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 groups 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 news agency.
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 bookshops, 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.
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. Since there has been so much debate, anyone who wanted to read it have already done so by downloading a soft copy. He stated that anyone else who spends Rs 2,000 on it must be a collector or a devoted admirer.
Some, like Rashmi Chatterjee, a literature student, intend to purchase the book because of “its place in India’s literary history.” “Even the book’s literary value cannot be disregarded. It should only be purchased as a protest against censorship. The 22-year-old stated, “It represents a pivotal moment in India’s literary history.”
