The literature fest is no stranger to religious controversy – but it isn’t usually the result of two famous visitors snapping at each other. Day 2, however, started off with a row between Dalit activist and writer Kancha Illaiah and Bollywood lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar right on the venue’s front lawn. Illaiah, who was expounding on the equality of the two sexes that Buddhism provided to its followers, was confronted by Akhtar who, speaking as an atheist, said that no religion gave equality to women and weaker sections and choosing one’s religion was in fact a bit like “choosing which cave one wanted to live in.” “Discussing religion was like discussing which cave will be better to live. If you want to follow a religion, follow any religion. It does not matter. If you have decided to commit suicide, does it matter how you do it?,” he said, to a round of applause from the audience, who were at a panel titled, ‘God as a political philosopher: Dalit perspectives on Buddhism.’ Sharia law His idea was opposed by the noted journalist Mary Harper who said that scores of people were being amputated, mutilated and stoned by groups who’ve adopted Sharia as their identity. The discussion on Sharia drew a lot of crowd many of which did not miss a chance to carry on their debates with Engineer well after the panel officially disbanded. Salman Rushdie, whose absence has kept people talking since the event began, was finally mentioned briefly in a discussion on classical literature. Easing tensions somewhat on the name that many thought must not be spoken aloud, Tom Holland, British novelist, nominating Midnight’s Children as the contemporary classic rhetorically asked permission before he could utter the author’s name, “am I allowed to mention the Rushdie word?” The day finally ended with some Jewish humour as booker prize winner Howard Jacobson and novelist Gary Shteyngart spoke about the character of novels considered ‘Jewish’ and the culture surrounding it.
