After a 36-year prohibition, Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses is available in Delhi bookstores.
The contentious book “The Satanic Verses” by British-Indian author Salman Rushdie has subtly made a comeback to India 36 years after the Rajiv Gandhi administration outlawed it.
For the past few days, a “limited stock” of the book—which sparked a backlash against its author and its content, which was considered blasphemous by Muslim organizations worldwide—has been on sale at Bahrisons Booksellers in the nation’s capital.
“It has been a few days since we got the book and the response has been very good so far. The sale has been good,” Bahrisons Booksellers’ owner Rajni Malhotra told PTI.
The book costs Rs 1,999 and can only be purchased at Bahrisons Booksellers locations in Delhi-NCR.
“SalmanRushdie’s The Satanic Verses is now in stock at Bahrisons Booksellers! This groundbreaking & provocative novel has captivated readers for decades with its imaginative storytelling and bold themes. It has also been at the centre of intense global controversy since its release, sparking debates on free expression, faith, & art,” the bookseller said in a post on X.
Additionally, Manasi Subramaniam, Editor-in-Chief at Penguin Random House India, quoted Rushdie in a social media post.
“‘Language is courage: the ability to conceive a thought, to speak it, and by doing so to make it true.’ At long last. SalmanRushdie’s The Satanic Verses is allowed to be sold in India after a 36-year ban. Here it is at Bahrisons Bookstore in New Delhi,” she wrote.
The book will not be imported by other bookstores, such as Midland Book Shop and Om Book Shop.
A lawsuit contesting the Rajiv Gandhi government’s prohibition on the import of the novel was closed by the Delhi High Court in November, stating that it must be “presumed that it does not exist” because the authorities had not produced the necessary notification.
The order was issued after government officials neglected to submit the notification that forbade the book’s import on October 5, 1988.
“In the light of the aforesaid circumstances, we have no other option except to presume that no such notification exists, and therefore, we cannot examine the validity thereof and dispose of the writ petition as infructuous,” the court said.
Shortly after its release, the book encountered difficulties, which ultimately prompted Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa in which he called on Muslims to murder Rushdie and his publishers. Rushdie was in hiding in the US and the UK for almost ten years.
Hitoshi Igarashi, the novelist’s Japanese translator, was murdered in his office in July 1991.
Lebanese-American Hadi Matar blinded Rushdie in one eye after stabbing him on stage at a speech on August 12, 2022.
Despite being sold at Bahrisons, the book received poor reviews from readers, particularly because of its high cost.
The cost shocked software entrepreneur Bala Sundaresan, who had always desired a hard copy of the book.
“I would rather wait some more time till an Indian print of the book is available. I was only interested in it because of the controversy that has surrounded it for decades, (I am) not really a Rushdie fan,” the 33-year-old said.
Delhi University student Jayesh Verma, 24, stated that the book’s current price is only reasonable for a collector or “die-hard” Rushdie devotee.
“To be honest, those who wanted to read it because of all the controversy have already read it by downloading a soft copy. Anyone else who buys it for Rs 2,000 has to be a collector or a die-hard fan,” he said.
However, some like literature student Rashmi Chatterjee plan to buy the book for “its place in India’s literary history”.
“You can’t ignore the book, let alone its literary merit. It should be bought solely for being an argument against censorship. It marks a critical point in India’s literary history,” the 22-year-old said.
More Stories
Book Review: Nation in Chaos – Three Layers of Truth by Kundan Singh Rajput
Title: Nation in Chaos – Three Layers of Truth Author: Kundan Singh RajputPages: 211Publisher: Astitva Prakashan Buy now Nation in Chaos...
Sonu Sharma Unveils ’24 Chapters of Success’: A Transformative Blueprint for Personal and National Growth
Title: 24 Chapters of SuccessAuthor: Sonu Sharma Pages: 356Publisher: AIETS.COM PVT. LTD.Buy now Sonu Sharma Launches His New Book “24...
Landour Network Welcomed Its First Literature & Arts Festival
The hill town of Mussoorie came alive on Sunday with the launch of the very first Landour Literature and Arts...
Sheetal Devi Makes History at Para World Archery Championship
Indian para-archer Sheetal Devi, just 18 years old, has scripted history by winning gold in the women’s compound individual event...
Book Review: AI DRIVEN LEADERSHIP: Leading with Dharma in the age of AI – Adapt Accelerate Amplify by Author Kuruva Venkataramana Murthy
Title: AI DRIVEN LEADERSHIP: Leading with Dharma in the age of AI – Adapt Accelerate AmplifyAuthor: Kuruva Venkataramana MurthyPages: Astitva...
Book Review- Ugesh Sarcar’s What Matters (Volume One: Credibility)
Title: WHAT MATTERS (VOLUME ONE: CREDIBILITY) Author: Ugesh SarcarBuy now Some books entertain, books that educate, and books that inspire. But...