As a gesture of defiance, a panel discussion was held later with writer Javed Akhtar, Rahul Bose, journalist Tarun Tejpal, and two members of the Rajasthan Muslim Forum — Salim Engineer, national secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islami, and Mohammed Hasan, an academic and activist.

It’s a mad, mad world, this year’s Jaipur Literature Festival at Hotel Diggi Palace. Crowded, noisy, with hardly enough space to stand, forget sit, and yet it got way more crazier on Sunday. The second session of the day was titled “O”, and it was bang on. All the aunties, teenage boys and girls, old women and men, and TV reporters screamed with almost orgasmic pleasure when the Big O arrived.

What do you think happens when two Bollywood titans meet? On Monday, day four of the Jaipur Literature Festival, Javed Akhtar and Gulzar shared the dais, along with lyricist Prasoon Joshi and director, writer and music composer Vishal Bhardwaj, to discuss “Kahani Kisko Kehte Kain? Script, Story, Screenplay”.

It was only appropriate that after Friday’s drama and minor dhamakas, the Jaipur Literature Festival opened on Saturday with the soulful, and cleansing, rendition of Kabir’s songs by Shabnam Virmani.

Rose petals may be a long way off, but the appropriate words were showered on author Salman Rushdie on the buzzing lawns of Hotel Diggi Palace here. Author Hari Kunzru tweeted before going in to address his session “Of Gods and Men” at the JLF: “About to defy bigots and shoe throwers, reading @SalmanRushdie Satanic Verses on stage with @amitavakumar at #jaipur #jlf”.

Salman Rushdie ended weeks of speculation about his participation in the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) by announcing on Friday that he would not be traveling to India. Rushdie issued a press statement in which he blamed political indifference, specifically of the Rajasthan government, and lack of adequate security.

Kabhi-kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai that the television people are out to murder us all. Haan, sachchi! And not a clean, fatafat death. No. What they have planned for us is a slow, agonising maut, and their weapon of choice is boredom. Don’t believe me? Well, switch on Survivor India (Star Plus). This show is boredom ka brahmastra.

If you have an email account, which you do, of course, there is no way you would have been spared those annoying, even embarrassing, emails suggesting that you suffer from erectile dy

Why make remakes? This question tortures me every time I watch a remake of any variety — official remake, inspired retelling, or a plain copy-paste job.

2011 wasn't a great year for Bollywood, creatively at least. Though some films made a lot of money and hype ensured good opening for several big but trite films, Suparna Sharma recalls more groans than grins. Here's our critic's list of the 10 best films of 2011...