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Nobel Laureate Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul on Thursday lost his temper over what he termed the "Indian obsession with the issue of colonialism," abruptly ending the three-day writers conference in Neemrana, Rajasthan.
Naipaul's outburst brought to a premature end a lecture by novelist Nayantara Sehgal on Shared Histories: Issues of Colonialism and Relationship with the Past.
"Why do you keep drumming up the issue of colonialism?" he asked when Sehgal spoke about the influence of colonial rule on Indian literature.
A stunned Sehgal recovered and replied it was as the topic of discussion.
Naipaul, on his first visit to India after winning the Nobel Prize, said India had been free for more than 50 years and hence, Indian writers should stop harping on the issue.
"Banality irritates me. Life is too short," he said, adding that if writers keep talking about oppression they would not get the time to write.
A verbal duel followed, with novelist (The Last Jet Engine Laugh) Ruchir Joshi shouting at Naipaul that "you are obnoxious." He also asked Naipaul to refrain from posing injunctions while the woman writer spoke.
Vikram Seth, author of A Suitable Boy, tried to pacify Naipaul, but Sehgal's speech ended there as the discussion's moderator, New York-based novelist and essayist Amitav Ghosh, decided to move on to the next speaker.
Unconfirmed reports said Naipaul apologised to Sehgal later.
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