After a 36-year ban, celebrated author Salman Rushdie's controversial novel 'The Satanic Verses' has quietly returned to India.
The English language novel, which was banned in 1988 in India under the Rajiv Gandhi government due to its content deemed blasphemous by Muslim organisations, is available at Delhi's Bahrisons Booksellers.
Bahrisons Booksellers shared a post on social media, announcing the arrival of the book in India.
"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.
About the response, Bahrisons Booksellers' owner Rajni Malhotra told PTI, "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." The book is priced at ₹1,999.
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Manasi Subramaniam, Editor-in-Chief, of Penguin Random House India, also posted on the social media platform, quoting Rushdie.
{{/usCountry}}Manasi Subramaniam, Editor-in-Chief, of Penguin Random House India, also posted on the social media platform, quoting Rushdie.
{{/usCountry}}Other bookstores, including Midland Book Shop and Om Book Shop, do not plan to import the book.
Controversy around ‘The Satanic Verses’
The book's return follows a significant legal development as in November, the Delhi High Court closed the proceedings on a petition challenging the Rajiv Gandhi government's ban on the import of 'The Satanic Verses', saying since authorities have failed to produce the relevant notification, it has to be "presumed that it does not exist".
The order came after government authorities failed to submit the notification dated October 5, 1988, which banned the import of the book.
The Satanic Verses faced intense backlash upon its release, including a fatwa issued by Iranian leader Ruhollah Khomeini, which called for Rushdie’s death and led to his years in hiding.
The controversy escalated further with the murder of his Japanese translator in 1991 and the stabbing of Rushdie in 2022 during a lecture.
Despite its availability at Bahrisons, the book has elicited mixed reactions, particularly due to its high price.
Bala Sundaresan, a tech entrepreneur, who has always wanted a physical copy of the book, was surprised to hear the price.
However, some like literature student Rashmi Chatterjee are eager to buy the book for its historical and literary significance. "It marks a critical point in India's literary history," she said, emphasising that the book represents a stand against censorship.
(With PTI inputs)