Rushdie to address JLF tomorrow via video

According to CNN-IBN, Rushdie will address the Jaipur Literature Festival via video link tomorrow at 3.45 pm. The festival has been dominated by Salman Rushdie and the controversy surrounding his invitation. At first it was over whether the controversial and acclaimed writer would actually attend the festival at all. Then Rushdie issued a statement saying he was not attending it because it could undermine the safety of the festival. In the middle, the Rajasthan government also came out with statements that they had information that Rushdie faced a serious death threat in India, a claim that Rushdie states was invented to keep him away from the festival.

The organisers of the festival have been facing flak, due to Rushdie’s no show. The reading of Satanic Verses by   Hari Kunzru , Amitava Kimar, Ruchir Joshi and Jeet Thayil during the festival only served to heighten tensions within the writing community .The fact that the four were advised to leave the festival and actually did so, ensured that not many were happy with the organisers. The debate between free speech and law has only heightened due to the controversy with many writers demanding that the ban on Satanic Verses should be removed.

A  later statement given by organisers, who distanced themselves from the incident, did not go down well with a section of writers. The statement read as follows:

It has come to their attention that certain delegates acted in a manner during their sessions today which were without the prior knowledge or consent of the organisers. Any views expressed or actions taken by these delegates are in no manner endorsed by the Jaipur Literature Festival. Any comments made by the delegates reflect their personal, individual views and are not endorsed by the Festival or attributable to its organisers or anyone acting on their behalf. The Festival organisers are fully committed to ensuring compliance of all prevailing laws and will continue to offer their fullest cooperation to prevent any legal violation of any kind. Any action by any delegate or anyone else involved with the Festival that in any manner falls foul of the law will not be tolerated and all necessary, consequential action will be taken. Our endeavour has always been to provide a platform to foster an exchange of ideas and the love of literature, strictly within the four corners of the law.

According to the latest new reports, it appears that the organisers have decided to prove their critics wrong. Rushdie will however not be reading any passage from Satanic Verses, which is banned in India and public readings of  banned books is viewed as crime.  According to the 1867 statute, reading the full work or a fragment is not allowed either. Discussions and paraphrasing the work is allowed but to actually read the text is a criminal offence.

If Rushdie does appear via video link in the Jaipur Literature Festival, then perhaps, it could help redeem the organisers in the eyes of those authors who felt that the cause of free speech had been betrayed by the festival organisers.

However, the Jaipur police Commissioner has said that the JLF organisers will need their permission for the video link with Rushdie. The reason for why permission is required has not been made clear.

Watch video

Read our exclusive interview with William Dalrymple regarding the controversy over the Satanic Verses reading.