NEW DELHI: British-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel ‘The Satanic Verses’ has quietly reappeared in India, 36 years after it was banned by the Rajiv Gandhi government under pressure from religious groups.
A limited number of copies of the book, which ignited protests worldwide due to its perceived blasphemous content, have been available for purchase at Bahrisons Booksellers in New Delhi in recent days.
Talking to IANS, a buyer says, “This is a very famous book, people haven’t heard about it. I feel a personal connection to this book because the author, Salman Rushdie, hails from my region, Kashmir. Secondly, the turmoil it caused worldwide is remarkable. There was even a ‘Fatwa’ issued against him. Over time, however, it seemed to have faded from public focus. This morning, I read in the papers that it is back in the limelight. Salman Rushdie has been a liberal. He has been an intrepid voice, I won’t say, against Islam. He has been a seeker of truth. So, I don’t see it as an agenda. It is an intellectual exercise and perhaps more relevant in today’s time in India. Yes, every religion can be analysed, especially certain religions where nobody wants to talk about it. To that extent, I feel it is the right time for a social change and for all those politically motivated people to understand that there is no politics behind it and they need to see that every religion has good and bad and one needs to talk about it.”
Another buyer at the bookshop says, “The importance of knowledge always remains in life, no matter what kind of knowledge it is. It doesn’t matter whether it is historical or otherwise. The most important thing is that I believe knowledge is neither new nor old and it should be accepted whenever it is found. But the most important point is that we felt from the beginning, why was this book banned? This book is by an author who is famous worldwide and has been honoured with many awards, so why was it banned? Now, we will have to read it to understand. The book is in our hands, so we should read it.”
Another reader says, “I remember when I was an assistant editor at ‘The Statesman’ in Calcutta when this book was prohibited. What they did was prohibit the import of this book, and I was fortunate enough to have one of the early copies. I came specifically to buy this copy as a memento of the book being available once again. It’s very important. It’s important to stand up for free speech, it’s important to stand up for writers irrespective of whether you agree with them or you don’t agree with them, irrespective of whether your politics and their politics agree with each other. So, the whole idea is that I wanted to capture this moment. Unfortunately, India, under Rajiv Gandhi, was the first country in the world to proscribe ‘The Satanic Verses’. It holds that dark distinction. It became the first country in the world to ban the book, and that’s why it is important that the book should be available once again. I am so delighted that the book is available once again.”
“It’s quite infamous, so to say, but I believe until and unless you read it, you won’t really understand what the problem was or what was there to hide about it. So, it’s often something enlightening when some, you know, books like these come under your eye, and then you want to read it, ” says a reader.
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