London, Sept 24: Renowned writer Salman Rushdie has praised India's multi-culturalism, saying it would not change despite "stray cases of fundamentalism". Rushdie, talking to well-known travel writer William Dalrymple at a charity dinner here last night, said he was "confident about the multi-cultural aspect of the Indian society". "Indian society will not change despite stray cases of fundamentalism," the booker prize winner said. The Indian-origin writer also ruled out marginalisation of any section of the society saying "there is nothing such as marginalisation." Rushdie also spoke about his award winning novel 'midnight's children' and how people he met in areas as diverse as Mumbai and Cambridge could relate themselves to the various characters in the novel.

Rushdie flew in from New York to participate in the event organised by the charity Jaisalmer in jeopardy founded in 1996 by writer and photographer sue carpenter.

Bureau Report