Salman Rushdie's India Today Conclave speech

       Great to see that they've posted a full transcript of Salman Rushdie's full speech at India Today Conclave 2012 (see also my previous mention about that whole to-do).
       A solid speech, with some good and important observations -- including:

But in our time, many essential freedoms are in danger of defeat and not only in totalitarian or authoritarian states. Here in India also, a combination of religious fanaticism, political opportunism and, I have to say, public apathy is damaging that freedom upon which all other freedoms depend: the freedom of expression.

       And

Voices are being silenced. Publishers are more frightened to publish. Galleries are more afraid to display certain kind of art; certain kind of films would not be made that might have been made 15 -20 years ago. The chilling effect of violence is very real and it is growing in this country.

       Good of Rushdie to speak up -- and good of the conclave organizers not letting themselves be intimidated into not letting him speak up (as certain literary festival organizers recently were ...).