A popular parody Twitter account that provided satirical commentary on India under the handle @RushdieExplains has changed its name after Salman Rushdie told the academic behind it that “the joke has worn thin”.
Rohit Chopra told the Times of India earlier this year that he set up the account – which now has more than 30,000 followers – after “chatting on Twitter … with friends about a somewhat tedious Pankaj Mishra article on India’s election and Modi’s victory”, and wondering aloud what Rushdie might have said about the events.
“For a lark, I did a few tweets, affecting a faux Rushdie persona – to my absolute surprise, the account took off,” he said. “The ‘Explains’ was part of the parodic conceit. I suppose I meant to poke fun at the pompous expertise of our assorted Indian pundits.”
Dear @RushdieExplains, the joke has worn thin. I'm tired of having your opinions ascribed to me. Pls tweet under your own name. Thanks.
— Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie) July 14, 2015
But earlier this week, Rushdie told @RushdieExplains that he was “tired of having your opinions ascribed to me”, and asked Chopra to “pls tweet under your own name”.
The novelist was criticised by some followers for his request – “as you say sir! but I really liked his sense of humour, I thought he had your blessings. Sad, he had to go,” wrote one; “Mr Rushdie this is a shame. Let the account live under your name,” wrote another – but Chopra acted quickly, changing his account to @IndiaExplained.
“In my view @IndiaExplained is a fine handle, better than the one before, and I look forward to continuing to follow,” wrote Rushdie in response. Chopra thanked him in reply: “Thank you @SalmanRushdie I’m rarely short of words but this leaves me speechless. Extraordinarily kind of you,” he wrote.
@IndiaExplained has been busy tweeting ever since – and continues to include a hat-tip to Rushdie, in the form of a quote from the author as a banner image: “Free speech is the whole thing, the whole ball game. Free speech is life itself.”
