There is a massive repercussion after noted playwright & actor Girish Karnad lashed out at Nobel laureate VS Naipaul at the Mumbai Literature Festival on Friday (November 2). Karnad publicly questioned the decision of the festival organisers to accord a Lifetime Achievement Award to Naipaul. Karnad asked that how the organisers justified honouring Naipaul despite his leaning towards the right-wing in the Babri Masjid demolition issue. Karnad not only used the event's platform to question the lifetime award but also Naipul's critical views on the influence of Islam on India. Literary Festival Director Anil Dharkar stayed firm on their stand, claiming that the award to Naipaul was in recognition of a lifetime of literary work. Naipaul, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival, was not present when Karnad made the remarks.
In a debate moderated by TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, panelists -- Farrukh Dhondy, Author and William Dalrymple, Writer & Historian -- discuss whether cultural icon Girish Karnad is right in questioning Naipaul's views on the contribution of Muslims in Indian history.
