When it comes to Salman Rushdie, everyone has an opinion. For he is a controversial author. Not to mention a very good writer.
So it was no surprise that the members of the book club had a lot to say about the author and his work. Though the discussion was on his latest book Knife, the members took off on a tangent, talking of Midnight’s Children, Shame, Satanic Verses… the one book few liked is his Satanic Verses, because few were able to comprehend it.
All his other writings have been accessible. And Knife falls into that category. As Mira Gupta, who made an excellent and detailed presentation on Knife, related it: Salman had gone to deliver a lecture when the attack happened. In fact, Salman describes the whole scene vividly. There he was talking away, when this fellow in the audience got up and strode purposely towards Salman on the dias. Even as the danger approached, Salman did nothing but continued with his lecture.
This talk was delivered in the US as Salman has left England and gone to America. He explains why he made the move to another continent. On page 91 he notes: I made the decision. Moving to New York in the year 2000 was an integral part of it, because in America there was no governmental authority insisting on keeping me inside the fist of security forces. I could make my own choices. But this, the second transcontinental migration of my life, had its own problems. ….. To remake a life of freedom — to be rehabilitated out of the maximum – security world and reintroduced into polite society — I had to overcome the fear that my mere presence was capable of inducing in others…….
In the event, the British did well to provide security to Salman. Had the Americans done the same, the attacker would not have got away with it. Mira described the public attack with the knife which was thrust into various parts of Rushdie’s body and his eye — Salman has lost that eye — until finally some people from the audience came to the rescue and overpowered the attacker, who made no effort to escape. He was on a mission and he had accomplished it.
During the discussion Dr Gautam Vohra observed, even though he was a major writer and was worthy of being considered for the Nobel Prize for his contribution to literature, he would not be considered for it because through his work the Satanic Verses he has alienated the entire Islamic world and it would never tolerate that he be so honoured.
Poonam Bali, Meera Rai Madan, Ajay Mankotia, Prajapati Trivedi, Radhika Dubash, among others felt that it was a pity, for here was a writer being denied a prize for his beliefs. But during the debate, it was pointed out, be that as it may, he had alienated a third, or fourth of humanity by his attack, his ridicule of Islam.
Most people had read his earlier book, Midnight’s Children, which is based in India. Though it is caustic, and does not particularly favour the people and society of the subcontinent, most related to Salman’s observations. In fact, in recent interviews that he has given, Jaya Peralta observed that he was keen to set his next novel again in India
Salman has said that he enjoys being in India — he grew up in Bombay — and despite his attacks, the Indian audiences jam – packed his talks. He has said that he was surprised to find how friendly and interested the Indians were when he delivered his talks in Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, for he had expected them to condemn him for the ridicule he poured on Indian society. All in all a vibrant and pleasant debate it was.
