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Finally, Rushdie gets the nod for video chat at Lit Fest
Ending the suspense, Jaipur Literature Festival organisers on Tuesday said that the video session with controversial author Salman Rushdie will take place as planned after Rajasthan government gave the go ahead.
"We have received information that there was no requirement of any permission," Festival producer Sanjoy Roy told media persons. The five-day festival ends today.
The Rushdie session -- Midnight's Child -- is planned for 1545 hours where the India-born author will discuss his childhood, his work, problems faced in the past years and the adaptation of his novel Midnight's Children into a film.
Rushdie had pulled out of the event citing death threats.
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Finally, Rushdie gets the nod for video chat at Lit Fest
"We are going ahead with the link at 3.45 pm," Sanjoy Roy said.
Roy also said the state government has not asked the organisers to give any undertaking.
A delighted Roy said the video session is expected to be last for about an hour and it will be according to the law of the land.
"It is needless to say that any conversation here will be according to the law of the land. We hope it would happen peacefully," he added.
Roy said the organisers are delighted that the entire controversy over the video link with Rushdie will be put to rest.
Finally, Rushdie gets the nod for video chat at Lit Fest
The 65-year-old author's Satanic Verses has been banned in India for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Muslim community. The book cast a shadow on the Festival when four authors read out passages from it leading to complaints against them and the organisers in courts in Jaipur and Ajmer.
Roy said the Rajasthan government never asked for an undertaking.
"At no point did the government say to us that we are not giving security or that Rushide should not come," he said.
Asked if the organisers had given any advisory to Rushdie for the session, he said, "We have not given anybody any advisory. We have told everybody that it will be within the laws of the country".
"The session will not necessarily focus on readings of any of his work that has been banned in this country," the festival organiser said.
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