When Bush rubbed shoulders with Guru Dutt at Pushkar fair

Can you imagine former US president George Bush, an assassin and Guru Dutt rubbing shoulders with one another? They were. At the Siyahi-organised Literature Festival hosted by the RTDC and held for the first time at the Pushkar fair, an audience that had driven in from Jaipur and a flock of schoolchildren from Mayo College and other educational institutions watched this strange literary cocktail being brewed.

The past and its hoary traditions, the rivetting tales that make up Indian mythology were given new avatars as Aman Nath placed the event firmly in context. Illustrating his talk with slides from his book, Pushkar, Nath traced the history of the sacred town.

Adding a global dimension that surprised many was Sadanand Dhume, a journalist from Washington DC, who is currently based in New Delhi. His observations of the influence of Hinduism and especially of the Mahabharat on the daily life of Indonesia, in his yet-to-be-released book, My friend The Assassin, was an eye opener.

The arrival of Bush, in word and on screen, courtesy writer Anuvab Pal created a stir. The tongue-in-cheek reading of the ‘reality show’ that seeks to find the ‘one typical young Indian’ who is the exact right person to shake the visiting president’s hand was followed by excerpts from the film, The President is Coming.

Clips from Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa and Sahib, Biwi Aur Gulam interspersed with readings from 10 Years With Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi’s Journey by Sathya Saran had even the youngsters in the audience asking for more.  And carrying the story telling mood further was Veddan Sudhir who recounted new parables with political and social overtones. A fitting end to an event steeped in the varied history of a land like none other.