Commonwealth award — Rushdie’s arrival hangs in suspense

"While some of the prize winning authors have confirmed their arrival, there was no confirmation from Rushdie," the chairman of the organising committee Pavan K Varma, the author-diplomat, told newsmen here.

"Rushdie has a visa. He can come here and he has been invited. If he comes he will be provided with adequate security," Varma, who is also the Joint Secretary (Africa) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said.

India is hosting the gala prize distribution event for the first time since the prize was instituted in 1987. The overall Commonwealth Writers Prize for the Best Book and the Best First Book 2000 will be selected from among the regional winners by a panel headed by noted writer Shashi Deshpande.

Other recipients of the regional awards include Lily Bret (Australia), Funso Aiyejina (Nigeria), Jeffrey Moore (Canada) and Kapka Kassabova (New Zealand), Varma said.

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh will give away the prizes while Nayantara Sehgal, the first Indian to bag the Commonwealth Prize, would be the guest of honour.

Rushdie has been selected for the regional award for his novel `The Ground Beneath Her Feet’ under the category of the `Best Book’ along with other masterly works of the likes of South African J M Coatzee’s `Disgrace’ and Canadian author Shauna Singh Baldwin’s `What the Body Remembers’.

The controversial author’s `Midnight Children’ was adjudged the `Booker of Bookers’ in 1993.

`Indian Express’ staffer Raj Kamal Jha’s novel `The Blue Bedspread’ has been selected for the regional prize under the category of the Best First Book and would be competing for the overall best among the works of Nigerian Funso Aiyejina, Canadian Jeffrey Moore and of Kapka Kassabova of New Zealand.