What did Shobhaa De, Mani Shankar, Suneet Aiyar, Prem
Shankar Jha, Navtej Sarna, Rahul Bose, Deepti Naval, Bhaichand Patel, Salima
Hashmi ( daughter of the celebrated poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz) and, yes, even yours
truly had in common three nights in a row….. deep in the Kasauli hills? We took
a bow to the master of irreverence - Khuswant Singh - and spoke on and explored the themes of
fractures and healing between communities, the emergence of a new kind of Sikh
identity, the efforts to keep the hills alive, the shadow of terrorism plaguing
relations between India and Pakistan and last but not the least….. all these
heavy lidded themes laced with the joi-de-vivre remembrances of sex, scotch and
the KS malice columns that kicked in a new kind of journalism and writing.
So was it all talk and no malice, maybe some stray gossip or
the whiff of a scandal lurking around the presentation halls and rooms of the
Kasauli club where most of the talking, drinking and if I may say the bitching
took place? Of course not! Shobhaa De
fired the first shot when she gave us a tantalizing peek of her novel, ‘Sethji’
that would be released next month. I already had an idea what Shobhaa would
speak about because at a lunch meet earlier she and I had compared notes over
the publisher we both have in common, Penguin, and its editor in chief Chiki
Sarkar who has taken the publishing world by storm.
“Juggi,” Shobhaa told me ‘both Chiki and I are alpha females
and she is as kicked about Sethji as I am.” ‘Sethji’ is a take-off on an actual,
real life fringe politician who is a sleaze ball and a sex maniac rolled in
one. She gave dark hints but no confirmation about the identity of that politician,
but then one has to read between the lines and if memory serves me right the
name Sitaram Kesari had cropped up in her discourse!
So next month be prepared to sip a ‘Sethji’ drink at Barista - that’s right that’s the new marketing
gimmick Shobha would be using to promote her book!
Mani Shankar Aiyar was at his provocative best when he
raided his favourite, right wing opposition party – you know the one I mean. But
the real surprise was his absolutely elegant and charming wife who has written
a scholarly work on Guru Gobind Singh. I never knew till the festival commenced
that Suneet Aiyar was a Sikh lady! Absolutely bowled over by her gracious
presence!
Mani was not the only one to stir a controversy when he
raised the issue how Pakistan is completely misunderstood here in India. Senior
diplomat Navtej Sarna seemed at odds with Suneet Aiyar over the vexatious issue
of the Sikh identity. Suneet argued that the Sikh identity was changing,
amorphous and certainly dynamic but Sarna appeared a hardliner when he
responded that the external emblems and identity of the Sikh faith should not
be tampered with.
Who says that arthouse stars don’t have the same nakhras as the regular stars? Rahul Bose
looked pretty vexed that more people were not making a beeline for him for his
autograph. Deepti Naval was caught looking over her shoulder that someone would
recognize her from her early glory days.
As for me and my wife Sonu it was a great time because –
just to pat myself on the back, my presentation was extremely well received and
stirred some passion. We caught up with our dear friends Kim Lalli and Shveta –
both high-flying corporate Lawyers from London, and often in the afternoons we
would be having our own private parties!
But the festival would not have been the success it was if
it wasn’t for the enormous effort put by Niloufer and her team and the absolute
graciousness of Rahul Singh – Khuswant Singh’s son. Truly both Sonu and I are
blessed to have Rahul and Niloufer as our friends! Let’s hope that the intimacy
of the KS literary festival stays intact and it does not become a mela like the
Jaipur festival plagued by socialites, wannabes and all those who pose for
their mugshots for the camera!
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