Guru Chahal

Salman Rushdie’s latest, ‘Victory City’, is easily his best in many years l and I dare say I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t go on to win the Man Booker 2023 in October.

The novel is a fable based loosely on the history of the famed Vijayanagara Empire (1336 – 1646). What captivates the reader from the start to the finish is Rushdie’s surpassing imagination, arresting power of words, unmistakable lndianness, and yes, his absolutely riveting magical realism. As the fable’s main character – Pampa Kampana – reminisces at her and the book’s very end – “Words are the only victors.”

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Guru Chahal, true to his name, is widely respected as a corporate guru. He has played a long innings as the Executive Director and Chief Advisor Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. Guru now lives near Bengaluru.