Let Rushdie just be

In the interest of full disclosure, let me state the truth - I have not read the banned book, Satanic Verses. The addendum to that disclosure is I will never read it, not because I am afraid of Islamist Islam or the long arm of the law. I already have enough on my plate.

Two questions. How many people attending JLF (Jaipur Literature Festival, for the uninitiated) would not have read Salman Rushdie’s banned book – Satanic Verses? Perhaps a dozen among the how many ever thousands attending the jamboree? I can almost say that reading the banned book is a scar to be worn with pride in that group.

Now, that gets me to the second question. How many people will admit to not having read the banned book? Perhaps none? The attendees would rather tattoo a scar than show a scar-free body!

Then, why would anyone read from a book that is more than two decades old, with more than a few dissertations and theses bound to have been written on it? True, every additional read can evoke further meanings. Yet, I cannot shake off the belief that the book was read to curry favor with the author. Rushdie has milked this cow god knows forever. Now, the others are doing it for him, leavened with self-interest.

And, the festival has literary pretensions. Go figure.

Raghuram Ekambaram