From Rush-die to Rush-da

Salman Rushdie cherished his recent visit to Kolkata, a city he visited last in 1984. Benita Sen reports.

On December 9, 2004, Kolkata, the city that loves its literature, woke up to the presence of a literary giant in its midst. Salman Rushdie was in town from the previous day to the next. Though his friend, Dilip Basu, professor of History at the University of California is credited with much of the reason for the inspiration behind this visit, an English daily rose to the occasion and made quite sure that the city’s intelligentsia and Rushdie’s many fans could interact with him.

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The 1.5 million pound offer on his head is far less of a threat now, encouraging him not only to travel outside UK, where he lives, but even to mention that he be allowed to enjoy the city without much brouhaha. Rushdie cherishes memories of his last visit to Kolkata since he watched closely his favourite film director, Satyajit Ray, shoot Ghare Baire, at a palace in Burdwan. That was 1984. Rushdie was then 36.

Rushdie autographs copies of his books in a Kolkata bookshop (AFP)

This time, the maestro wasn’t there, but memories abound. And by his side to garner more, was Padma Lakshmi, whom he married in April, in India with him catching up with friends, of whom many could well identify with personalities in his second book, Midnight’s Children, which won him the Booker in 1981.

Life, for Mumbai-born Rushdie, as it would be for any author, turned full circle when he visited Kolkata’s bookstores. In fact, his visit put together within the beam of the press camera flashbulbs, the very modern, very upscale new bookstores in south-of-Park-Street Kolkata, and the archetype of Kolkata’s bookstores for generations, the shops on College Street.

The visit was timed pretty early, and the first hour of a working day isn’t ever the busiest at College Street. But it made a lot of sense since he must have had several other commitments to catch up with later in the day, and it just wouldn’t do to get caught in the meandering stream of life and consciousness that College Street can become. Nor would it be quite the most secure place even though Rushdie seemed confident enough.

First, he browsed through the celebrated College Street bookstores. Then, he did what every Bengali worth his cuppa would: he stopped in at the College Street Coffee House. Finally, on a request from his sole distributors in India, Rupa & Co, he stopped by at their Kolkata office, from where the publishing empire begun by RK Mehra started. Rupa has also reprinted some of his work in paperback for distribution in India and has been visited over the decades by several celebrated authors including Rushdie’s film icon, Ray.

Recalls Raju Barman, partner, Rupa & Co, "He was here for about fifteen minutes." Apart from browsing through their store, they discussed the forthcoming Rushdie novel, expected in another six months or thereabout. "He also mentioned that he had enjoyed Kolkata," recalls Barman of a celebrated author who came across as a "simple man."

What caught Rushdie’s eye were the local reprints and productions, including a book on Rabindranath’s art.

It must have been a half hour Rushdie will cherish for years.