An angry fix
Winner of this year's DSC Prize, Jeet Thayil, had apparently in the session, A Rebel State, read a portion from his novel, Narcopolis, which features a drunken and drug-induced rant of a villainous character who repeats the word 'ch**t' to describe the state
of affairs. Thirsty for fresh controversy, a section of the TV press ran towards the lunch area to get a sound bite, but Thayil was promptly whisked away. When asked Thayil what he made of the situation, he said: "I just can't wait to go home."
Benefit of doubt
"Prof Ashis Nandy made a bad statement with good intentions, however as far as I know he was never against reservation. The controversy should end here," said acclaimed Dalit author Kancha Ilaiah, who was in the audience when Nandy made the controversial remark about SC/ST corruption. Ilaiah was in Jaipur to launch his first work of fiction, the Untouchable God.
Who's competing?
Passions ran high at the session Stree ho kar sawal karti ho-Women's Voices session as panelists talked about the kinship between women, patriarchy and feminism. Rajasthani writer Lata Sharma said, "It's not a competition. Women should focus on their own progress. Those who want our company, will try and keep up."