Nayantara Sahgal unveils new novel, slams Modi

New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) Veteran author Nayantara Sahgal unveiled her new novel "The Fate Of Butterflies" at a function attended by bibliophiles and several known faces from the literary and political world, here on Wednesday.

The novel, Sahgal said, confronts the toxic dangers of "war, religious polarisation and authoritarian charisma -- a dystopian future that is already upon the world".

Sahgal was introduced by author Namita Gokhale during the launch at Oxford Bookstore. "The Fate Of Butterflies" is published by Speaking Tiger and is priced Rs 450.

In a conversation with Sanjoy Roy, producer of the Jaipur Literature Festival, Sahgal said all her novels have been stories of the times she has lived in and how they contributed to the making of India. "But this novel is about the unmaking of India," she said, pointing to the horrors of innocent people being lynched.

Sahgal, a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family and one of the most vocal critics of Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government draws inspiration from Nazi Germany.

Alleging that India was under a dictatorial regime, the 91-year-old writer said while Germans were told that Jews were a danger to them, the majority community in India is being told that it is under threat from the country's Muslims. She said ministers have spread this fear.

Remarking that she is a believing Hindu, Sahgal said she "absolutely rejects" the ideology of Hindutva.

"What's happening in the country has nothing to do with Hinduism, but a political ideology that has nothing at all to do with religion," she said.