How ‘quiet’ will Rushdie’s entry be?

Zeenews Bureau

Jaipur: The organisers of the Jaipur Literary Festival, which begins on January 20, are not the kinds who stifle space for creative people. Namita Gokhale, one of the organisers of the five-day long festival where the literati of the world converge and exchange ideas, has said that though they respect and understand the religious sentiments of different people, curtailing creative space was something that they weren’t going to do. The author whose ‘Satanic Verses’ had earlier created, and impending visit to the Jaipur Litfest is now creating whirlwinds all over the country, is expected to be in the Pink City in a quiet affair. Salman Rushdie has been conveyed the concerns of the perilous condition of the Centre and the state government, and is understood to have agreed to stay away from the inaugural session of the LitFest. He is expected to quietly attend the Writers’ Ball, an event which enjoys the privilege of being restricted to and exclusively for only writers. Meanwhile,the Centre issued an advisory asking Delhi and Rajasthan police to remain alert and take all precautionary measures in view of Salman Rushdie's visit to Jaipur. However, it still remains shrouded in mystery as to whether Rushdie would be attending ‘only’ the restricted event or his participation would be beyond the parameters of the Writers’ Ball. Amidst talks of security concerns and misgivings regarding law and order, what remains to be seen is whether the writer will actually be seen in the Jaipur Literary Festival!