Shimla, August 27: The gate of British-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie’s ancestral house at Solan in Himachal Pradesh suffered minor damage when a big eucalyptus tree fell over it following recent heavy rains, the house caretaker Govind Ram said today.
“The 150-foot-tall tree fell on the main gate yesterday, blocking passage to the villa,” the caretaker of Rushdie’s house, known as Anees Villa, said.
“I informed the civic authorities today but they showed no inclination to remove the tree and now I will get it removed by employing labourers tomorrow,” said Ram, looking after the villa since 1997 when it was restored to Rushdie after protracted legal battle.
The villa was with district administration and was got vacated by the Rushdies through legal course.
Built in 1927, the villa was purchased by Salman’s grandfather Mohammad Uldin.
–Agencies