Nobel Prize-winning author V.S. Naipaul dies
London, Aug 12 : Nobel Prize-winning novelist V.S. Naipaul, who explored questions of place and identity for more than half a century, has died aged 85, his family announced on Sunday.
Lady Naipaul confirmed that her husband had died peacefully in London on Saturday, reports the Guardian.
"He was a giant in all that he achieved and he died surrounded by those he loved having lived a life which was full of wonderful creativity and endeavour," she said in a statement.
Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul was born in 1932 in Chaguanas on the island of Trinidad and Tobago, to a family that had arrived from India in the 1880s, part of what he once called "an immigrant Asian community in a small plantation island in the New World".
Naipaul once said that he never felt at home in the community. In 2008, he recalled his childhood as "pretty awful" and his family as "terrible... very large, with too many people. There was no beauty. It was full of malice".
A government scholarship offered him a chance to escape, an immigrant once more as he travelled to Oxford in 1950 to study English. Turning from the comedy that began his career, Naipaul cast a steely eye on the shards of empire in a series of novels and travelogues.
Unflattering portraits of the West Indies, India, Africa and the Islamic faith brought both hostility and acclaim.
Critics accused him of holding people of the developing world in contempt even as his diamantine prose won him a series of awards including the Booker prize in 1971, a knighthood in 1989 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001.
His first book, "The Mystic Masseur", was published in 1951 and a decade later he published his most celebrated novel, "A House for Mr Biswas", with a protagonist based on Naipaul's father took him over three years to write, reports the BBC.
His other noted works include "The Enigma of Arrival", "Miguel Street", "The Loss of El Dorado" and "Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions among the Converted Peoples".
Naipaul's death was mourned by many including Geordie Greig, editor of the Mail on Sunday and a close friend, said his loss leaves a "gaping hole in Britain's literary heritage" but there is "no doubt" that his "books live on".
English novelist and journalist Hari Kunzru recalled interviewing him and said: "When we sat down, the first thing he said was 'tell me what you've read and don't lie'. Only then would he consent to be questioned."
Writer Jeet Heer called him a "powerful novelist" who "at his best approached Conrad and even the shadow of Dickens".
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
