SOLAN, April 14 — India-born British author Salman Rushdie who shot into fame with his controversial novel “The Satanic Verses” visited “Anees Villa”, the bungalow his grandfather Maulvi Anees Ahmed had built here during the early forties, amidst tight security and secrecy maintained by a posse of the elite Special Protection Group yesterday.

The celebrity was spotted alighting from a black bullet-proof Mercedes, one of the three vehicles in a caravan of six black cars, all bearing New Delhi registration numbers, a little before dawn.

An eyewitness account said Rushdie was seen struggling to hide his emotions the movement he set his eyes on the house where he had spent a good part of his childhood in the company of his parents and grandparents. He halted several times while descending the flight of stairs leading un to “Anees Villa” from the road as if trying to soak in the whiff of pine-scented breeze that brought back memories, even as heels clicked and security personnel took positions.

Before long, the author was seen ‘romping’ almost like a child from one room to another and onto the open space that must have been the bungalow’s garden once. This was followed by a videography session. “Oh, how I love these majestic ‘deodars’ and the scenic splendour of the place”, he was quoted as having exclaimed.

Rushdie and the party left “Anees Villa” at about 3-30 p.m. for Shimla and returned at around 7-30 p.m. As the security staff had succeeded in maintaining a complete secrecy over the visit, it felt emboldened to re-enter the town via the busy Mall Road, sending the local rumour mills working overtime over the identities of the persons sitting inside three identical Mercedes cars bearing “Ministry of Home Affairs” stickers.

The T.V. crew who first broke the news about the celebrity’s visit were greatly helped by inquisitive citizens.

“Totally baseless and unfounded”, said Deputy Commissioner R.D. Dhiman when this correspondent asked of him whether ‘reports’ about the author being in town were correct. He maintained this stand even after being told that Dordarshan had already broadcast the news about the author’s arrival at Solan.

Similarly, S.P. Rakesh Aggarwal had “no knowledge’ about it.

Rushdie and the party, which included his son according to one account, dined at a local restaurant where those who recognised the author vied with one another to shake hands and obtain his autograph.

SHIMLA: The dramatic appearance and sudden disappearance of celebrated author Salman Rushdie at the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies here on Thursday left the administration, the security agencies as well as the people baffled.

Attired in a cream “kurta” and white pyjama and donning a felt hat, the bearded bespectacled Rushdie could not go recognised but the authorities, from the Home

Secretary to The Superintendent of Police, maintained that they had no intimation of his visit.

A few functionaries of the institute who saw him had no doubt about his identity. A senior official said Mr Vijay K.T. Shankardass, Rushdie’s attorney, accompanied him. Rushdie and his entourage came in Mercedes, Cielo cars. They alighted from the vehicles to buy tickets to enter the institute premises. A local lensman, who happened to be around, was not allowed to photograph Rushdie by the securitymen who surrounded him. “He is not the person you believe him to be”, they said.

After walking a few paces, they suddenly turned back, boarded their cars and sped. The whole drama did not last more than three minutes, according to officials.