Anees Villa 바카라 locally called Purani Kothi 바카라 is a well-known residential building in Solan, the picturesque hill town about 45 km south of Himachal Pradesh바카라s capital Shimla. From a distance, it is a remarkable example of authentic colonial-era architecture, with a wide sliding roof, and wood, stone, and masonry work that is likely to catch the eye of a passerby.
But as you near it, disappointment is imminent. Its lawns are overrun with wild grass, weed, and untrimmed bushes. Several windows have broken glass, and crumbling wooden fittings reveal a story of neglect. It is obvious that the house has not been painted or repaired for years.  Â
Yet, back in 1992, this house suddenly became the centre of a lawsuit that stirred the curiosity of the locals.
Salman Rushdie, the famous British American author of Indian origin, filed a case in the Himachal Pradesh High Court in Shimla, claiming it was his ancestral property.
By then, Rushdie was already famous 바카라 and notorious.
His second novel, Midnight바카라s Children (1981), had won the Booker Prize. But his 1988 novel, The Satanic Verses, sparked outrage among Muslims all around the world 바카라 including India, Pakistan, and the UK, where Rushdie then lived. India became the first country to ban the book, and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the then supreme leader of Iran, put out a fatwah calling for Rushdie and his publishers to be killed.
Rushdie was forced to go into hiding, as it became evident that he could be assassinated by Islamic fundamentalists.
On August 12 this year, as the 75-year-old novelist was about to give a public lecture in Chautauqua, New York, he was stabbed multiple times, allegedly by one Hadi Matar. (Matar, 24, an American of Lebanese descent, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder.)
Since the attack, local journalists have started coming down to the villa in Solan to find out stories about Rushdie, said its janitor and caretaker, Govind Ram, 60. 바카라The attack came as a shock,바카라 he said.
Ram lives in one part of the six-bedroom villa with his family of four.
Â
바카라I was paid a salary of Rs 1,700 per month,바카라 he said. 바카라The last instalment came in 2015-16 바카라 Rs 8,000. After that, I have received nothing.바카라
Ram also bemoans the dilapidated condition of the building.
바카라The roof needs immediate repairs,바카라 he said. 바카라Every monsoon water seeps in through the large cracks. There are spots of black mould on the walls. The wooden fittings and even the structural woodwork are decaying.바카라
And yet, he recalls, quite vividly, the only time Rushdie had returned to this house.
It was on April 13, 2000. 바카라His son Zafar was with him, and also his lawyer, Vijay T. Shankardass,바카라 said Ram. 바카라Rushdie got people to put up lights all over the villa. He kept going in and coming out. He was very happy and went all over the estate several times.바카라
He also remembers cooking an elaborate dinner, and how Rushdie and his guests were up all night, narrating nostalgic stories.
Rushdie wanted to make this villa a writers바카라 residency, said Rakesh Kanwar, secretary of language, art, and culture in the Himachal Pradesh government.
바카라We have not heard from him. This property could be utilised for literary activities,바카라 said Kanwar, who was earlier deputy commissioner, Solan.
Till Rushdie filed the case in 1992, no one had any idea about its literary connections.
바카라The building was right next to the deputy commissioner바카라s residence and in the possession of the education department,바카라 said former deputy commissioner of Solan, Vineet Chowdhary. 바카라As there were no claimants, I passed orders to escheat the property to the government after following proper procedures.바카라
From 1993-96, it served as the official residence of Solan바카라s additional district magistrate. Arun Sharma was its first and last official occupant.
바카라The government was paying a rent of Rs 130 per month till 1987,바카라 said Sharma. 바카라After that, all payment to the Bombay (Mumbai) address of the owner kept getting returned and was deposited in the district education officer바카라s office.바카라
But after Rushdie바카라s lawyers filed the petition in the high court, former deputy commissioner Srikant Badli passed an order transferring the property to Rushdie in 1997.
He visited three years later 바카라 but stayed in the house for only one night. The threat to his life was imminent, and his visit was kept under wraps.
바카라My father had gifted me this cottage on my 21st birthday,바카라 Rushdie told journalist Sunil Sethi in an interview later that year. 바카라And I had taken my son to it just as he is approaching his 21st birthday. It felt like I was completing some promise to my father.바카라
바카라It was really deeply moving for me,바카라 he added.
Rushdie came to own Anees Villa in 1969, when his father Anees Ahmed Rushdie, a Cambridge-educated lawyer-turned-businessman, gifted it to him. The Kashmiri Muslim family lived for many years in Bombay (Mumbai), about which Rushdie has written several novels.
The family moved to Pakistan sometime in the mid-1960s, when Rushdie was already in school in England. He also lived in Karachi for a few years. His grandfather Mohammed Uldin bought the house, which was built in 1927 according to official records, in the 1940s.
바카라We know that the property needs a lot of repairs and restoration work,바카라 said Anirudh Shankardass, son of Rushdie바카라s late lawyer Vijay T. Shankardass, when contacted over the phone.
바카라There are plans to put it in order as Anees Villa has a significant historical and emotional appeal,바카라 he added. 바카라Some people are ready to collaborate. But after the attack, it is perhaps not the right time to talk about repairs to the house.바카라
Spread over 2,000 square meters, the property is surrounded by lush cedars. But it is quickly losing charm. Illegal constructions all around even hide it from view.
바카라I have no idea why they stopped paying my salary,바카라 said caretaker Govind Ram. 바카라I have also stopped making inquiries.바카라
He now also runs a tea stall at the Bypass market in Solan.
