in preserving their cash-cow fiefdom and staying on the good side of the authorities -- regardless of how nutty they are -- but sometimes you have to take a stand; not letting those four continue to read -- indeed, not encouraging them to do so -- is a poor, poor show. (And surely there will be consequences: what author is going to accept an invitation to a 'literary' festival that tramples on ideals of free speech (even where they are 'illegal', as here) like this ? Of course, with the presence of the Oprah at the festival this year one has to wonder whether it hasn't already jumped the shark, completing the transition from literary festival to celeb-fest.)
(I note also that I can't find any official sort of statement at the official site -- god forbid they'd keep folks informed -- and that the press page is entirely blank .....)
Meanwhile, in a further show of local nutcase-pandering NDTV reports that Police demand tapes of reading from Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses'; some authors leave LitFest, as:
There is, of course, a lot more to all this -- and it continues to unfold; there are press reports galore, too, if you're interested .....
Outrageously, it now turns out that, as Praveen Swami now reports in The Hindu, 'Rajasthan police invented plot to keep away Rushdie', as:
Local intelligence officials in Rajasthan invented information that hit men were preparing to assassinate eminent author Salman Rushdie in a successful plot to deter him from attending the Jaipur Literature Festival, highly placed police sources have told The Hindu.And:
Intelligence sources in New Delhi said no threat to Mr. Rushdie's life had been reported to the Multi-Agency Centre, the Intelligence Bureau's hub at which all terrorism-related threats are discussed at high-level afternoon meetings.This is a pretty shocking development -- and the black eyes all around that India and these local governments have suffered have gotten blacker still.
Meanwhile, several authors read from The Satanic Verses at the festival in protest -- and quickly found themsleves in both legal trouble and, even more outrageously, shooed from the stages and silenced by the festival organizers. As, for example, Vaiju Naravane reports in The Hindu, Four writers who read from The Satanic Verses leave Jaipur to avoid arrest, as:
The four writers who read extracts from Salman Rushdie's banned novel The Satanic Verses -- Hari Kunzru, Ruchir Joshi, Amitava Kumar and Jeet Thayil have all left the Rajasthan capital on the advice of a lawyer, William Dalrymple, the co-Director of the Jaipur Literature Festival told The Hindu here. They would otherwise have risked arrest in the State.Disappointing, too, the reaction, by the festival organizers:
Defending himself against charges of weakness and failing to adequately defend Mr. Rushdie, Mr. Dalrymple said: "We stand for the freedom of expression. We support Salman and we will protest, send a petition around, hold a video-conference with him but all that has to be done within the law.Oooh, a petition ! A video conference ! But god forbid anyone reads from a banned book (as The Satanic Verses still is in India) -- they can't have that .....
I understand that Dalrymple & Co. have a strong interest in preserving their cash-cow fiefdom and staying on the good side of the authorities -- regardless of how nutty they are -- but sometimes you have to take a stand; not letting those four continue to read -- indeed, not encouraging them to do so -- is a poor, poor show. (And surely there will be consequences: what author is going to accept an invitation to a 'literary' festival that tramples on ideals of free speech (even where they are 'illegal', as here) like this ? Of course, with the presence of the Oprah at the festival this year one has to wonder whether it hasn't already jumped the shark, completing the transition from literary festival to celeb-fest.)
(I note also that I can't find any official sort of statement at the official site -- god forbid they'd keep folks informed -- and that the press page is entirely blank .....)
Meanwhile, in a further show of local nutcase-pandering NDTV reports that Police demand tapes of reading from Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses'; some authors leave LitFest, as:
"We asked organisers today to provide us details and video footage of a session in which the book was allegedly read," Jaipur Police Additional Commissioner Biju George Joseph said.Suo moto, indeed -- meaning that the police are acting on their own (i.e. they haven't been instructed to investigate), simply because they think this is apparently a good idea .....
"We will examine whether the alleged reading from the banned book was done. It is a suo motu action. After examining the matter, appropriate action would be taken against those who were found guilty," he said.
There is, of course, a lot more to all this -- and it continues to unfold; there are press reports galore, too, if you're interested .....