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Desert Island Discs

V S Naipaul

Desert Island Discs

BBC

Society & Culture, Music Commentary, Music, Personal Journals

4.413.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 July 1980

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Roy Plomley's castaway is writer V S Naipaul.

Favourite track: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor by Ludwig van Beethoven Book: Teach yourself mathematics Luxury: The Enlightened Buddha

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello, I'm Kirstie Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

0:05.0

For Wright's reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

0:08.0

The program was originally broadcast in 1980, and the presenter was Roy Plumley. On our desert island this week is the writer, V.S. Nippal, how important to you is music?

0:37.0

Well, it isn't really important, largely because of my background. I was born in Trinidad, a very musical place, but I was

0:46.2

born in an Indian family and to me music was something outside my family. I've come to it in the way that I have come to it only

0:58.8

very recently and although it is true that at times I want to play the odd record I really can do without it.

1:06.0

Did you find it very difficult to choose this 8?

1:10.0

I found it difficult to choose 8 because I would have been happier choosing six.

1:17.0

So are the usual answer.

1:21.0

Well I'm afraid you're contracted to choose eight so let's get on with it. What's the first?

1:27.0

I spent some time in Indonesia last year and this and on the way back I rested in a neutral place I rested in

1:36.3

Madras and Bombay largely because of the hotels there and on the the hotel

1:42.1

tape system the recording thing they have beside your bed, I heard this particular piece by Bismila Khan. Oh, uh, I'm a man.

2:03.0

A man.

2:05.0

Oh,

2:06.0

Ah,

2:07.0

Ah, a man,

2:08.0

uh, uh,

2:10.0

uh, uh, uh, A section from a late night Roger called Poorby played by Bismiller Khan.

2:28.0

Are there many Indians in Trinidad and when and why did they go there?

2:34.7

When I was born, I suppose we were a community of about a hundred thousand.

2:39.4

Now it's grown considerably in 50 years. They went there to work on the sugar estates after

...

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